Newsroom

May 29, 2020 • EPE Related News

El Paso ranks 3rd in Texas, 18th in nation for solar energy

El Paso ranks 3rd in Texas, 18th in nation for solar energy

Solar energy in Sun City grew 42% last year

AUSTIN - With more than 50 megawatts of solar energy, El Paso ranks 3rd in Texas and 18th nationally, according to a new report released today by Environment Texas Research & Policy Center. The results come from the seventh edition of Shining Cities 2020: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy.

“El Paso’s leadership on solar has not only provided residents with clean, renewable power, but has also given other cities an excellent example on how to make it happen,” said Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas Research and Policy Center. “Despite the current slowdown in solar development due to COVID-19, the remarkable progress of the past year is worth highlighting.”

According to the report, “El Paso has a county-wide PACE program that allows access to low-cost financing for solar projects for commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential properties. City zoning codes allow a right to sunlight, forbidding construction that would shade productive solar panels. El Paso Electric, the first utility in Texas and New Mexico to go coal-free, offered a 350MW request for proposals for solar and energy storage in 2019, as part of its promise to increase its investment in utility- scale solar in both states. El Paso’s capacity of 50.5 MW of solar power is larger than both Dallas and Houston’s, and its per capita capacity of 74 watts per person is comparable with Austin. El Paso Electric currently offers 5 MW of community solar, capable of powering 2,400 homes, to all ratepayers in its Texas service territory. A public art piece in the style of a contemporary Aztec calendar pavilion, made of concrete, prisms and solar panels, provides public power outlets and educational signs about solar power."

“This report underscores our commitment to meeting our regional customers changing needs in a safe, clean, reliable, and cost-effective manner,” said El Paso Electric’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Adrian J. Rodriguez. “Our ability to grow our renewable energy portfolio with additional solar is maximized with the addition of battery storage capability. This will be the first time in our utility’s history to fully harness the power of the sun from solar facilities, just as we were one of the first Texas utilities to offer a community solar program for our Texas customers.”

El Paso doesn't appear in the official rankings as it doesn't fall within the methodology of the report. However based on its solar capacity, it would rank 18th in the nation - ahead of New Orleans, Houston and Boston.

Beyond the findings in El Paso, the report examined national solar power in major cities over the past seven years. The analysis found that of the 57 cities surveyed in all seven editions of this report, almost 90 percent more than doubled their total installed solar PV capacity between 2013 and 2019. Overall, this year’s Shining Cities survey ranked 70 of America’s major cities by solar energy capacity. Honolulu placed first overall for solar energy capacity per capita, while Los Angeles finished No. 1  in total solar energy capacity installed. San Antonio led the state and came in 5th place nationally for total solar within its city limits. Austin Energy ranked first among municipally owned utilities for per capita solar capacity of all solar owned or contracted (including outside city limits), by supplying more than 1,500 watts per person of solar energy to its customers.

These numbers show tremendous progress, but the continued implementation of key policies, like those outlined in Environment Texas Research & Policy Center’s Renewables on the Rise report will be critical to keep clean energy growing.

“With the continued growth in solar at risk in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, we must make smart policy choices in this space," said Metzger. "That means taking steps to build the future we need, by investing in infrastructure that advances a future powered entirely by renewable energy sources."

###

Environment Texas Research and Policy Center works for clean air, clean water, clean energy, wildlife and open spaces, and a livable climate.