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UH, TODAY TO RELEASE THE, UH, EIGHTH EDITION OF SHINING CITIES, WHICH IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, UH, SURVEY OF SOLAR IN MAJOR US CITIES.
AND, UM, WE, UH, AS I SAID, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE ABOUT 2014 AND HAVE, UH, INCLUDED HOUSTON EACH YEAR IN THAT.
AND HOUSTON HAS BEEN A BIT OF A LATE BLOOMER.
UM, WHEN, UH, WE FIRST DID THE REPORT, UH, HOUSTON HAD JUST ABOUT FOUR MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR, UH, INSTALLED IN THE CITY LIMITS AND WAS RANKED 32ND IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THOUGH, FROM THIS CHART THAT HOUSTON IS MAKING UP FOR, UH, LOST TIME AND REALLY BOOMING IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
SO OUR MOST RECENT SURVEY FINDS THAT, UH, SOLAR CAPACITY IN HOUSTON MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM 2019 TO 2021.
AND, UH, HOUSTON HAS NOW SHOT UP THE RANKS TO BE 16TH IN THE NATION.
UM, AND THIS IS COMING FROM A SET OF DISADVANTAGES THAT OTHER CITIES DON'T HAVE.
A LOT OF OTHER CITIES OWN THEIR OWN ELECTRIC UTILITY, OR THE LOCAL UTILITY OFFERS SOLAR REBATES.
UM, HOUSTON HASN'T HAD THOSE ADVANTAGES, UH, BUT WHAT IT HAS HAD IS THE LEADERSHIP OF BEAR TURNER AND THE CITY COUNCIL IN ADOPTING STRONG SOLAR GOALS, UH, ADOPTING, UH, POLICIES, UH, TO REQUIRE SOLAR READY BUILDINGS.
UH, AND, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE INSTALLING AND WORKING TO LEASE THE SUNNYSIDE LANDFILL FOR A SOLAR FARM.
UM, SO, UH, DOING A LOT OF GREAT THINGS, UH, HERE, UH, TO BOOST THE SOLAR CAPACITY.
WE ALSO, UH, THE GROWTH OF SOLAR IS CREDITED TO THE SUPPORT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SOLAR TAX CREDIT HAS BEEN REALLY CRITICAL IN HELPING MAKE SOLAR MORE AFFORDABLE FOR HOUSTONIANS AND, AND ALL AMERICANS.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, UH, SO GREAT TO SEE THIS GROWTH IN SOLAR, UM, BECAUSE WE REALLY NEED IT.
UH, SOLAR ENERGY IS REDUCING THE POLLUTION THAT CAUSES SMOG AND GLOBAL WARMING BY OFFSETTING THE NEEDS NEED FOR FOSSIL FUEL POWER PLANTS.
IT'S HELPING CONSERVE WATER AMID A DROUGHT.
UH, IT'S HELPING CONSUMERS HAVE MORE STABLE ELECTRIC RATES, UM, AND AVOID SOME OF THE PRICE SPIKES THAT WE CAN SEE FROM ELECTRICITY.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S PROVIDING LOTS OF LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS AND RESILIENCY, UM, BY MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WE CAN KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, YOU KNOW, EVEN AMID, UH, BLACKOUTS, PARTICULARLY WHEN SOLAR IS PAIRED WITH A A BATTERY.
UM, SO FOR ALL THESE REASONS, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO KEEP GOING.
UH, WE HAVE VAST POTENTIAL FOR SOLAR ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES THAT WE'VE ONLY BEGUN TO TAP, AND, UH, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IT TO MOVE TOWARDS A HUNDRED PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY.
AND WE CAN DO THAT THROUGH A FEW WAYS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, UM, STREAMLINE THE PERMITTING PROCESS THROUGH ADOPTING WHAT'S CALLED THE SOLAR APP, WHICH I KNOW THE MAYOR'S, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF.
I KNOW, UH, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PUT SOLAR ON CITY BUILDINGS.
