Policy Memorandum on Alternative Energy Sources

To: The Texas State Senate 

From: Student Name 

Date: March 26, 2021 

RE: Alternative Energy Source 

This memorandum proposes an alternative energy source that can replace traditional sources of energy in Texas. Solar power is an alternative energy source that is significantly growing in Texas. Over the past decades, the Texas solar industry was relatively small and rarely used as it provided a small portion of the State’s total energy. Currently, the Texas solar industry has enhanced and can take on a much larger share of the State’s energy needs. In 2016, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that solar energy produces more power than any other traditional energy source, including coal ( De Paulo & Porto, 2017 ). In Texas, solar energy is gradually expanding to become the largest energy producer. 

Solar Energy Reliance and Economic Importance : In the state, the demand for solar energy has increased. Both corporations and the public have embraced solar energy as a means to battle the climate crisis ( Crowe & Li, 2020 ). In response to this demand, most solar farms have been developed in the State's western part. There is still a need for more solar farms in the State so that its heavy polluters in the petroleum sector can switch to solar and endow its development. Solar energy can contribute to the economic enhancement of the State. In Texas, most industries have been forced to exit the market due to environmental regulations. Environmentally friendly solar energy is required to revive these industries and enhance the economy of the state. 

Impact on The Environment:  Solar energy does not produce greenhouse gases that can pollute the environment. The energy source benefits the environment compared to other conventional sources such as coal, natural gas, and biomass ( Munari & Roecker, 2019). Like any other different energy plan, a solar power plant can affect the environment near its location. The construction of solar farms needs vast land clearing, which may have a long-term effect on native animals and plants habitat. When solar energy reduces or replaces other energy sources that substantially affect the environment, the environment can be conserved. 

Solar Energy Recommendation:  In Texas, the western part of the State has large open fields that can be the most significant solar potential in the country. With empty lands that can accommodate large-scale solar farms and the intense sun, Texas's western part has long been primed for the speedy development of solar energy. Technological innovation and Texas's approach to the free market for electricity production favors solar energy development ( Gould, 2018 ). Over the past five years, the cost of developing a solar farm has significantly reduced. The solar energy generated in the western part of the State can replace traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas that affect the environment. 

Other Potential Energy Source:  In Texas, another potential energy source is wind power. Texas produces the highest capacity of wind power in the entire country, approximately 30,000 MW ( Slusarewicz & Cohan, 2018 ). The State can increase the amount of wind power by constructing more wind farms. The wind power produced can replace traditional energy sources since it has a more negligible effect on the environment. The only environmental problem associated with this energy source is the death of birds. Most environmentalists claim that turbine blades cause bird fatalities ( Nazir, 2020 ). In Texas, there is a need for a clean energy source to reduce traditional energy sources that pollute the environment.  

References 

Crowe, J. A., & Li, R. (2020). Is the just transition socially accepted? Energy history, place, and support for coal and solar in Illinois, Texas, and Vermont.  Energy Research & Social Science ,  59 , 101309.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101309 

De Paulo, A. F., & Porto, G. S. (2017). Solar energy technologies and open innovation: A study based on bibliometric and social network analysis.  Energy Policy ,  108 , 228-238.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.06.007 

Gould, M. C. (2018). Everything's bigger in Texas: evaluating the success and outlook of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) legislation in Texas (Doctoral dissertation). https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/68613 

Nazir, M. S., Ali, N., Bilal, M., & Iqbal, H. M. (2020). Potential environmental impacts of wind energy development: A global perspective.  Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health ,  13 , 85-90.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2020.01.002 

Munari Probst, M. C., & Roecker, C. (2019). Criteria and policies to master the visual impact of solar systems in urban environments: The LESO-QSV method.  Solar Energy ,  184 , 672-687.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.03.031 

Slusarewicz, J. H., & Cohan, D. S. (2018). Assessing solar and wind complementarity in Texas.  Renewables: Wind, Water, and Solar ,  5 (1).  https://doi.org/10.1186/s40807-018-0054-3