Texas Solar Taking Off

Innovative Solar Systems LLC has hundreds of projects in progress across the U.S. We strive to develop projects in areas with proven optimal conditions for solar energy farms. One of these states that have been shown to be a prime location for solar development that is home to a multitude of ISS projects is the state of Texas.

Back in February, PV Magazine reported that Texas was positioned to become one of the leading states for solar energy with solar energy steadily outpacing Texas’ previous leader, wind. According to an article by Christian Roselund, “In December, the volume of solar applications in ERCOT’s interconnection queue exceeded those of wind for the first time…” This projected boom was further supported by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which projects Texas solar to grow by at least “9,115 MW over the next 5 years.”

Since the beginning of the year when the increase in Texas solar was predicted, solar has indeed continued to grow, thanks in part to tax abatements in the state. However, following days when record-high temperatures this summer in Texas drove wholesale prices to over $9,000 per megawatt-hour, analysts still see an opportunity for a massive expansion of Texas’ solar portfolio. Karl-Erik Stromsta with Green Tech Media writes this month that “These are edge-of-your-seat events for an American grid operator, even one as big as ERCOT, whose 75-gigawatt peak-demand record set last month is 30 percent higher than peak load for the whole of the U.K.” Stromsta continues, “Texas is the leading state for solar megawatts under development, according to Wood Mackenzie – and that was true even before this summer’s ‘scarcity pricing’ events when any power plant online could claim $9,000 a megawatt-hour.”

Thanks to a consistently growing energy demand in Texas, it is safe to say that there is a continued opportunity for investment and development in the solar energy space in the state. In Texas, solar is often pitted against its renewable competitor, wind, and it is consistently coming out on top in terms of reliability and profitability. This is why ISS is thrilled to be at the forefront of solar energy development in the state of Texas. For more information about ISS’ Texas-based utility-scale projects, please call 828-424-7884 or visit innovativesolarsystemsllc.com.