“Solar is Taking Off in Texas”
“Solar is taking off in Texas,” said Jim Hughes, CEO of First Solar, a
global provider of photovoltaic solar energy solutions. “Our Barilla Solar project is the first solar power plant in the country to offer electricity on an open contract basis, and it illustrates how solar has become a reliable, competitively priced component in the state’s balanced energy portfolio. We see an enormous growth opportunity for solar in Texas.” First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) is a vertically integrated solar power provider with more than 10 GW of installed capacity worldwide. Along with the Barilla power plant, First Solar has several other projects in various stages of development in Texas.
“Advanced energy is alive and well in Texas,”
said Susan Reilly, president of Renewable Energy Systems Americas, Inc. (RES Americas), and current chair of the American Wind Energy Association. RES Americas and its many Texas projects are profiled in the TAEBA report. “Texas is the nation’s leader in wind energy, today and going forward – just look at what’s in the pipeline. RES Americas is proud of the wind and solar installations we’ve worked on in Texas and we look forward to many more in the future.”
RES Americas is a renewable energy, transmission, and energy storage developer. Its projects in Texas total nearly 2,500 MW, including the 278 MW King Mountain Wind Ranch, the 60 MW Whirlwind Energy Center, and the 166 MW Hackberry Wind Farm. RES Americas was also a contractor for the 30 MW Webberville and 41 MW
Alamo 1 solar projects. Near completion is its Keechi wind project, owned by Enbridge Inc., which will power Microsoft Corp. near Dallas–Fort Worth.
Texas Advanced Energy Going Big: 10GW Solar by 2029 - SolarLove
This is just the beginning. And just for Texas. All the southern states have this power available. And, with Austin putting in 1.2 GW for under 5 cents a watt, and solar still declining in price, you will see many more projects like this, while you will not see many new coal fired plants built in the future.