Solar power proves its worth as heat wave grips the state
Texas has seen a boom in solar power in recent years, and experts say that’s helped the state grid weather an intense June heat wave. While Texans drag through another punishing heat wave, people have nervously watched the state’s power grid, hoping it will hold up as the triple-digit days wear on. Under the blazing […]
Texas leads way in battery storage growth, adding enough to power 100,000 homes
Texas led the nation in battery storage growth for the first few months of the year, adding enough utility-scale batteries to power almost 100,000 homes on a hot summer day, according to research and consulting firm S&P Global. The proliferation of renewable energy and the state’s competitive electricity market have attracted battery developers to Texas […]
Is the Texas Power Grid Fixed Yet?
What happened in the waning days of the Texas Legislature’s 88th Session and what it meansDOUG LEWINMAY 30 Texas’ gas supply remains vulnerable to extreme weather — just last December, during Winter Storm Elliott, gas output fell 32% and more than25,000 megawatts — one-third — of thermal power plants were offline at some point during […]
What’s the Matter with Texas?
One of the few positive stories in American politics in recent years is the GOP finding its voice on climate policy. The days of Republican lawmakers embracing “climate denial” are largely over. The argument that carries the day goes something like this: To the extent that climate change is a risk, the best way to […]
Octopus Energy is bringing clean, distributed energy to the masses
The clean-energy retailer is both serving and disrupting the utility sector — selling software, renewable power, smart home energy devices and more. When you think of electric utilities, the words fast, nimble, tech-savvy or cuddly probably don’t come to mind. Nor do those qualities often apply to the startups dragging the old grid into a […]
Conservatives Should Embrace Energy Facts Over Fiction
April 20, 2023 Josiah Neeley & Matt Welch The Texas energy grid may need a few precise improvements, but errant and unfounded advice isn’t going to help conservatives beat the top-down command and control left. The Wall Street Journal, for instance, recently published an editorial entitled “A Texas-Sized Energy Fiasco” which seeks to blame Texas’ […]
Texas Senate Energy Bill to Overhaul Power Grid Will Increase Costs for Ratepayers Across the State
Last week the Texas state Senate passed several pieces of legislation that aim to bolster grid security and reliability in Texas. Included in these bills is Senate Bill (SB) 6, which establishes the Texas Energy Insurance Program and authorizes the construction of a fleet of new natural gas-fired power plants that will be used only as a form of emergency generation capacity in times of blackouts or high demand. If adopted, these alleged reforms would abandon the principles of free enterprise that have made Texas a leader in energy innovation and providing low-cost energy to families and businesses.
A competitive market should lead the way in EV infrastructure in Texas
A Texas Senate bill will encourage competition by the the private sector. By Matt Welch 1:30 AM on Mar 7, 2023 CST All across Texas, heads are turning as consumers see more and more electric vehicles on our highways and county roads. With good reason, folks are starting to wonder what the automotive market of the […]
Commentary: CPS Energy was right to cut its coal losses
Matt Welch for Express NewsFeb 8, 2023 Two years ago, Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation, where I serve as director, called on CPS Energy to cut its losses and close the coal-fired J.K Spruce power plant. As I wrote then, “Other technologies have made it clear the coal plant’s goose is cooked, and it is time to […]
Texas requires a reliable power grid. The reforms under consideration won’t give us that.
There is no guarantee that the PUC changes will lower costs for consumers
As the anniversary of the devastating February 2021 winter storm approaches, the Public Utility Commission of Texas approved reforms that it claims would fix the issues related to our grid.
