JR Howard’s sheep follow his truck as he drives through a solar array owned by Adapture Renewables near Gainesville, Texas, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)Renewable energy’s rapid ascent in Texas could face new obstacles in 2025 after several lawmakers filed bills that would increase government oversight and make it more expensive to build in Texas.Republican lawmakers are leading the charge with bills that would give government regulators final approval over the construction of new wind, solar and battery storage projects in Texas.Proposals include requiring property buffers between the projects and neighboring properties, including a bill allowing counties to ban battery storage projects within a quarter-mile of a home.Another proposal from Frisco Republican Rep. Jared Patterson would require environmental fees and studies for new renewable projects.The authors of the proposals cite environmental and safety concerns, although the technologies have far less impact on greenhouse gas emissions and are generally considered safer than their fossil fuel counterparts, according to research showing the extraction of fossil fuels and the air pollution created by burning them is more deadly than renewable energy.The proposed legislation comes as solar power and battery storage have boomed, with battery storage capacity more than doubling in 2024 and solar power generation growing by about 44%, according to ERCOT.Wind, solar and batteries account for about 46% of electric generation capacity in ERCOT, while coal and natural gas power plants make up just over half of the grid’s capacity, according to the latest ERCOT assessment.Experts attribute much of the growth in renewable energy to Texas’ relaxed permitting policies, a competitive energy market and isolation from federal oversight. In essence, a lack of regulation allowed the state to become a proving ground for emerging technologies like solar, batteries and wind power.Several bills could change the friendly regulatory environment.Patterson filed what appears to be the most comprehensive of these bills. His House Bill 553 could require renewable developers to hold hearings and seek regulatory approval before beginning construction of a solar or wind farm.The bill also could increase real estate costs by requiring renewable developments to have buffer zones of 500 to 1,000 feet between a solar panel or wind turbine and a neighboring property.Patterson declined to be interviewed about the bill but answered questions via email.“HB 553 is not aimed at slowing down renewable generation facility installations, but instead it aims to create a reliable framework for these facilities to follow so they are not creating an adverse impact on the local wildlife in the area, and to ensure that these facilities are permitted and operate in the best interest of the Texas taxpayers whose subsidies make them a reality,” he said in the email.Patterson said the bill is intend
Ven. Gen 10th, 2025
