A new report published by the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center says the Lone Star State is a leader in wind power generation and other renewable energy sources.
The report assessed the growth of six different clean energy solutions over the past decade and found that Texas ranked the best, or close to it, in multiple categories in 2023:
- 1st for wind power generation at 119,836 GWh
- 2nd for solar power generation at 31,739 GWh
- 2nd for battery storage capacity at 3.42 GW
- 3rd for electric vehicle registrations with 210,433
- 4th for electric vehicle charging ports, with 8,637 statewide
Between 2014 and 2023, wind power generation in Texas nearly tripled, while solar energy grew more than 70-fold.
Earlier this week, The Dallas Express reported on a new deal that will see large solar farms in Buckholts in Milam County. These farms will supply power to support Google’s data centers in Ellis County and its cloud computing operations in the Dallas region.
“Texas is truly setting the pace in the race toward 100% clean and renewable energy… As climate change increases the severity of hurricanes, back-up power capable EVs are also increasingly becoming life-saving equipment to residents along the Texas coast,” Ian Seamans, city hall advocate with Environment Texas Research & Policy Center, said in a release.
Texas will soon receive $360 million from the federal government to help connect the ERCOT grid beyond state lines. Known as the Southern Spirit, the line would interconnect Texas and Mississippi, providing 3,000 megawatts of electricity to and from the Texas grid. The connection could prove mutually beneficial, delivering enough electricity to power 750,000 homes where and when needed, whether in Texas or Mississippi.
In 2021, Winter Storm Uri caused major blackouts in Texas, resulting in the deaths of 229 Texans and 15 people in other states.