It’s been a few weeks since we here at The Feed published our last newletter. There’s a ton happening and we’ve been super busy with both our commercial and residential projects! So here’s a digest of news bits gathered from (mostly) around the state- which we think are impactful and interesting for folks following the Texas solar (and battery storage!) marketplace.

Cities push back on Abbott’s plan to open Austin Energy and CPS Energy to competition (Texas Tribune, Sept. 8)
Abbott says ending city-owned utilities would cut average bills about 10% in Austin and San Antonio, while city and utility officials argue the change would raise rates and cost a lot to implement. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson called it a multi-year process that would cost customers more than a billion dollars. We aren’t quite sure what to think about all of this yet, but we’re closely watching the progress…
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/08/texas-austin-energy-san-antonio-cps-abbott/

ERCOT (Texas grid operator) load keeps setting records (Utility Dive, ~Sept. 8)
EIA says average hourly load in the week ending Aug. 22 was 10% above any week last summer and 6% above the 2023 record, and six straight weeks beat that 2023 mark. The fact that we saw no widespread or extended grid outages during the summer peak loads makes us think that maybe the regulators and utilities are finally investing in the infrastructure needed to strengthen our stressed-out grid for coming years.  https://www.utilitydive.com/news/load-ercot-record-highs-eia/829801/

PUC approves Texas’s first 765-kV lines (Texas Tribune via TPR, Aug. 28)
On Aug. 28, regulators unanimously approved two Oncor projects covering more than 400 miles of 765-kV line, despite objections from lawmakers, landowners and the Attorney General. This seems ok to us here at NATiVE. “Repowering” existing high-tension utility poles for higher-capacity transmission lines seems like a no-brainer given the forecasted load demand growth.
https://www.tpr.org/news/2026-08-28/texas-regulators-approve-two-massive-west-texas-transmission-lines-amid-outcry-from-landowners

Study says reconductoring could save Texas $20B (pv magazine USA, Aug. 31)
Evolved Energy Research modeled a high-growth ERCOT scenario in which $10 billion of reconductoring avoids $30 billion in new-build transmission. About $35 billion of new lines would still be needed. This article provides more context to the related entry and link above.
http://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/08/31/reconductoring-existing-transmission-lines-in-texas-could-save-20-billion-study-says/

Batteries are now setting evening power prices (Quartz, Aug. 21)
Batteries have started displacing gas peakers as the resource that sets wholesale prices. Energy trading made up 76% of Texas battery revenue by June 2025, triple the share a year earlier. Most of the battery capacity driving down the rate prices is coming from utility-scale BESS, but smaller commercial and residential grid-connected batteries are beginning to make a dent as well.
https://qz.com/batteries-set-electricity-prices-wholesale-markets-081726

Austin moves to regulate, and possibly ban, large data centers (CBS Austin, ~Aug. 28)
Council voted unanimously on Aug. 27 to start drafting rules, with binding regulations due by the end of 2026 and support for prohibiting larger facilities. For those of us who want to see more constraints placed on hyperscalers, this will be welcome news.
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-city-council-unanimously-moves-forward-with-new-data-center-regulations

Texas leads the U.S. in generation growth (Yahoo, ~Sept. 10)
Texas utility-scale generation grew 3.2% in the first half, versus 2.1% nationally. Solar output rose 35.2%, and in May solar out-generated coal for the first time on a monthly basis. We’ve officially taken the lead from California, ya’ll.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/solar-powers-texas-fastest-electricity-161115125.html

EIA expects solar to pass coal in ERCOT (North American Dallas, Aug. 31)
EIA projects solar will out-generate coal most months of 2026, with ERCOT solar reaching 99 billion kWh in 2027 compared with 66 billion from coal. -More good news for those of us who care about the planet’s environment.
https://www.nadallas.com/2026/08/31/581544/solar-gains-ground-in-texas-energy-mix

Second-life EV batteries power a San Antonio-area BESS (Solar Power World, Sept. 9)
B2U’s Bexar Martinez project now provides 28 MWh of grid services to ERCOT in CPS Energy territory. The company plans 50+ MWh more over six months and says its sites qualify for the ITC domestic content bonus. Used batteries collected from crashed UV’s for the win here! We’re all for this! https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2026/09/repurposed-ev-batteries-now-delivering-28-mwh-of-grid-services-to-ercot/

