
Of all the states across the U.S., few have had such an oil-centric reputation as Texas. But many modern Texas retail energy providers like Stream Energy are eager to shake that fossil fuel-producing reputation. Thanks to deep investment and a commitment to green energy, Texas retail energy provider Stream Energy and other companies are officially delivering on a promise to conserve and protect the environment.
Stream Energy is a retail energy provider with services in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Corpus Christi, and other deregulated areas. Here’s a look at how clean energy is working across The Lone Star State.
Retail Energy Providers Tap into Dallas Wind Farm
The U.S. government has made a point to make green energy a priority in Dallas, offering generous subsidies for green development. Since the subsidies are winding down year by year, companies are racing to put as many solar and wind turbine farms up as possible to take advantage of federal tax credits.
One particular project that may provide wind power to Stream Energy is Tri Global Energy’s 478 megawatts worth of wind farms, which are now under construction and expected to be finished by the summer. So far, Tri Global owns or manages the vast majority of wind projects across the state, with most of them located in West Texas.
For Texas retail energy provider Stream Energy, wind energy has been a positive green development. Last year, wind farms in Texas provided almost 70 million megawatt hours alone. This worked out to be close to 20 percent of the total energy from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. In 2016, less than half was produced.
Use of coal, long a Texas energy staple, is also on the decline, paving the way for more green energy – such as solar and wind – as well as natural gas. Texas is retiring a number of coal plants and gaining ground as one of the largest solar markets in the country. As coal continues to become less and less common in Texas, look for some retail energy suppliers to tap into natural gas as an alternative.
One of the biggest areas of help in this regard for retail energy providers is Texas’s CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zones), where the state set aside land to be used specifically for harvesting green energy and enhancing traditional energy. The concept of CREZ came about in 2005 when the Texas legislature decided to take a proactive approach to federal green energy goals. Part of the CREZ plan is harnessing wind power and taking that renewable energy and adding it to energy available on the grid. Stream Energy’s role is to resell this energy to the public at discounted rates.
Fort Worth Soars After Going Green
In a recent study tracking green energy across the United States, Fort Worth had a long way to go. Cities like Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio led the green energy revolution in Texas, with cities including Fort Worth, Laredo, and Dallas bringing up the rear. The score was based on a number of factors, including policy, transportation, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and more.
However, thanks to a green energy investment to provide Fort Worth retail electricity providers with the source of energy they need, the city is moving up the list with new initiatives. One of the most innovative examples is a 22-home community in Frisco, just a stone’s throw from Fort Worth. This “energy free” community will showcase almost two dozen homes featuring solar panels and building materials that are meant to be maintenance free. The idea is to provide homes that are completely energy self-sufficient, and therefore do not generate an electricity bill. These green homes are also built with steel and masonry rather than siding and wood, which is all designed to sidestep major repairs in the future.
For Fort Worth retail electric suppliers like Stream, the move toward a greener future is evident in these homes, which boast four bedrooms and more than 3,500 square feet of living space. In fact, the first home, a prototype, generated a $27 electricity credit in one of the hottest months of the year: July.
Another project certain to delight retail energy providers throughout Texas and beyond is the Fort Worth Better Buildings Challenge. This special contest, hosted by the United States Department of Energy, challenged architects and builders in the area to build greener, use more solar and wind, and more. The goal is to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) delivers certification to buildings that qualify. Because of this effort, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has almost 150,000,000 square feet of real estate that qualifies as USGBC certified, which counts as more than 680 commercial projects. Beyond energy efficiency, a major goal for builders of these types of structures is to get USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation.
Energy efficiency has led to other types of improvements, including health. Thanks to the green energy wave by retail electricity providers like Stream Energy, wellness at work is also taking hold, with offices installing standing desks, offering health club memberships, and even giving employees access to local walking trails.
For Stream Energy, a retail energy provider, West Texas is the area to keep an eye on. Just recently, construction began on a massive $600 million wind farm in west Texas, near Upton and Crockett counties. And there are more on the way, all with the goal of making Texas as green as possible, delivering solar and wind energy to many areas associated with coal.
Stream Energy, a provider of both wind and solar energy throughout Texas, welcomes these new developments, because the retail energy supplier wants to give its customers choices. With green energy offerings in other states as well, look for Stream Energy to pass along the savings to its customers in Texas and beyond.