TYLER -- Some Tyler-area businesses are on board as the Go Solar Texas coalition calls on Governor Perry to move forward with a rule to promote solar power. Those businesses include Pyramid Homes, Power Up Solar, and GenCore. There's a letter to that effect signed by more than 80 Texas businesses. The coalition has also released "Lone Star Power: How Texas Businesses Can Supply the World with Solar Energy." The coalition says the report highlights the many Texas businesses from the chemical, steel, construction, and semiconductor industries which would benefit from a statewide solar program.
The coalition defines itself as a coalition of businesses, elected officials, and environmental organizations who are working to make Texas a world leader in solar power. You can log on to
http://gosolartexas.org/ to learn more about the group. The coalition says despite having the #1 solar potential of any state in the US, Texas lags at just #9 in installed solar generation capacity.
Now, the Public Utility Commission is considering a rule to require electric companies to obtain 500 megawatts of electricity (the size of a coal-fired power plant) from solar energy and other emerging renewable technologies by the year 2015. The coalition says this would create the first ever state-wide mandates for solar power and would be a tremendous boon to the solar industry in Texas. According to a coalition news release, "Go Solar Texas is calling upon Gov. Perry to support the PUC so that Texas can maintain our tradition of energy leadership, instead of sitting on the sidelines as billions of dollars of investment and thousands of good green jobs go to other states." The coalition is in fact asking Perry to set a goal of developing 1000 megawatts of solar by 2015 and 5000 megawatts by 2025.