Base Power launches commercial electricity plans (EnergyChoiceMatters, Aug. 25)
The plans are fixed-rate for business accounts. Base says pilot customers pay an average of 19% less, and it will cover up to $350 in early termination fees for small and medium businesses. [REVIEW: financial claim] The savings figure is company-reported, and Base also competes in residential batteries. Base Energy has a pretty compelling product and business model. We’re watching these folks closely
http://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20260825c.html

Enphase builds solid-state transformer modules in Arlington (Transformer Magazine, Sept. 9)
The 4 kW modules combine into racks of up to 5 MW for AI data centers. Demonstrations are expected in November 2026, with pilots in 2027. As a Gold-level Enphase installation firm, we here at NATiVE see and appreciate the investment that ENphase has continued to make in helping Texas become a major centor of renewable tech manufacuring! https://transformer-magazine.com/news/enphase-starts-us-sst-module-production/

Well, there’s a lot more to report on, but we’ll save that for the next newsletter, folks.  Please be well and stay hydrated as we (hopefully) start to see temps dropping over the news few weeks!

Get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns around solar for your own commercial or residential property. For any service-related issues, we’re always available to get your system running at top performance.

As we’ve started doing every month, we’ve compiled interesting and/or important solar news from around Texas for April.

Here’s what’s happening around our state so far this month related to the solar and battery energy storage sector:

AG Paxton Launches Residential Solar Fraud Investigation

Our attorney general, Ken Paxton, has issued civil investigative demands to Freedom Forever, Sunrun, Lone Star Solar Services, and CAM Solar (reporting by Solar Power World,) investigating them for potential violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices based on the Consumer Protection Act. Over 100 complaints have been filed with the AG’s office against these companies, with allegations including misrepresentation of energy bill savings and equipment implementations. Office of the Attorney General

*NATiVE note* We knew there were some bad actors in our industry -everybody has heard or read about the horror stories. As a member of AMICUS Solar co-op and a trusted name in the Texas solar energy design/engineering/procurement/construction business since 2007, we’ve stayed far away from offering the shady system performance claims and opaque financing structures that are being investigated by the A.G. We have always aimed to lead with integrity and deliver that promise. This investigation -along with the new Texas solar industry regulations that passed last year- will hopefully go a long way as forcing the bad actors out of business -and keep the others trustworthy and professional. (reporting by  solarpowerworldonline.com)

Clean Earth Opens Solar Panel Recycling in Lancaster, TX

Clean Earth announced TCEQ-authorized solar panel recycling services at its Lancaster, Texas facility, capable of processing 600,000 panels annually. (GlobeNewswire reporting).   This new facility directly supports compliance with recent Texas legislation (HB 3228/HB 3229) requiring state-licensed recycling of all recyclable components at decommissioned solar facilities.

*NATiVE note*  – Most solar panels have a normal lifespan of about 25 years. Some panels become damaged and need to be replaced. We try to do our best to ensure that any panels we remove for replacement are disposed of by reputable reprocessing facilities. As good stewards to the planet we all share, NATiVE will continue to consider (and act with conscience!) the local and global impacts for all aspects of our work. Clean Earth (and other similar Texas solar recycling firms) are tremendously important resources for realizing our commitments here. This newly online facility will make it easier for companies like NATiVE to transport decommissioned solar panels -which do contain small amounts of heavy metals-  and ensure that hazardous waste won’t enter watersheds or contaminate soil.

New Solar Farm (and battery energy storage!) and Grid Expansion Projects Coming Online / Under Development

