The battle over the TXU coal plants has been well chronicled on these pages.
As an elegant companion to the efforts to shut down coal, there’s a proposal in the Texas Legislature — sitting in committee right now — that would develop a world-class solar energy program for Texas.
The TexSUN solar program (House Bill 2226 and Senate Bill 1357) would remove some of the regulatory barriers standing in the way of a robust solar market, and provide incentives to home and business owners to install solar systems across Texas.
The environmental and economic impacts are tremendous. Solar provides the most electricity during times of peak demand — when electricity is most expensive — lowering utility costs for everyone. And the solar systems installed under this program would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3 million tons. That’s no small potatoes.
The bills are stuck in committees right now. If you live in Texas and want to jump start solar, take action here to get them out.
Texas is facing a choice. We can either build coal plants — and lock in 50 more years of ever-dirtier air and globe-warming emissions. Or we can invest in clean and renewable energy technologies like solar energy. Again, if your choice is clean energy, take action here. Or no complaining later.
