An interactive Renewables on the Rise dashboard at EnvironmentTexasCenter.org allows users to explore clean energy growth in Texas and the country over the past decade. It shows that Texas ranks first in the nation for wind power generation, second for solar power generation, second for battery storage and third for the number of electric vehicle registrations through 2023, according to the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center (ETRPC).

Texas is set to receive $360 million from the federal government to interconnect the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid with other southern states, potentially bringing cheap, clean, Texan energy to hundreds of thousands more. Ian Seamans, city hall advocate with ETRPC, says, “Texas is truly setting the pace in the race toward 100 percent clean and renewable energy.”

Texas has seen a more than 70-fold increase in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun and a nearly 95-fold increase in battery capacity since 2014. Last year, wind and solar energy produced 31 percent of the state’s electricity. The state has also seen a 40-fold increase in the number of registered electric vehicles. Strong and supportive policies from the federal government, combined with improving technologies and falling prices, have played a key role in driving adoption. Seamans explains, “As climate change increases the severity of hurricanes, back-up power capable EVs are also increasingly becoming life-saving equipment to residents along the Texas coast.”

For more information, visit EnvironmentTexasCenter.org.