Solar could be solution to Texas energy capacity issues



Research conducted by energy consultancy The Brattle Group using data from the summer of 2011 found that adding photovoltaic (PV) solar to the Texas grid could have saved customers an average of $155 to $281 per megawatt-hour.

The report finds that avoiding fuel, operations and maintenance costs associated with fossil fuels plans could save customers even more – an additional $52/MWh. All told, the total customer benefits could have been more than $520 million.

Solar, with its falling prices, seems like a natural solution to Texas' capacity issues.

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"Texas needs more on-peak capacity," said Pat Wood, former chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. "Solar delivers on peak, it doesn't use water and it doesn't create any smog pollution. It is increasingly affordable, competing favorably with other peak-of-the-day resources."

Solar can provide savings for customers but, more importantly, it can address the state's urgent need to prevent rolling blackouts this summer.

"The state's electricity grid was pushed to the brink of failure last summer," said Carrie Cullen Hitt, Vice President of State Affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) who sponsored the Brattle study. "As Texas leaders address ways to mitigate this risk and the state's energy future, solar should be an important part of their plans."

For more:
- see the report
- see this article

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