• Geronimo Power‘s 270-MW Blevins solar + 360 MWh BESS (battery energy storage) plant in Falls County started commercial operations, supplying Fujifilm (125 MW) and Bristol Myers Squibb (145 MW) under long-term PPAs. PV Tech   (*This is a ton of new solar-harvested electricity supply that is now flowing into our over-extended Texas grid. Promises made -promises kept. Now if we can keep the pressure on state energy operators to keep building out additional power line capacity that would be great*)
• ERCOT is launching a $33 billion grid expansion, including  over 2,400 miles of 765-kV “super highway” lines to address surging demand from data centers and the Permian Basin and the extra capacity coming online with the additional of new solar farms and clean gas generation plants. These high-capacity lines,, such as those proposed by Oncor and LCRA will deliver over double the voltage of current infrastructure.
• Meta and developer Zelestra are building the 850-acre “Skull Creek” 176-MW solar farm in Anderson County, with construction starting June 2026. KLTV   (*We reported recently on this a few months ago but there was no solid agreement in place or ground-breaking timeline. We now have a solid construction start date!*)
• Matrix Renewables’ 210-MW Stillhouse Solar Farm in Bell County started commercial operations, backed by a 15-year PPA with Hyundai Motor Group affiliates. Parliament Energy and Ideematec announced 1.2 GW of tracker agreements for three Texas solar projects. (reporting by Solar Builder Magazine)
• US Modules Opens Solar Panel Assembly Plant in College Station (Early April)   A new solar panel assembly facility is now operational in College Station, TX, with a first production line making 400 MW of PERC panels annually, room to scale to 1.4 GW. Solar Power World All panels are for the parent company’s own 3.5 GW development pipeline.  (*Domestic solar panel production has been slow to catch up with other countries around the globe. It’s important for us (NATiVE) to maximize the amount of domestically-sourced solar components for the solutions we build. Texas seems to be ramping up on this regard. We welcome this news!!*)

*REMINDER* One Big Beautiful Bill  -ITC (solar tax credit) Phase-Out Clock Is Ticking –   Commercial solar projects coming online after 2027 won’t qualify for IRA tax credits. New projects must begin construction before July 4, 2026 to remain eligible.

You’ve got questions -we’ve got answers.  Call the state-certified solar practitioners here at NATiVE at 855.234.3131 to discuss your commercial or residential project.

A bombshell piece of investigative reporting dropped this week from Heatmap News, and if you care at all about the integrity of corporate climate claims -whether you’re a homeowner researching solar or a CFO weighing a commercial energy investment- it’s worth understanding what happened.

Here’s the short version: the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the nonprofit that sets the rules for how companies worldwide measure and report their carbon emissions, just got caught in a credibility crisis. Whistleblowers, suppressed pilot studies, industry interference, and a final standard that essentially tells companies to calculate their forest carbon however they want -it’s not good news for those who care about this stuff. More than 22,000 companies rely on this framework. Here’s the bomb, though -according to the people who helped build it, the process was compromised by secrecy and bias.

We’re a solar and energy storage solutions provider, not a carbon accounting firm. But this story matters to many people making energy decisions right now because it exposes a fundamental question: when someone tells you their product, project, or company is “good for the climate,” how do you know if that’s actually true? 

What Actually Happened

The GHG Protocol spent five years developing its first-ever Land Sector and Removals Standard. This is basically the rules for how companies should account for the carbon impact of forests, agriculture, and land use in the shareholder and regulatory reporting. This matters enormously because forests can both absorb carbon and emit it, and depending on how the numbers get calculated (err tinkered with based on loopholes) determines whether a corporation on paper looks like a climate hero or a significant emitter.

A technical working group was assembled to hash out the methodology used for calculating a company’s carbon footprint. According to Heatmap’s reporting, the group couldn’t reach consensus on a critical question: should companies be allowed to count all carbon absorbed by their managed forests (a method called the “managed land proxy,” or MLP), or should they only count the carbon sequestration that resulted from actual human intervention beyond what nature would have done on its own?

Hmm. Interesting. Under the managed land proxy approach, almost all of the forest product companies that participated in a pilot program reported huge amounts of net carbon removals, making them appear to have a beneficial impact on the climate, contributing nothing to global emissions. In other words, the accounting method that industry preferred made logging companies look carbon-negative on paper.  This wasn’t faithful to the facts.  They actually generated a net-positive amount of carbon emisions.

The scientists on the working group pushed back. A formal complaint was filed against them challenging their expertise. The Protocol had conducted a real-world pilot program that tested this methodology, but the outcomes were not published or shared with the working group -even though the results reportedly demonstrated exactly the problems the scientists were flagging.

In the end, the GHG Protocol finalized its standard in January 2026 without any definitive guidance on forest carbon accounting -telling companies to use whatever method they wanted as long as they disclosed their approach (ie legal mumbo jumbo). Meanwhile, a new academic paper from a member of the Protocol’s own Independent Standards Board argues that the transparency problems are systemic and getting worse.

Why This Matters Beyond Carbon Accounting

You might be thinking: I’m not a timber company. Why should I care?

Fair question. Here’s why.

