This article originally posted at citizenvox.org
Global warming is the singular environmental challenge of our generation. Some people claim you cannot be green without sacrificing economic development. Actually, we can create a greener energy future for Texas and reduce our electric bills at the same time by investing in our electric infrastructure.
This week the Texas Public Utility Commission met to decide on upgrading the power grid infrastructure to make sure that we can build new clean, renewable sources of energy in West Texas (where all the sun and wind is) and get it to the people in the major population centers in East Texas. Of three options, they chose the medium, compromise amount of investment. While not as large as we would have liked (the best option was an “electric superhighway” that would have saved Texans billions in their energy bills), the PUC chose to make a large investment in the clean energy future of our state.
Wind power in Texas is now a cheaper source of electricity than fossil fuel alternatives. Building newer transmission lines is the best way to quit our addiction to fossil fuels.
Want to learn more? Read our press release about our news conference, or read the study and policy paper here. You can also watch a video about renewable energy in Texas and how we can save $1.2 billion dollars here.
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I am very excited about having more renewable energy available on the electric grid.
I live in Austin and missed signing up for the municipal utility’s green energy program the first round, because the available renewal energy the city could purchase was snatched up so quickly that if you didn’t sign up within the first couple of days you had to wait months until the city could purchase more renewable energy. I managed to sign up for it the second time but only because I was ready for the fact that this program was like buying highly desirable concert tickets and was waiting in line when they went on sale.
Until I read your blog, I had always thought the city wasn’t able to purchase more renewable/wind energy because there weren’t enough wind farms. Now I know the hold up was lack of transmission lines.
Kudos to the PUC for working to provide the public with something they need and want!