age the installation of solar energy systems.” California remains the nation’s largest solar energy mar- ket by far and has effective state initiatives promoting the industry. The Texas Solar Energy Society
(TXSES) would like to the see the Lone Star State provide similar in- centives. On its website, the trade association points to amendments the Texas Legislature adopted in 2005 to the Renewable Portfolio
tion interconnection to the electric grid, and legislation to prevent home owners associations from blocking the installation of solar panels on homes. The 2008 SECO report notes Tex-
as is the largest energy consumer in the U.S. at more than 11,500 tril- lion British thermal units (Btu) an- nually. While Texas continues to lead the nation in oil and gas out- put, “production of these precious
Traditional energy sources will not be enough to satisfy the nation’s growing thirst for energy.
outside sources of energy to meet demand. This gap will continue to widen over time based on historical trends, thereby illustrating the fact that traditional energy sources will not be enough to satisfy the nation’s growing thirst for energy. “Texas’ large, yet underutilized
supply of renewable energy resourc- es will make up a larger percentage of our total energy supplies in the future.”
Standard that called upon the Public Utility Commission to develop 500 megawatts of non-wind renewable energy by 2015. The group says solar energy production in Texas stands at slightly above 100 mega- watts. TXSES says expansion can be attained through third-party fi nanc- ing of solar systems, guidelines and standards for distributed genera-
82 The Cattleman June 2013
resources has been in a downfall since their heyday in the 1970s. At the same time, energy consump- tion in Texas and the nation have continued to steadily climb. “During the early 1990s, con-
sumption overtook production, ef- fectively establishing Texas as a net importer of energy resources, forc- ing the state to increasingly rely on
The data were based in part on a
resource assessment conducted for the Legislature by the West Texas A&M-based Alternative Energy In- stitute. Associate Director for Train- ing and Outreach Ken Starcher says in the ’70s and ’80s, the Institute established stations that monitored both wind speed and “insolation” or solar power at several locations
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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