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How the oil capital of the US welcomed a solar power boom
bbc.com • • business
Key Points:
- Steve Cargil, a Texas farmer, leased 600 acres of his land to OCI Energy in 2001 for a solar farm, providing him with $200,000 annually and financial stability amid drought and rising farming costs.
- Texas has become the largest US state for solar electricity generation, surpassing California, with solar power now regularly supplying about a third of the state's electricity during peak demand.
- The solar boom in Texas is driven by the state's separate power grid, rapid population growth, and the decreasing cost of solar technology, making solar the cheapest power source compared to coal.
- Solar farm leases offer long-term, multigenerational income to farmers, helping them maintain their land and livelihoods, while the industry uses less than 0.15% of Texas land.
- Despite broad support, some rural Texans oppose solar farms due to environmental concerns like land clearing, visual impact, and battery fire risks, leading to local moratoriums on solar development that were later challenged legally.