UH, WE CAN ALSO CREATE A PUBLIC OPTION FOR ELECTRICITY BY OFFERING HOUSTON RESIDENTS LOW COST, UH, ACCESS TO SOLAR ENERGY ON THEIR, UH, THROUGH THEIR ELECTRICITY PROVIDER.
UM, AND THEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO EXTEND, UH, AND EXPAND THE TAX CREDIT FOR SOLAR ENERGY RIGHT NOW.
UH, IF, UH, THIS YEAR IF YOU GET SOLAR PANELS, YOU CAN OFFSET THE COST, UH, ON THE FEDERAL TAX CREDIT OF 26% OF THE COST CAN BE OFFSET ON YOUR TAXES.
NEXT YEAR, THAT'LL DROP TO JUST 22% OF THE COST.
AND THEN THE YEAR AFTER THAT, THE SOLAR TAX CREDIT GOES AWAY ENTIRELY.
SO IT'S REALLY CRITICAL THAT CONGRESS, UH, RENEW AND EXPAND THE SOLAR TAX CREDIT FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER DECADE TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL AMERICANS ALL HOUSTONIANS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO, TO CHOOSE SOLAR.
UM, SO, UM, I'LL STOP NOW AND TURN IT OVER, UH, TO MAYOR TURNER.
LUKE, LUKE, LET ME, LET ME THANK YOU IN ENVIRONMENTAL TEXAS, UH, FOR YOUR COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.
AND I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT.
IT IS COMPREHENSIVE AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT THE HOUSTON IS NOTED AS A, AS A SHINING CITY.
UH, AND LOOK, AND WE'VE, WE'VE COME QUITE A DISTANCE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AGAIN THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN MAGOS, WE ARE IN HIS DISTRICT, DISTRICT, I, AND, UH, AND THEN COUNCILMAN MABY CAMAN, WHO I KNOW THESE, THIS ISSUE IS VERY NEAR DEAR TO HER HEART, SO IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH HER.
AND, UH, DORA IS WORKING WITH US ON A NUMBER OF PROJECTS.
UH, I'LL MENTION ONE SHORTLY, AND THEN, OF COURSE, AMY, LET ME THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALLOWING US TO BE AT YOUR HOME
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AND THEN FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING, BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, YOU ARE AN EXAMPLE, UH, OF WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TO TODAY.UM, LOOK, THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOW NUMBER 16 IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEXAS SHINING CITIES REPORT IS, IS GOOD NEWS.
AND THAT WE'VE DOUBLED, DOUBLED, UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE SOLAR WISE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS BETWEEN 2019 AND 2021.
AND QUITE, AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE'VE DONE IT IN WHILE AT THE SAME TIME WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING COVID TOO.
UH, SO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE DOUBLED IT, HOUSTON IS A LATE BLOOMER, UH, UNLIKE SAN ANTONIO AND AUSTIN, UH, THAT'S RANKED, UH, IN FRONT OF US.
THEY BOTH HAVE THEIR OWN MUNICIPAL UTILITY.
UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AS LUKE SAID, WE DO NOT, UH, SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL WAVES IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, IRONICALLY, I JUST SPOKE THIS MORNING, UH, TO THE 35TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE GULF COAST POWER ASSOCIATION, UH, WHICH IS MEETING IN HOUSTON AND TALKED ABOUT SOLAR AND RENEWABLE AND, UH, AND LET THEM KNOW FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WITH RE UM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON PASSED THIS BRAZILIAN HOUSTON PLAN, UH, IN FEBRUARY OF 2020, WE ANNOUNCED OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN ON EARTH DAY OF 2020.
AND THEN AS OF JULY 1ST, 2020, UM, ALL OF OUR MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS ARE 100% POWERED BY RENEWABLES.
UH, AND THAT IS COMBINATION OF WIND AS WELL AS SOLAR.
SO, UH, WE ARE MOVING, WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UH, WE ARE WORKING, UH, CLOSELY WITH SUN SOLAR, UNITED NEIGHBORS, UH, IN ORDER TO, UM, CO-OP IN ORDER, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR, UM, CONSUMERS, UH, HOMEOWNERS AND OTHERS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COMPETITIVE PRICING FOR INSTALLERS.
