Help us promote solar energy and the wise use of all resources in Texas. Memberships start at $25!
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EVENTS ON THE HORIZON  The largest green fair in the South! September 27-29 ***
Dallas/Fort Worth Solar Home Tour, October 5 ***  Solar power from Austin to Blanco, October 12 ***  SolarFest San Antonio,October 12
***  In conjunction with Houston Energy Day,October 19
***
 The 20th Border Energy Forum
San Antonio, November 6-8
*** The 29th Annual TREIA Conference San Antonio, November 11-13
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CHAPTER NEWS
Read how our chapters in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin promote the benefits of solar energy and the wise use of all resources.
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One environment,one simple way to care for it. Your gift through workplace giving can support TXSES and other respected environmental charities. Reliant Energy generously supports EarthShare Texas through their
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Chairman's Corner
Chris Boyer
Thanks to solar supporters like you, the success of the solar industry has been truly amazing; even in the face of all kinds of adversity from the energy industry. Can you believe the Department of Energy published in the 2003 Annual Energy Outlook that "oil prices would be steady at $23 to $25 per barrel through 2025." Wrong! Oil prices shot up since 2003 and today sit around $100/barrel. They also predicted "solar PV would grow slowly and might break 1 GW of capacity by 2025." Wrong! Solar capacity zoomed past 1 GW a few years after that prediction and we stand at about 5 GW today with many predictions based on projects in progress showing well over 30 GW before 2020. More
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TXSES Members Bring Solar and
Training to South Sudan, Africa
By Chris Boyer 
Imagine being the medical center that is responsible for the health of 500,000 people in South Sudan. Now realize that you have no electricity; you cannot store medicine because it spoils in the heat; you deliver babies in the dark of night; and there is sandy dust everywhere that blows in from the windows left open for light and ventilation. That's the daily operation of the medical clinic in Aweng - that is, until our solar team arrived. More
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Solar in Our State Parks
Baylor University Solar team collects data for Texas Parks and
Wildlife, setting a standard of efficiency for solar panels
By Billy Anderson & Dr. Mack Grady
As part of its endeavor to conserve the usage of natural Texas resources, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TWPD) recently installed eighteen solar panel arrays across Texas. They range from a 5kW array at Ft. Davis, 30kW at Cedar Hill State Park, 35 kW at Cooper Lake State Park, on up to the 92kW array on the Austin Headquarters (see Solar Power Parks ). The energy generated by these arrays typically supplies about 20% of facility power needs and supplements the Texas grid, but the department is unable to determine the efficiency of their photovoltaic systems. Consequently, the question is whether or not a higher level of energy production should be expected. Baylor University's Solar Team, under the supervision of Prof. Mack Grady, is partnering with TPWD to develop a tool for evaluating actual photovoltaic system efficiency. More
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Never Enough Water in Texas
Why solar should be a serious contender for
the state's energy portfolio mix
By Kimberly Tanner
With the scorching summer nearly behind us, conserving water has been on everyone's mind. Adequate water supplies is not a given in the Texas future as we look at the possibility of a new drought of record, while the state boasts 5 of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the U.S. All those people need electricity and right now, the power from coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydro and biopower require access to massive amounts of water. Some technologies do return water to the natural environment, but at the high cost of cleaning and cooling, and sometimes not effectively. In order to make responsible decisions and adapt to the new landscape of water and energy, we will need to educate ourselves and weigh environmental costs and benefits that will affect future generations. The following is information concerning the water-energy nexus and why we think the adoption of solar is important to the state's energy mix. More
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