Click here to access an interactive map showing project size, tax, and landowner payment data per legislative district.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – Renewable energy and battery storage projects generate tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue and landowner payments, 60 percent of which benefits rural counties, according to a report released by the Advanced Power Alliance (APA), Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation (CTEI) and the Texas Association of Business (TAB).
“Emerging technologies continue to unlock reliable, affordable and homegrown energy, and we’re seeing all of Texas benefit from it,” said Judd Messer, Texas Vice President of the Advanced Power Alliance. “Renewable energy projects are the lifeblood of rural Texas as one of the key capital-intensive economic development options for small, rural communities, and this study confirms the many advantages of expanding our renewable energy portfolio.”
The report, titled “The Economic Impact of Renewable Energy and Energy Storage in Rural Texas,” was authored by Dr. Joshua Rhodes, Chief Technology Officer of Idea Smiths LLC and a Research Scientist at The University of Texas at Austin. Findings in the report include:
- Over their lifetime, the current fleet of utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Texas are estimated to generate $7.2–$8.8 billion in new tax revenue to local communities.
- Existing and planned utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects will pay between $12.5 billion and $15.9 billion in total tax revenue over their lifetimes
- Existing utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects in Texas are estimated to pay Texas landowners $7.1–$11.3 billion over the lifetime of the projects.
- Texas landowners will directly receive $11.8–$21.7 billion over the existing and planned project lifetimes.
- Over 60% of the taxes and landowner payments are paid in rural counties.
- A county in Texas could expect to receive $9.4–$13.1 million in lifetime taxes (including school taxes) for a 100 MW solar project located in its boundaries, $16.8–$20.3 million for a 100 MW wind project, and $3.8–$4.7 million for a 100 MW energy storage project.
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The Advanced Power Alliance is the industry trade association created to promote the development of wind, solar and energy storage as resources that can deliver clean, reliable, affordable power for American consumers.
Media Contact: Haley Durbin
713-476-1172
hdurbin@mwcllc.com
