Solar Poised To Shine in Texas After Steady Growth
Solar power is set to play a bigger role in Texas this summer than ever before, building on years of rapid growth that have pushed solar into a conversation long dominated by natural gas and wind energy. ...George Humphrey, a partner with Thompson & Knight LLP in Houston, said the rapid dip in solar prices has already made it competitive compared to fossil fuels for developers looking for their next investment. That's despite the relative uncertainty that intermittent energy sources pose. Solar only generates when the sun in shining, leaving gaps in its power supply at night and on cloudy days, for example. "Texas historically was kind of behind in solar development, but as solar panel costs have plummeted over the last decade, now that the costs have come down so much, they're basically competitive with fossil fuel generation," Humphrey said. "The cost now to install solar is so cheap that it's cost competitive or maybe cheaper than gas generation."