THAT HAS GONE VERY, VERY WELL.
SO REALLY VALUE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SIGN.
AND THEN WE ARE WORKING WITH THE NATIONAL RENEWAL ENERGY LAB, UH, WHICH IS THROUGH, UH, WITH DOE WHEN IT COMES TO THE SOLAR APP, AND AGAIN, AND EXPEDITING, PERMITTING.
AND THEN ALL OF US ARE WORKING TO EDUCATE, UH, HOMEOWNERS, CONSUMERS MORE ABOUT THE USE OF SOLAR POWER.
AND SO THAT'S WHY, UH, BEING HERE IN WELL WITH AMY IS SO, IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CITY FACILITIES, BUT IT'S GOING EVEN FURTHER, EVEN FURTHER THAN THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, A PART OF OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WAS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR, UH, FIVE MEGAWATTS FROM LOCAL PROVIDERS, LOCAL, UM, UH, OUR LOCAL ENTITIES.
UH, AND WE ARE MOVING AGGRESSIVELY IN THAT DIRECTION.
I DO WANNA GIVE ONE EXAMPLE AND, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DO'S ALSO WORKING ON, AND THAT'S THE SUNNYSIDE PROJECT, UH, UH, IN, UH, IN SOUTHEAST HOUSTON.
A LANDFILL THAT OPENED IN THE 1930S, CLOSED IN 1970, UH, BEEN UH, HOLDING THAT COMMUNITY DOWN FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS.
IT LEFT 240 CONTAMINATED ACRES.
WELL, WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, OUR PARTNERS, UH, TO TURN THAT, UH, LANDFILL INTO THE LARGEST URBAN SOLAR FARM, UH, IN THE COUNTRY.
AND JUST THE OTHER DAY, I WAS, IT, IT WAS YESTERDAY, UH, WE GOT THE GREEN LIGHT FROM TCEQ TO GO NOW TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.
SO THAT WAS A MAJOR, MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT.
WHAT WOULD THAT PROJECT DO? I MEAN, COULD GENERATE ENOUGH SOLAR POWERED POWER, 5,000 HOMES, TAKE 120 MILLION POUNDS OF EMISSIONS OUT OF THE AIR, PROVIDE SOME GOOD JOBS, AND REALLY TRANSFORM THAT COMMUNITY FOR THE BETTER.
AND AGAIN, THROUGH THE USE OF SOLAR POWER.
SO MY HOPE IS THAT, UH, WE ARE DOUBLE WHERE WE ARE TODAY, UH, WITH THE USE OF SOLAR POWER THAT WE'LL MOVE UP IN THE RANKINGS.
UH, WE ARE THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
WE DON'T LIKE TO BE SECOND TO ANYBODY.
UH, AND CERTAINLY, UH, THE GOAL IS TO BE FIRST, UH, ON THIS VEST.
AND LUKE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU.
UM, AND NOW TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER GALLS.
THANK YOU EVERYONE, AND TO ALL THE VISITORS HERE TODAY, AND ESPECIALLY OUR MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, UH, WELCOME TO DISTRICT.
I, I'M SO DELIGHTED TO BE HERE ON THIS BEAUTIFUL SPRING MORNING TO CELEBRATE AN IMPORTANT RECOGNITION IN HOUSTON'S MISSION TO BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT.
AND AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK AMY DEN FOR HER HOSPITALITY AND, AND FOR BEING VERY ACTIVE IN THE EAST END AND EVERYTHING THAT SHE DOES HERE IN THE EAST END, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MAYOR TURNER AND THE CITY'S OFFICE OF RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABILITY AS A LEADER, ENFORCING, FORGING A PATH TOWARDS A STRONGER, MORE EQUITABLE CITY THAT NOT ONLY FACES AND OVERCOMES NATURAL DISASTERS, BUT BUILDS FORWARD TO A BETTER HOUSTON TOMORROW.
AND TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT, THE DOUBLING OF SOLAR CAPACITY IN THE CITY IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD TO A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT AND A HEALTHIER CITY FOR OUR FUTURE.
