How to Make Renewables Pay the Price for Destroying Grid Reliability

Senate Bill 715 by Sen. Kevin Sparks

“I will terminate the green new scam and will cut your energy prices.” – President Donald Trump

Since 2006, Texas’ state government and local governments have partnered with the federal government to give more than $40 billion of taxpayers’ and consumers’ money to the renewable energy industry. As that has had the predictable result of destroying the reliability of the Texas grid, another $65 billion has been spent trying to fix the problem.

This hasn’t worked; all it has accomplished is to increase electricity prices with Texans stuck with the $100 billion plus tab. The only way to restore the reliability of the Texas grid and reduce electricity prices is, in President Trump’s words, to terminate the green new scam. SB 715 by Sen. Kevin Sparks is a major step toward stopping the green new scam in Texas.

SB 715 will require all generators, including wind and solar generators, to demonstrate their ability to produce power when called upon by ERCOT. If they cannot do so on their own—perhaps because the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, they will be required to pay the cost of acquiring the needed electricity.

Currently, Texas consumers and businesses are forced to pay the cost of the intermittency of wind and solar. SB 715 will force renewable generators to bear at least some of the reliability costs they are imposing on the Texas grid.