The GHG Protocol is the foundation for virtually all corporate sustainability reporting, ESG (environmental, sustainability, governance) disclosures, carbon offset markets, and “net-zero” pledges. When a company tells you it’s carbon neutral, or that its products have a lower carbon footprint, or that it’s on track to meet its climate targets -the math behind those claims almost certainly runs through GHG Protocol standards.

And what this reporting just exposed is that the math can be gamed.

This doesn’t mean all carbon accounting is totally worthless. But it does mean that claims built on complex, opaque accounting frameworks are only as reliable as the process behind them -and that process just got a very public stress test. Undisclosed loopholes and corporate accounting gamesmanship are the apparently problem.

We’re leery. Are you leery?

So what does this actually mean if you’re not a timber company or a carbon accountant — but you are someone making a real energy decision for your home or business right now?

What Does Current “Climate Action” Look Like in Practice?

On one end, you’ve got things like carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates (RECs), and corporate pledges built on accounting methods that -as we just learned- can apparently be secretly shaped by the industries they’re supposed to measure. These instruments have their place, but they’re abstractions. They exist on spreadsheets. Their impact depends entirely on the integrity of the methodology (and people) behind them, and that integrity just took a public hit. -Not a good look.

On the other end, you’ve got physical infrastructure that produces measurable energy. A solar harvesting array on your roof generates kilowatt-hours of emissions-free* electricity. Your utility meter records them. A battery energy storage system charges and discharges in response to real grid conditions. Your demand charges go down (or they don’t). The production data is logged by the inverter every 15 minutes. This is hard data.

That’s the difference between accounting-based climate claims and physics-based energy production. One depends on the rules staying honest. The other depends on the sun coming up.

*It should be noted that the manufacturing and shipping solar panel components, batteries, and control equipment does produce carbon-based byproducts. It’s a tradeoff. It should also be noted that there is a huge push to develop new solar tech that is increasingly planet-friendly. 

What This Means for Homeowners

If you’re a homeowner considering solar and batteries, you’ve probably encountered all kinds of environmental messaging: “go green,” “reduce your carbon footprint,” “offset your emissions.” And those things aren’t wrong, exactly. But they’re also not the main reason most Texans go solar.

The main reasons are practical: energy cost management, backup power during grid events, and long-term operational independence from a grid that -as we’ve written about at length– is under enormous strain.

What the GHG Protocol story reinforces is that the environmental benefits of rooftop solar and home battery storage are also more credible than most of the alternatives. Your system’s impact isn’t subject to accounting debates. It’s measured in real electrons that either power your home or they don’t. That’s a claim no methodology revision can take away from you.

What This Means for Commercial and Institutional Operators

For commercial clients -especially those with ESG reporting requirements, sustainability targets, or stakeholders who care about environmental performance- this story matters in a more immediate way.

If your sustainability strategy depends heavily on purchased offsets, RECs, or claims routed through third-party carbon accounting frameworks, the credibility question just got a lot harder to ignore. The scrutiny on these frameworks is only going to increase -and the organizations relying on them will feel it if ethical standards are being upheld.

Deploying on-site solar and battery energy storage don’t make you immune from reporting complexity. But they give your business something that offsets and certificates can’t: a physical asset producing measurable energy, documented by your own metering infrastructure, reducing your facility’s grid dependence in real time. That’s a sustainability claim that doesn’t depend on anyone else’s methodology holding up under investigation.

This is especially relevant for healthcare systems, municipalities, school districts, and other mission-driven organizations where public trust matters. When you tell your community that you’ve invested in clean energy, it’s a stronger statement when there are panels on the roof than when there’s a shady line item for carbon credits on a balance sheet.

Where NATiVE Stands

Part of our job is paying attention to what’s happening in the broader energy and policy landscape -reading primary-source reporting, following the latest from credible industry news shops like Heatmap, and sharing what we find with the people we work with. That’s what this post is.

If you’re thinking about solar or battery storage for your home or facility -and you want a conversation grounded in engineering and real-world data- we’re here and we’ve got answers to your questions.

Solar and energy storage activity across Texas continued to accelerate in early March, with new financing announcements, battery acquisitions, and large distributed storage programs signaling the next phase of the state’s energy transition.

Below is a digest of several notable developments reported in March 2026.

Grid & Policy Updates

New residential battery program announced for North Texas

A new large-scale residential battery program was announced in early March through a partnership between Base Power and Denton County Electric Cooperative (CoServ).

