Energy secretary: Texas is on the right track with oil, gas, wind
Send this to a friend
- Nicholas Sakelaris
- Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal
- Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+
Texas got high praises from U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz during his visit to Austin Thursday.
He echoed many of the same ideas his boss, President Barack Obama, raised during the State of the Union address last week while also announcing a grant to research more advanced solar technology.
Texas is “the perfect example of how President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy can go hand in hand with combating climate change,” Moniz said during a visit to the University of Texas.
“This state is the number one producer of oil and gas in the country,” he said. “Texas has also been a national leader in clean and renewable energy production. And Texas has the highest wind-powered generation capacity of any state in the nation.”
Moniz announced the DOE would award $30 million toward FOCUS, (Full-spectrum Optimized Conversion and Utilization of Sunlight) program, an advanced solar system that uses the full spectrum of sunlight and includes a new storage system so it can provide a steady stream of power, even at night.
Today’s photovoltaic cells can fluctuate based on weather conditions, making it harder for grid planners to rely on them. Often, they use quick-fire natural gas plants to make up the difference when renewable energy such as solar and wind drop off.
Moniz also credited Texas for allowing its propane to be sold out-of-state where the freezing cold has caused a shortage in recent weeks. Gov. Rick Perry extended the emergency declaration to allow Texas propane to be trucked out.
“This is a very, very dire situation right now in the upper Midwest. We are in fact on the phone a lot across the administration making sure we do all that we can. Texas plays a very big role here.”
Nicholas covers the energy, manufacturing, aviation and transportation beats for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe the Energy Inc. newsletter
Most Popular
- Most popular
- Emailed
- Mobile
- Talking with Mark Hiduke, the millennial who secured $100M for oil co.
- NFL Hall-of-Famer and 'good guy' Terry Bradshaw's ranch hits market
- Toyota plots out new $350M corporate campus in Plano
- Irving mayor: Why the Texas Stadium site will become a corporate magne
- The Crescent ready to begin $62.5M transformation
- Exclusive: SoftLayer to double its Dallas headquarters; add 250 jobs
- $6.9M Willow Bend mansion lands on the auction block
- Behind the numbers of Toyota's new $350M campus
- Dallas Cowboys, Frisco brand $350M corporate campus with 'The Star'
- Preview: Microsoft to open its largest store to date at NorthPark
Sponsored by
People on the Move
-
Channel Sales Executive Houston Business Journal | Houston, TX
-
Insurance Agency Owner Brightway Insurance | Georgia, North Carolina, Texas
-
General Ledger Accountant with Manufacturing Company Accountemps | Hurst, TX
-
Travel Registered Nurse Job - ICU Maxim Healthcare Services | Dallas, TX
-
QA Analyst/ETL Tester Collabera Inc. | Lewisville, TX
Featured Property
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.