(Austin, TX)//Representative Garnet Coleman today announced he has filed legislation to encourage the development of solar power in Texas.  

 

House Bill 2226 creates the TexSun Solar Energy Rebate Program. Funded by a sixty-five cent fee on utility bills, rebates provided by the fund will offset the initial cost of installing solar electric power in one’s home. Owners of solar electric systems will receive credit for surplus energy they produce from their panels. If they produce more energy than they use, then the consumer gets a credit on that month’s electricity bill for the energy they produced.

 

“With Texas’ sky-high utility bills and the threat of global climate change, our state needs to make an investment in solar power,” Representative Coleman said. “That’s why I have filed H.B. 2226, to help bring the cost of solar within the reach of Texas homeowners and businesses.”

 

Texas’ excellent solar resources, the best in the nation according to the State Energy Conservation Office, make the state a prime location for an investment in solar power.

“Texans know how the sun beats down on them - why not put that to good use?” Representative Coleman said.

 

Representative Coleman stressed that solar power is ready to meet Texas’ energy needs, not just at some point in the future, but today.

 

“People may think of solar as this expensive, niche technology, but that’s not so. H.B. 2226 will help bring the cost of solar within the reach of Texas homeowners and businesses,” said Representative Coleman. “With the right incentives, solar power can be as common on the cul de sac as a minivan in the garage or a barbecue in the backyard.”

 

Senator Rodney Ellis, who has filed a companion bill in the Senate, joined Representative Coleman in stressing the need for Texas to invest in solar power.

 

"Across the state, Texans are demanding that we take action on clean energy," said Senator Ellis.  "These bills will help Texas expand access to clean, renewable energy, address our growing environmental challenges, and help Texas take the lead in this vital technology."

 

Representatives of industry, environmental groups, and faith organizations praised the legislation as an important step for Texas’ environmental and economic future.

"Texas is blessed with exceptional renewable energy resources.  We applaud Rep. Coleman's proposal to expanding onsite solar usage through "buy-down" incentives.  These incentives will reduce the initial cost of renewable energy equipment for the consumer and stimulate this market sector in Texas," said Ramon Alvarez of Environmental Defense. "We have recently analyzed the potential of policies like the one proposed by Rep. Coleman in HB 2226 to address our state's growing energy needs.  We found that solar and other onsite renewables could meet 5% of projected electric consumption in 2023."

 

“Texas has more sunshine than any other state in the union and the know-how to lead the nation in solar electric power, just as it became the U.S. leader in wind power," said Julie Blunden with Sunpower.  "SunPower Corporation applauds Representative Coleman for his leadership in introducing HB 2226, solar legislation that can create solar jobs and industry in the Great State of Texas while providing reliable, clean peak power to meet the energy needs of Texas families and businesses.”

 

“We are so grateful to Representative Coleman for introducing HB2226," said Bee Morehead, executive director of Texas Impact. "This bill will help Texans tap into our most abundant natural resource—our bright, sunny sky—and use that sunshine to generate clean, safe energy to power our homes, churches and communities.”

 

This bill may spark a solar energy boom in Texas. No state has more potential to generate solar energy than Texas, but we’ve been lagging behind other sunny states like California, Nevada and other unlikely states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania,  which have developed strong solar programs," said Thomas "Smitty" Smith with Public Citizen. "It is my hope that  years from now Texans will look back on this day as the start of the Great Tex Sun boom."

 

“We can protect our environment and move to a cleaner energy future by using our technological know how to tap into solar energy," said Luke Metzger of Environment Texas. "With the best solar resource potential in the nation, high projected energy needs and a considerable existing energy infrastructure, Texas is in a prime position to be a world solar leader."