The initiative will deploy 100 MW of distributed residential battery storage, potentially reaching around 5,000 homes across North Texas. Utilities will be able to dispatch these batteries during peak demand events while homeowners receive backup power capability during outages.

Programs like this effectively create distributed “virtual power plants” made up of residential batteries, allowing utilities to reduce peak demand while improving household resilience.  (*We keep writing about these VPP offerings because its a big deal and a win/win for both property owners and the Texas grid*)

Source:
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/03/09/base-power-announces-100-mw-residential-storage-program-with-coserv-in-texas/

Market & Technology Trends

Solar-plus-storage optimization expands into ERCOT

Energy software firm Habitat Energy announced the launch of its first U.S. co-located grid-scale solar and battery optimization project in the ERCOT market.

The Texas project will apparently coordinate the charging and dispatch of batteries paired with solar generation at a shared grid interconnection point. During periods of strong solar production, batteries will absorb excess energy and later discharge during higher-priced evening demand periods.

We see this type of software-driven optimization of hybrid solar-plus-storage systems as becoming an increasingly important layer of grid operations as battery fleets expand across Texas. -Sounds good to us.

Source:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260304254654/en/Habitat-Energy-Announces-First-U.S.-Co-Located-Solar-Storage-Optimization-Project-in-ERCOT

Project Announcements

$545 million solar-plus-storage portfolio financed in Texas

Developer Origis Energy announced it secured $545 million in financing for a portfolio of Texas renewable energy projects.

The funding package supports three utility-scale projects totaling 450 MW of solar generation and 150 MW of energy storage, highlighting the continued shift toward hybrid solar-plus-battery projects across the ERCOT grid.

Large hybrid projects like these allow solar energy generated during the day to be stored and dispatched later when electricity demand rises.

Source:
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/03/05/origis-energy-secures-545-million-for-texas-solar-and-storage-portfolio/

Battery developer acquires eight Texas storage projects

Battery storage developer Bimergen Energy announced the acquisition of eight late-stage battery projects totaling about 79 MW in the ERCOT South region.

The projects were purchased from Aggreko and are expected to begin entering service starting in late 2026, expanding the company’s presence in the rapidly growing Texas storage market.

The systems will provide grid services such as frequency regulation, voltage support, and peak capacity, helping balance the increasing amount of renewable generation connected to the Texas grid.  *These issues are what ultimately caused the big Feb ’21 power crisis that left many of us shivering inside our own homes and apartments -so we see this new battery capacity as a good thing. (Hopefully us consumers aren’t going to be stuck with the bill, though  :/  )

Source:
https://www.iesna.com/news-insights/bimergen-acquires-eight-texas-battery-storage-projects-from-aggreko/

Two large solar projects advance in ERCOT

Another March announcement involves a major solar portfolio moving forward in the ERCOT market.

Sabanci Renewables confirmed new risk-management agreements for two large solar projects in Texas:

• Pepper Solar — 156 MW
• Lucky 7 Solar — 130 MW

Both projects are being developed within the ERCOT market and will add significant utility-scale solar capacity to the Texas grid.

Source:
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/03/02/sabanci-renewables-taps-empact-to-de-risk-286-mw-texas-solar-portfolio/

Overall, we see lots of movement in the Texas energy market -despite the headwinds imposed by last year’s federal OBBB legislation.  Will it be enough to stabilize the grid (and energy prices!!) in the short-term -and into 2030’s? that’s a tough call…let’s hope so.

Instead of diving deep, we collected 10 interesting stories and happenings from around Texas over the past few weeks which you might have missed. Below are 10 Texas solar, storage, and grid stories I thought were worth mentioning (and thanks for reading, friend!):

Meta doubles down on Texas solar

Big tech keeps voting with its feet -and its balance sheet. Solar keep winning.

Meta signed another long-term power purchase agreement tied to a 176 MW solar project in Texas, reinforcing a trend we’re seeing across data centers and large employers: Texas solar is now core infrastructure, not a feel-good add-on companies use to merely check the “green” box.

https://www.renews.biz/109827/zelestra-signs-new-meta-ppa-for-texas-solar/

Why it matters: The same grid that serves hyperscalers serves homes and businesses. Large-scale solar helps stabilize prices and capacity for everyone downstream.

