If Texas had used more solar energy last summer, electricity customers could have spent nearly 10 percent less on power, according to a hypothetical analysis released Tuesday.
The study, commissioned by a mix of solar and renewable energy industry organizations and produced by the Brattle Group consulting firm, said that if Texas had the capacity to generate up to 5 gigawatts of electricity from solar photovoltaic cells, Texas customers would have saved $520 million during the state’s hottest summer on record, when the state’s total electric cost was $5.4 billion.
The study did not take into account the cost of installing photovoltaic cells.
Had solar cells been a part of the ERCOT mix, wholesale energy prices would have been $1 to $2.80 less per megawatt hour during a summer when energy costs ranged from $20 to more than $60 per megawatt hour during peak usage, according to the Brattle Group.
The study was commissioned by the Solar Energy Industries Association, the Energy Foundation and the Texas Clean Energy Coalition.
