The Public Utility Commission has dropped its plans to require that energy generators purchase around two percent of their renewable energy from some generation method other than wind. According to an article in the Austin American-Statesman, the “non-wind mandate” was dropped due to fears that it would drive up electricity rates. That would have indeed been the case, and the abandonment of this proposal is going to help keep electricity costs low for consumers, who won’t now be burdened with the high cost of electricity from solar, geothermal, and other types of non-wind renewable generation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) advocates a free market approach to energy generation that can meet whatever demands are required by the customers. Letting the state choose sources for electricity generation will only increase energy rates and harm economic growth. The Foundation has done extensive research on renewable energy in its publication, Renewable Energy Experiment.
-Josh GrimesResearch Associate, Center for Economic Freedom