*We’ve covered META/Facebook’s solar and renewables strategy and actions here on The Feed previously

Texas adds over 500 MWh of battery storage

Solar’s quiet but powerful sidekick.

Two new Texas battery projects totaling 503 MWh of storage were announced,  This is exactly the kind of capacity that helps smooth peaks, manage outages, and keep the grid flexible when the grid gets stressed-out like it did last week during the icy-snowy weather.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/02/05/tmt-newswire/pr-newswire/e-storage-and-sunraycer-announce-503-mwh-battery-energy-storage-projects-in-texas/2272681

Translation: Grid-scale battery storage is here, it’s scaling, and it’s making solar (and wind) far more useful after sunset.

Texas grid performs better during winter stress

Here’s a quiet *win* we all care about!

The Texas grid handled recent cold weather far better than past events, thanks largely to new generation capacity (yes, including solar and storage).

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/01/29/texas-winter-storm-uri-anniversary-power-grid-ercot/

*We’ve reported extensively and regularly on Texas’s grid stress problems on the past several years here at The Feed

No victory laps, but real progress is real progress. Let’s hope ERCOT and the various state utilities keep investing where it counts -infrastructure.

Texas solar keeps breaking growth records

At this point it’s almost boring -except it’s not.

Data from industry and economic analysts continues to show Texas leading the nation in new solar capacity additions, outpacing nearly everyone else.

https://www.industrialinfo.com/news/article/texas-relies-on-solar-dallas-fed-says–353015

Fun fact: This is happening without net metering mandates or flashy state incentives. Texas is just doing the right thing here. *We’ve written a lot about various aspects of solar market growth in Texas recently

Solar output in Texas is catching up to coal

This would’ve sounded impossible a decade ago.

Texas solar generation is now regularly rivaling coal output, especially during peak demand hours.

https://energynow.com/2025/12/texas-makes-clean-power-breakthrough-as-solar-output-overtakes-coal/

We love this trend here at NATiVE!

A major Texas anti-ESG law gets struck down

Here’s some policy news that actually matters in this space.

A U.S. judge ruled Texas’s anti-ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investment law unconstitutional, removing uncertainty that had been chilling clean-energy financing.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/texas-anti-esg-law-declared-unconstitutional-by-us-judge-2026-02-05/

We think our Texas lawmakers are doing the right thing here.

Texas cuts red tape on rooftop solar

This one’s for homeowners.

A new Texas law reduces permitting and inspection friction for residential solar installations -our permitting team brough this to my attention this week.

https://environmentamerica.org/texas/updates/environment-texas-celebrates-new-law-that-cuts-red-tape-on-solar-panels/

Less paperwork = faster installs = lower soft costs and timely project completion. This is a win all-around!!

San Antonio utility seeks 600 MW of solar

More municipal power demand is still a very real goal for most parts of Texas. Planning for infrastrucure growth is time-consuming and complicated -with lots of moving parts.

CPS Energy issued a major request for 600 MW of solar capacity -enough to run thousands of homes and businesses.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/cps-energy-solar-procurement-ppas-ercot-trump/806047/

While NATiVE Solar doesn’t build grid-scale solar farms, we still love to see this happening for our customers within the CPS Energy region.

Data centers are reshaping Texas power demand

AI doesn’t run on vibes. It runs on electrons. Lots and lots of electrons. The expected power demands of newly announced AI datacenters is absolutely staggering.

And the explosion of ddata-center growth in Texas is forcing serious conversations about how we generate power responsibly and affordably. Everybody seems to have something to say about this but certain themes keep rising to the top of the discussion.

https://news.constructconnect.com/renewable-energy-is-key-to-powering-texas-data-centers

Solar + storage keeps showing up as the least-bad answer. Cool! :)   *We’ve done some deeper dives on this topic in recent months here @ The Feed

Clean energy is fueling Texas jobs & manufacturing

This part sometimes gets overlooked.

North Texas and other regions are seeing manufacturing (and employment growth!!) growth  tied directly to clean-energy availability and price stability.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/2026/01/16/a-manufacturing-renaissance-is-happening-in-north-texas-some-say-clean-energy-is-to-thank/

Energy choices shape local economies. Full stop.

The big picture

Here’s the high-level patterns we keep seeing week after week when we look around our state here at NATiVE :

• Solar is no longer “alternative” in Texas -it’s structural

• Storage is quietly becoming the grid’s “shock absorber”

• Policy is messy, but the momentum for renewables is real and unstoppable at this point

• Reliability and affordability are driving adoption more than ideology

That’s good news whether you’re powering a home, a hospital, or a whole lot of servers.

