And I’ll repeat again: Solar is not a flawed technology. It works. It can help the grid immensely — as well as your own bill. But without any regulations, Texans have too often encountered ignorant to fraudulent installers looking to make a quick buck and vanish.

You can read my entire investigation at expressnews.com/solar

The bills still need to be voted on by the biz & commerce committee before any can move to the Senate floor and then the House. A far less intricate solar bill passed the Senate but never made it to the House last session. www.expressnews.com/business/art...

A separate bill was filed related to customers having actual recourse if their system fails inspection and doesn’t work so they can be refunded the costs or halt loan payments. That hasn’t been brought to committee yet. You can read more about that here: www.expressnews.com/business/art...

Another bill calls on the creation of a dedicated Texas website to give customers unbiased information on solar. Also supported by industry. No one testified against either bill. Shoutouts to the Sierra Club for offering to translate the site in Spanish. Non-English speakers are often victims.

AARP testified asking for the addition of paper copies of contracts to be a requirement. As is, elderly customers can be rushed through contracts on tablet screens without having time to carefully read over specifics or leave a physical paper trail for a caregiver to see & step in.

For context: A Solar system, supplies & labor included, should typically cost between $20k-$30k before financing. (Unless you live in a mansion.) Often the elderly on the hook for these crazy loans will never live long enough to pay them off — leaving that debt to loved ones who inherit the home.

Fintech lenders have said if the state changes the disclosure laws, they will comply. So, legislators have a chance to do just that. As is, dealer fees can wind up being up to 50% of a loan cost, with some of Texas’ most vulnerable unknowingly agreeing to a $100k over 20+ years.

The truth in lending act doesn’t specifically require the disclosure of dealer fees, which are essentially used to buy down an interest rate. The problem? Customers are rarely told that’s what’s happening and have no clue there “3%” interest rate is basically a fantasy.

Some suggested additions came up on financial disclosures, something the current bill doesn’t touch. It’s probably the only thing that my investigation uncovered that proposed legislation hasn’t addressed. You can read about “dealer fees” in part 3. www.expressnews.com/news/article...

FWIW: I think both energy AND journalism nerds will enjoy our chat, which gives a peek into the process of reporting as well as how the findings play into the energy/solar industry at large.

Unless Texas is plunged into a hellish heatwave that brings about the end times unlike anything science has predicted, we aren't going to suddenly be short on power by 2026/27. Experts agree the state needs to be proactive and plan but don't panic -- yet, anyway www.expressnews.com/business/art...

IMO, the CDR report itself is not the story. But its findings prompted ERCOT & PUC leadership to publicly discuss how to reevaluate forecast data, what it shows, & how they could use differing methods for demand vs. transmission planning. That's what's important
www.expressnews.com/business/art...