There is a wonderful article from Triple Pundit (Planet, People, Profit) that elaborates on the many ways Texas is perfect for a rousing renewable energy future. Plus, the Lone Star State has already met its goal of having 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity 15 years ahead of schedule.
Now an independent foundation released a report stating that Texas’s renewable energy future could include almost 23,000 jobs a year and $2.7 billion in local and state tax revenues. Could clean tech follow high tech and biotech as Texas giants?
The report, announced earlier this week at the State Capitol in Austin, is the work of the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. In sum, the study proposes the state could become a catalyst for the renewable energy industry, and envisions three scenarios:
- For an approximate $13 increase in residential energy bills, the state could gain a 20% growth in its renewable energy capacity, which in turn would create the best possible scenario, the presumed 22,900 additional clean energy jobs added annually. State revenues would also reach the aforementioned $2.7 billion mark. Many residents would probably balk at this—or would the “price of a postage stamp” daily argument work?
- In a baseline scenario, a statewide $4 utility bill increase would create about 6000 new jobs annually, and net a 15% percent
increase in Texas’s renewable energy capacity. Texas would also gain close to $1 billion in revenues, with the state and municipalities splitting that gain about 80-20%. - If Texas stays the course, there would be some modest growth in job creation, economic growth and tax revenues, but nothing approaching the baseline or best-possible scenarios
Read the rest here: http://tinyurl.com/2ubknlr