Texas continues dominance in wind and solar power generation

This article was published by Environment Texas on Oct. 23 2024.

Interactive dashboard allows users to explore clean energy growth in Texas and nation over the past decade

DALLAS – Texas ranks first in the nation for wind power generation, second for solar power generation, second in the nation for battery storage, and third in the nation for the number of electric vehicle registrations through 2023, according to the online Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard released on Wednesday by Environment Texas Research & Policy Center.

This analysis comes as Texas is set to receive $360 million from the federal government to interconnect the ERCOT grid with other southern states, potentially bringing cheap, clean, Texan energy to hundreds of thousands more.

“Texas is truly setting the pace in the race toward 100 per cent clean and renewable energy,” said Ian Seamans, City Hall Advocate with Environment Texas Research & Policy Center.

Texas has seen a more than 70-fold increase in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun and a nearly 95-fold increase in battery capacity since 2014. Last year, wind and solar energy produced 31 per cent of the state’s electricity.

Beyond top-ranking growth in wind and solar energy, Texas has also seen a 40-fold increase in the number of registered electric vehicles. Strong and supportive policies from the federal government, combined with improving technologies and falling prices, have played a key role in driving adoption, according to the report.

”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,” said Seamans.

In addition to highlighting states that have made the most progress in adopting renewable energy technologies, the research also details the rapid gains achieved nationally over the past decade. According to the report, America produced more than three times as much renewable electricity from the sun and the wind in 2023 as in 2014.

The Renewables on the Rise 2024 dashboard documents the growth of six key clean energy technologies across the United States over the past decade: solar power, wind power, battery storage, energy efficiency, electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations.

“Millions of Americans and Texans are already reaping the benefits of the dramatic clean energy progress we’ve made so far,” Seamans said. “With federal tax credits turbocharging clean energy, now is the time for states to lean in to clean energy. In the upcoming legislative session we need legislators to cut the red tape for rooftop solar and reject efforts to hamstring the incredible growth of clean energy in Texas.”