Texas Blows a Kiss of Sweetened Sweet Sugar to the USA

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People are starting to notice something strange about Texas. The state has deep, persistent roots in the oil and gas industry, but now Texas continues to play a leading role in wind and solar energy. So far the production is still within the state regulations, but the Cost Reduction Act of 2022 enables the state developers to share the love of renewable energy with the rest of the US.

Texas Wants (And Needs) Renewable Energy

Texas has a lot of wind and solar resources, but so far it has been reluctant to share with the rest of the US. This makes Texas worth it. Interstate electricity distribution is a feature among many states in the US, because the national grid is organized into several regions under federal control. On the other hand, the Texas grid is almost completely cut off from its neighbors, the result of a 20th century decision by state policymakers determined to avoid federal oversight.

On the downside, Texas power producers cannot rely on imported production to reduce the risk of blackouts. There have been many examples of that over the years. In terms of renewable energy, however, there is a bright side. As market-ready wind and solar technology began to emerge in the early 21st century, Texas grid administrators, legislators and policy makers were quick to attack these new generation sources. state energy (see more Texas wind and solar here).

Unfortunately, the political climate in Texas changed after former President Trump took office in 2020. Republican leaders have made a habit of wasting green money ever since. However, the ongoing rhetoric of capitalism about “awakened capitalism” is more about wooing voters than doing anything to make the government less attractive to investors in renewable energy. Renewable energy is embedded in the Texas economy and it will be difficult if not impossible to release it.

There’s More Than One Way to Share Renewable Energy

The likelihood of connecting Texas wind and solar power plants to the US regional grid system in any meaningful way is also very dim. However, there are other opportunities to share the bounty of renewable energy. For example, green investors are taking advantage of Texas’ business-friendly environment to throw tens of millions of dollars into solar manufacturing businesses, with the goal of deploying light-harvesting devices across the state.

The location of the solar factory is important because the entire US solar industry died in the late 20th century, succumbing to competition from overseas manufacturers. Things began to move after the Obama administration revived some work through the Department of Energy’s newly established Office of Loan Programs. Despite the Solyndra crash and burn, the entire program was a success. However, progress was delayed until the Affordable Care Act of 2022 took effect.

CleanTechnica it noticed a new burst of activity in September last year. At the time, the US Department of Energy reported only 14 solar manufacturers in Texas, mostly focused on making racks and other equipment. Another solar module maker, Mission Solar, says the Affordable Care Act is prompting it to expand its San Antonio factory to one gigawatt, up from just 300 megawatts. Additionally, last fall Indian firm Waaree Energies (a subsidiary of Waaree Group) released plans to build a 5-megawatt solar module plant in Brookshire. US photovoltaic manufacturer SEG Solar also announced its plan to set up shop in Texas with help from the IRA.

SEG did not allow the strong regenerated grass to grow under its feet. On August 9 the company announced the start of operations at its new $60 million, 250,000 square foot solar module production facility in Houston, with the goal of manufacturing high-efficiency Ukon N-type solar modules. at a rate of 2 gigawatts per year. .

SEG says the new factory makes it among the first US manufacturers to produce solar modules domestically. “As a leading solar company in the US, SEG is proud to be among the first to answer the call for domestic manufacturing by building a solar power plant in the US,” emphasized Wood.

“With the opening of the Houston facility, customers will benefit from faster delivery times and improved after-sales services, while the convenient location will significantly reduce transportation costs, strengthening SEG’s competitiveness and maintain its leading position in the industry,” the company explained. press release earlier this year.

A Renewable Energy Love Letter From Texas to the US

They are just for starters. SEG also expects the firm to serve as a platform for its future global R&D center. “Looking forward, SEG will continue to deepen its investments in wafers, cells and modules, following market trends closer to meeting the needs of our customers,” Wood explained.

Signs of more work to come appeared again on the investor side on August 7, when the international banking group Standard Chartered announced a six-year green loan of $ 235 million to support construction of a new 1.35 square meter, 5-gigawatt solar panel. factory in Wilmer, Texas for major Chinese manufacturer Trinasolar.

Standard Chartered notes that the Trinasolar plant will be one of the first solar plants in the US to receive non-subsidized financing. Loosely speaking, bad loans indicate the borrower’s belief that they will not pay.

“This project helps improve the nation’s renewable energy mix and transition to clean energy,” Standard Charter also stressed, perhaps unaware that Texas Republican lawmakers are working hard to prevent investment in renewable energy and slow down the energy transition.

As if twisting the knife too much, Standard Chartered also highlighted its role as the Green Loan Coordinator for this business. Green loans help the lender and borrower to seek environmental benefits from the business. The World Bank advises that green loans should be based on voluntary international standards set out in the Green Loan Principles established by the International Loan Market Association, with the aim of accelerating and supporting “environmentally sustainable” projects. .

Standard Chartered’s Sridhar Nagarajan also used the event to call attention to his firm’s net zero mission, which is very different from what Republican lawmakers in Texas are pursuing. He said: “Trinasolar is a long-standing sponsor, and we are happy to help them again with the funding of this new project.

Trinasolar Group CFO Jerry Sen Wu drew attention to the security situation, too, stressing that environmental protection is “a core part of our social responsibility.”

Are these young men not listening? “Corporate social responsibility” is a different way of describing the principles of ESG (environment, society, governance) adopted by corporations and financial institutions, which public officials of the Republic of Texas and two or more other states they still criticize it.

So, there’s that. Meanwhile, if Texas were to increase its interstate transmission lines, it would be a give and take. Earlier this summer word dropped that long-distance transmission firm Pattern Energy was considering a new project to block wind power from Texas to Mississippi and Louisiana.

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Photo (cropped): This new solar power plant in Houston is another sign that Texas’ renewable energy players are committed to bringing clean energy to the US, one way or another. (in praise of SEG Solar).