TEXAS – Texas continues to drive innovation in the electric market, and the traditional model of large, centralized power plants serving passive consumers is steadily evolving into an expanded array of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) that enables homeowners, small business owners, and the state’s largest industrial users.
That’s the key finding of a new report by the Texas Clean Energy Coalition (TCEC) and The Brattle Group, detailing the growth of DER, and what it means for Texas consumers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages 85% of the state’s electric load.
“As solar and other technology costs continue to decline and Texans place greater value on energy resilience and environmental impacts, more energy-savvy consumers are investing in DER,” TCEC Executive Director Elizabeth Lippincott
The director added that homeowners, businesses and industrial facilities may generate their own electricity from rooftop solar panels or fast-starting natural gas micro-turbines while other electric consumers manage their energy consumption with energy efficiency and demand response.“
Source: Wind Power Engineering Development