Texas is the surprising ground zero for an increasingly critical area — here's what you need to know

Texas has quickly become the largest clean energy market in the U.S. today.

Yes, you read that right — the state synonymous with the oil and gas industry is now the leader in renewable energy. In 2025, 33% of all new renewable and storage projects will be built in the Lone Star State, according to data from Cleanview, the platform I founded that tracks clean energy growth.

After hundreds of hours of building data pipelines, cleaning data, and reading through thousands of public documents tied to energy growth in Texas, we have a good sense of what is likely to be built.

Here's the headline: Virtually all new power projects trying to connect to the state's grid are solar, wind, and battery storage.

That'd be great in any market, but it's especially important in Texas. The state is ground zero for America's electricity demand growth story.

Data centers, electrification, and population growth are all fueling huge growth in Texas. The country hasn't seen anything like it since the post-World War II era.

Without all that new clean energy, Texas would be burning coal, natural gas, and oil to meet that new electricity demand.

Instead, the state has been decarbonizing its grid through this period of huge growth.

Clean energy has been good for everyone in Texas. Solar and wind have helped meet growing electricity demands. Batteries have helped prevent blackouts and brownouts. And everyone is paying cheaper electricity prices as a result.

And new developments mean clean energy growth will be even faster in Texas, thanks to a new bill passed by the Texas legislature that will make it easier and faster to install solar and storage.

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Today, solar permitting is absurdly slow. That's one reason why it costs three times more to install solar on your roof in the U.S. than it does in a country like Australia.

In many cities, homeowners have to wait weeks for local officials to review paperwork, schedule inspections, and issue approvals. These delays increase costs and slow adoption.

This new law changes that. It lets homeowners use licensed third-party reviewers to handle inspections and paperwork. Once the review is submitted, construction can begin immediately — and cities have just two business days to finalize the permit.

This is a big deal for energy independence and resilience. It cuts red tape, reduces costs, and empowers more Texans to take control of their energy — all the more important in a state where millions lost power during Winter Storm Uri.

The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. And it shows what's possible when lawmakers focus on practical solutions instead of political posturing.

There's a lot that we shouldn't learn from Texas. But when it comes to building clean energy, the state is doing something right. And anyone who wants to build clean energy faster should take note.

Editor's note: If you want to use your voice to make a difference, you can look up how to contact your own state senators here — whether or not (and perhaps especially if not) they appear on this list. 

Michael Thomas is the founder of Cleanview, a platform that helps clean energy leaders track the energy transition in real-time, and the author of a newsletter about climate change, Distilled, that has been read by more than 50 million people. Follow Michael on LinkedIn here, where this post appeared in its original form, or subscribe to his newsletter here.

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