March Happy Hour, the State of Solar in 2021

When a deadly winter storm descended last month, over 5 million homes and businesses were left without power. When the ice finally melted, Lone Star State officials began searching for answers, for chinks in the armor of a state widely reputed to be an energy powerhouse. According to data collected by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) during that week, solar and wind energy delivered 91% and 106% respectively of its promised power, while coal and natural gas delivered 73% and 68% respectively of its promised load. Given the performance of clean energy and solar in particular, we wonder how this information may advise the way for a more robust energy portfolio and less vulnerable electrical grid. On March 30th, Solar Austin will be sitting down with Sen. Jose Menendez and Charlie Hemmeline to tackle the questions: what can Texas – the Energy Giant – learn from these historic power failures, and how can the solar industry help us as a state grow resiliency before the next climate-related crisis strikes?

For the last three years, State Sen. Jose Menendez (D-26, Bexar County) has been one of the loudest pro-solar voices on either side of the political aisle. This happy hour, Sen. Menendez will give us the rundown of Senate Bill 398, which was filed in early February and will ensure that solar customers receive the information needed to make informed decisions and also prohibit municipalities from unreasonably restricting the right of citizens to choose their own energy source. Tune in to learn more about the actions he’s taking to grow the solar workforce, expand residential access to solar power, and support each Texan’s energy independence on the policy side.

Leading this discussion from the business perspective, we have Charlie Hemmeline, Executive Director of the Texas Solar Power Association, a trade association that promotes the development of solar electric generation in Texas. After walking us through the state of residential, commercial, and utility solar in Texas in 2020, Charlie will impart to us his market expectations and performances for 2021. With an understanding of the challenges facing commercial and utility-scale solar projects, Charlie hopes to leave the Solar Austin community better informed of our performance to date and the opportunities at hand.