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I CANNOT THANK THE MAYOR ENOUGH FOR HIS WORK AND FOCUS ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES.I ALSO WANT TO THANK AND RECOGNIZE LUKE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, TEXAS FOR THEIR WORK AND ADVOCACY FOR CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, CLEAN ENERGY, AND A CLEAN FUTURE FOR ALL OF US.
THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MEMBER BARRY.
NOW, AND TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN.
UM, FIRST I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK AMY FOR OPENING UP HER HOME.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS SAYS, YOU ARE A SUPER CIVIC LEADER DOING SO MUCH, UH, TO HELP OUR CITY, INCLUDING DOING YOUR SHARE FAIR SHARE FROM THE RAIN BARREL SOLAR PANELS THAT ARE NOT ONLY POWERING HER CARS, BUT ALSO SUPPLEMENTING POWER IN HER HOME.
UH, MAYOR, I WANNA CONGRATULATE YOU, UH, AND OF COURSE, DIRECTOR AS WELL, UM, FOR CONTINUING TO SOLIDIFY HOUSTON'S LEGACY AS THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO BE WITH YOU.
AND AS CHAIR OF QUALITY OF LIFE, I KNOW YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD ON VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES LIKE THIS.
AND OF COURSE, SOLAR UNITED AND DORY, THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT PARTNER TO THE CITY AND FOR OUR OFFICES.
UH, AND LASTLY, I HAVE TO RECOGNIZE ENVIRONMENT TEXAS, WHO, UH, IS MY PERSONAL GO-TO IN OUR OFFICE FOR ALL THINGS RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THEIR REPORTS, THEIR RESEARCH, EVERYTHING IS SO THOROUGH.
UH, AND IT REALLY GOES TO FURTHERING GOOD SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY POLICY.
UH, AS THE REPORT SHOWS, AND I WAS LOOKING OVER IT BRIEFLY, UH, MAYOR, WE'VE NOT ONLY DOUBLED THIS YEAR IN YEARS PAST, WE CONTINUE TO DOUBLE.
SO WE'RE DOUBLING EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND IT, I KNOW IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT SOLAR SAVES, IT SAVES US MONEY, IT SAVES OUR GRID, AND IT SAVES OUR PLANET.
WE ARE DOING ALL WE CAN AS THE CITY UNDER MAYOR TURNER'S LEADERSHIP, WHETHER IT'S SUNNYSIDE AND EVEN MORE RECENTLY, UH, MAKING SURE THAT OUR BUILDING CODE IS ACTUALLY FOLLOWING WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO AND MAKING SURE THAT WHEN HOMES ARE BUILT, THEY CAN ACCOMMODATE SOLAR FOR ANY RESIDENT THAT WANTS TO PURCHASE IT.
AGAIN, TODAY IS ABOUT OUR RESIDENTS AND RESIDENTS LIKE AMY THAT ARE MAKING THE DIFFERENCE.
AND WHILE THE CITY IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING IT CAN, IT REALLY IS UP TO EVERY SINGLE HOUSTON HOUSTONIAN TO SAVE UP, NOT JUST FOR YOURSELVES, BUT FOR OUR CITY AND OUR FUTURE.
THANKS SO MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.
AND THEN, UH, FINALLY WE HAVE, UH, DORY WOLF FROM SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS AND OTHER ENTERPRISES,
TODAY, I'M GONNA SPEAK JUST WITH MY SOUL UNITED NEIGHBORS HAT ON.
UM, BUT I'M GRATEFUL TO BE AMONGST MAYOR TURNER AND PRIYA, UH, ZACHARIA COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND AMY, UH, AMY AS I PASSED ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, SHE WANTED TO GO SOLAR.
AND SHE SAID, OR I WOULD SAY ON HER BEHALF, THAT IT IS COMPLICATED IN A WAY, YOU'RE BUYING YOUR ELECTRICITY FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS UPFRONT.
AND IT'S LIKE INTO BUYING A A CAR, RIGHT? IT'S A BIG INVESTMENT.