More soon. :)

The past two weeks have been nothing short of electric for Texas’ renewable energy scene. From record-setting utility projects to local community resilience initiatives, the state continues to redefine what energy independence looks like — one solar panel, one battery, and one big idea at a time.

Big Deals, Bigger Sunshine: Meta and ENGIE Team Up

We’ve mentioned Meta/Facebook’s reneweable energy deals before here at The Feed in the recent past. French energy giant ENGIE and Meta just inked another massive power purchase agreement for a 600-megawatt solar project in Stonewall County. Reuters reports that the project -nicknamed Swenson Ranch Solar- will feed clean energy directly into Texas’ grid while powering Meta’s data centers.
Corporate demand for renewable power isn’t slowing down, and Texas is still where the big players come to plug in.

Solar + Storage Becomes the New Normal

Two more mega-projects prove the point.

• The Doral Group announced a 553 MWdc solar + 340 MWh battery project in Central Texas, one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. (Renewables Now)

  Meanwhile…

• Energy Vault acquired a 150 MW battery storage facility in North Texas, expanding its footprint in the ERCOT market. (Renewables Now)

This growing wave of hybrid solar-plus-storage sites shows how developers are preparing for the intermittency challenge -making solar (and wind) a dispatchable energy resource, not just a daytime one.

Agrivoltaics: Sheep, Soil, and Solar Working Together

At the new 600 MW “Hornet” Solar Project, Vesper Energy is taking a grounded approach (sorry for the pun here!): pairing panels with pollinator habitats and sheep grazing. PV Magazine calls it a model for balancing land stewardship with solar expansion.
NATiVE Solar hasn’t made a decision to enter the agrivoltaics market but it’s definitely one we’re watching closely. It’s another sign that Texas developers are moving beyond the old “panels vs. pastures” debate and toward genuine coexistence between clean energy, healthier land, and enriched rural livelihoods.

Grid Growth: ERCOT’s Renewable Record Run

Even as demand soars, renewables are catching up fast. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) reports that solar generation reached ~45 terawatt-hours in the first nine months of 2025. This is an absolutely enormous amount of energy and it’s a 50 percent jump year-over-year. (EnergyNews.Pro)

Combined with wind, renewables now meet roughly 36 percent of total Texas power demand. That’s a quiet revolution in the making -and a challenge for policymakers to keep pace with the grid of the future.  We write often about the dynamics effecting our crazy Texas grid 

Solar Justice: Harris County vs. the EPA

On the policy front, things got tense. Harris County filed suit against the EPA after the agency pulled back $250 million in “Solar for All” funding meant to expand low-income solar programs. (Axios Houston)
The case highlights how access and equity are shaping up to be the next frontier of Texas solar. Even in the nation’s energy capital, not everyone gets equal sunlight — or funding.

Community Resilience, One Roof at a Time

While big projects dominate headlines, ordinary Texans are getting creative too. In Houston, neighbors in storm-prone areas are building solar-powered “hub homes” -residences that double as local power and communications hubs during outages. (The Well News)

I just think this is such a great idea! NATiVE has heard from customers over the years that in during extended grid outatges, their home’s have become havens for their family, friends, and neighbors!  It’s grassroots resilience at its best and it’s proof that solar isn’t just about kilowatts, but about connection and continuity when the grid goes dark.

Innovation from the Ground Up

One of the most fascinating stories comes from Dallas-based Janta Power, which raised $5.5 million for its 3D solar tower design -a vertical structure that triples power density per acre. (Inside Climate News)
The concept could reshape urban solar deployment, where land is scarce but sun exposure is plentiful. It’s a glimpse of how Texas ingenuity continues to push boundaries in renewable tech.

The Bigger Picture

There’s a lot going on around Texas in our space. Taken together, these stories paint a picture of a state increasingly defined by innovation, integration, and inclusion in the renewables space despite political and geo-economics headwinds.  Texas isn’t just keeping up with the renewable revolution; it’s quietly leading it, one project (and one community) at a time.

Want to see how solar fits your home or business energy story?

NATiVE Solar has been designing and building high-performance solar + battery systems across Texas since 2007. Contact us to start your energy independence journey today.