E&E News identifies key energy topics under consideration in Texas' 2025 legislative session, including new permitting requirements for wind, solar, and battery storage projects. Matthew Boms of Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (United's state affiliate) stated that industry standards are making battery storage safer, encouraging lawmakers to recognize the role batteries have in creating a more reliable and resilient grid.
Texas is a top market for both wind and solar power, but Republican lawmakers have teed up bills that would make it harder to build renewable energy in the state.
That includes a proposal to impose new permitting requirements. A similar proposal passed the state Senate last session but failed in the House.
Some legislation would specifically target battery storage systems as developers rapidly add them to the grid. The systems are designed to dispatch wind and solar power during times of need, especially in the evenings when demand is high but the sun has gone down. But some lawmakers have said that the battery sites need more safety measures attached to them because they could pose a fire risk.
H.B. 1343 would establish new permitting requirements for battery systems, including imposing distance requirements from other buildings. Another bill, H.B. 1378, would allow counties or municipalities to set even more stringent rules.
Such requirements could make it harder to build battery storage, but advocates say they are open to working on safety measures.
Matthew Boms, executive director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, said industry standards are making battery storage safer and that he’s encouraging lawmakers to recognize the role batteries have played in keeping the lights on.
“The winter weather we’ve had [recently] in Texas would have been a problem, but battery storage is really saving the grid,” said Boms. “It just shows how some of these advanced energy technologies are adding resilience and protecting consumers.”
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