AND LIKE THOSE CAR SALESMEN, SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET OVERWHELMED BY INSTALLERS COMING AND SAYING, YOU SHOULD BUY MY SYSTEM.
AND SO SOLELY UNITED NEIGHBORS AS A NONPROFIT.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO TEACH AND LEARN ABOUT SOLAR, TO TAKE OUR PURCHASING POWER IN A GROUP AND BRING DOWN THE PRICE THROUGH COMPETITIVE BIDDING.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY TO ME IS TO TAKE DOWN THE BARRIERS TO GOING SOLAR, TO MAKE IT EASIER TO GO SOLAR.
AND SO WE WORK WITH OUR CO-OP MEMBERS.
THERE'S NO OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE, BUT IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN.
WE HAVE INFORMATION SESSIONS THAT PEOPLE CAN ATTEND.
SO YOU LEARN ABOUT SOLAR, YOU CAN BE ON A SELECTION COMMITTEE.
IT IS THE CO-OP MEMBERS THAT SELECT THE INSTALLER AFTER THE COMPETITIVE BID.
AND WE HAVE A CO-OP RIGHT NOW THAT'S OPEN.
WE, WE BROKE THE, UH, HOUSTON IS HUGE.
WE KNOW THAT WE BROKE IT INTO FOUR QUADRANTS AND THE FIRST QUADRANT HAS REACHED ITS THRESHOLD, IT'S GONE OUT TO BID.
THEY HAVE SELECTED THEIR INSTALLER ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE COMING SOON AND WE HAVE THREE MORE QUADRANTS TO GO.
SO THIS SUNDAY THERE'S GONNA BE SOLAR OPEN YARDS WHERE FOR EACH OF THE QUADRANTS WILL HAVE AN OPEN YARD YOU CAN COME VISIT.
AND MORE OF THAT CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, SO I JUST AM EXCITED TO BE HERE.
I'M EXCITED TO HELP GROW SOLAR IN HOUSTON AND MAKE IT AFFORDABLE.
AND WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM PHILANTHROPIC FUNDS, UH, FOR TWO DISCOUNTED SOLAR HOMES FOR QUALIFYING HOMEOWNERS THAT HAVE BEEN WEATHERIZED OR ON QUEUE TO BE WEATHERIZED BY BAKER RIPLEY.
SO JOIN THE CO-OP AND, UH, IT'S FREE TO JOIN.
AND IF YOU QUALIFY, WE'D BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU GET A FIVE KILOWATT ARRAY AT A VERY
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DISCOUNTED PRICE.AND THEN AMY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY JUST A FEW WORDS? UM, SURE.
UH, WE, WE WERE PART OF THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASE A FEW YEARS AGO AND IT DID MAKE IT MUCH EASIER TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO SOLAR EFFECTIVELY.
WE CHOSE JUST TO DO IT ON OUR GARAGE 'CAUSE WE HAVE A HISTORICAL HOME AND THIS WAS MUCH EASIER HAVING NEW CONSTRUCTION.
UM, BUT WE ARE PART OF A LOT OF THE CITY'S INITIATIVES TO GO GREENER.
YOU'RE STANDING ON A PERMEABLE DRIVEWAY THAT WE DECIDED TO PUT IN AS OPPOSED TO CONCRETE.
YOU'VE GOT RAIN BARRELS, I'VE GOT 15 RAIN BARRELS ON THIS PROPERTY.
WE'VE EVEN STOLEN WATER OFF OF OUR NEIGHBOR'S, UH, GARAGE IN THE BACK.
UM, AND WE ARE, WE ARE FOSTERING FRUIT TREES AND DIFFERENT, UM, FRUITS, VEGETABLES ON THE PROPERTY.
AND UM, HOPEFULLY THIS CAN BE A MODEL FOR HOW THINGS CAN LOOK IN HOUSTON.
AND NOW HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY.
AND AGAIN, UM, THE SOLAR PANELS JUST OVER HERE ON THIS SIDE.
UH, I THINK FROM THE BACKYARD YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GET A, A SHOT OF THEM.
AND, UH, APPRECIATE EVERYONE FROM JOINING US TODAY.