GLOBAL GREEN AND TEXAS: POLICY TO DATE AND CALL TO ACTION FOR SOLAR IN THE LONE STAR STATE

Global Green in Texas
March 30, 2009. Global Green USA applauds the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) for its ‘greening’ of the 2009 Texas Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP). By adopting many of the recommendations put forth to create incentives for developers to incorporate basic sustainable building methods into Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects, TDHCA has taken bold steps to assure that future affordable housing in Texas will be built with attention to health and environmental concerns as well as cost effectiveness.

The energy efficiency incentives include several to promote solar power. These will combine to result in lower utility costs for low-income residents, which are often one of the largest expenditures and are the leading cause of eviction. Saving energy and keeping bills low is increasingly important as state-wide energy costs continue to rise. TDHCA has brought Texas up to among the nation’s leaders with the new QAP. Global Green USA supported the changes because – based on our experience in California, Louisiana and other states – these measures are simply practical, cost effective and sound public policy. Given the benefit this language will have to the state, affordable housing developers, and residents, we strongly applaud TDHCA for adopting forward-looking recommendations to build truly affordable, not cheap, housing for the people of Texas.

Solar Power in Texas
Texas, which has promoted wind power generation and now leads the country in wind power --is now turning its attention to solar energy. The current legislative session has been called the “solar session” after the high number of bills proposing to promote solar power and the City of San Antonio has been selected as a Solar City for the Solar America Initiative. While this latest progress is encouraging, Texas remains far behind other states and countries in embracing significant sunshine year round.

• Texas has a Renewable Portfolio Standard (a requirement to meet a set amount of its electricity with renewable energy sources): 5,880 MW by 2015 (about 5% of the state's electricity demand), with 500 MW from sources other than wind. By end 2007, Texas had already reached it 2011 target through wind. However, 5% is a very low target, especially given the state’s renewable energy resources. The state legislature has also, until now, rejected a ‘set-aside’ provision to ensure part of the target is generated through solar power. Texas needs to increase its RPS and include a solar-specific target.
   
• Currently, there is no state rebate program or production tax credit for solar in Texas. Some tax credits are available, but none significant enough to spur solar market development. A long-term, declining state rebate program such as the California Solar Initiative, a 10-year $3 billion program, would provide job opportunities for Texans and put the state on a path to tap into its vast solar resources, enabling it to become a leader in solar generation as it has done with wind.
   
• One of the many bills in this legislative session in support of solar, HB 1391, if passed, would allow local governments to provide loans to fully finance the purchase of solar systems. The loans would be paid back through property tax assessments. This approach would make solar electric and hot water systems affordable for homeowners that are not currently able to face the upfront costs.
   
• Global Green is sponsoring California Assembly Bill 212, which would require all new residential buildings under a certain size built to be zero net energy after 2020. A net zero energy building produces as much energy as it uses on site, requiring zero net purchases from the power grid. We urge Texas to adopt such a standard to contribute to setting a new construction model and the long-term reduction of green house gases.

Austin
Austin utility, Austin Energy, offers a substantial solar PV rebate program to its commercial, residential, nonprofit, and government customers.

San Antonio
San Antonio Mayor Hardberger has put forth an ambitious plan to significantly reduce the city's energy use and promote green jobs by making the city a leader in energy conservation and distributed electricity generation. The plan includes a target of 250 MW of solar installed on roofs throughout the city. The city’s utility, CPS Energy, which is considering plans that support the mayor’s “Mission Verde”, has also put an end to its solar rebate. While the utility has stated it would restart its program, the uncertainty and lack of current support has brought the local solar market to a standstill. Stop-and-go policies are most deleterious to the development of new technologies, for which the private sector needs the assurance of long-term commitment. We urge CPS Energy to restore its rebate program temporarily until it can, with the city council, come up with a new approach to incorporate in the city’s plans.

About Global Green USA
Global Green USA is the American affiliate of Green Cross International. For the last fifteen years, Global Green has been a champion of solar power as a smart climate solution and has helped influence state and national legislation to create incentives for solar power – particularly to benefit low-income families and communities. Global Green is building The Holy Cross Project – the first solar powered, net-zero energy housing development in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward as a model sustainable village with lead funding support from the Home Depot Foundation. In 2007, Global Green provided the technical expertise and resources to help Community Housing Works build the first solar powered net-zero affordable housing complex in California – the Solara.

Contacts:
Ruben Aronin, 310.612.5663, raronin@globalgreen.org
Alexandra Kravetz, 310.581.2700 ext 106, akravetz@globalgreen.org