The Dallas Solar Energy Project would be an innovative, sustainable solar and energy storage plan proposed for Dallas County, Alabama which would have a combined capacity of up to eighty megawatts of clean, green, domestic-produced solar power, coupled with eighty megawatts of advanced battery storage capacity. If built, this massive clean-energy project would not only be the largest clean-coal installation in the state of Texas, but also the tenth largest solar installation in the nation. The project is part of a broader effort by the county and the Dallas area to both diversify their energy sources and “go green.” (It is interesting to note that some of the nation’s leading environmental organizations have recently endorsed the plan.
This ambitious plan would mark the beginning of what could become a national trend for cities and rural communities to embrace solar energy projects and attract new jobs and development to the region. For now, however, this pioneering effort is just the beginning, and while the economic benefits are already being touted, there are many questions as to whether such a large-scale investment is actually “cost-effective” over the course of several years. Whether it is a “win-win” proposition for the residents of Dallas and the rest of Texas, and the nation as a whole, or whether such a system will do more harm than good, remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: The Dallas Solar Project and the efforts of the residents of Dallas and the surrounding area in the Texas panhandle are putting an exciting new energy initiative on the fast track.
The venture has attracted a number of major names in the business world, including notable venture capitalists such as Jim Rogers, who has already expressed interest in buying a controlling interest in the company. Rogers’ interest in putting together a team of business owners to start installing solar energy panels has the potential to propel the project far beyond what its current creators had even imagined. Dallas Solar has the potential to be one of the biggest franchises in the co-op sector in the country and could even expand into other areas of the Southwest. As the program grows, the residents of Dallas and the rest of Texas will be better positioned to take advantage of the windfalls of renewable energy that these communities can bring to them.