geofof one of the bigg
announcementntat the U.N.
Climate conferenen this weekend
in dubai was a pledgdgby more
than 110 countntes to triple the
amount of F newable energy
they're generating by 2030.0.
As William brangham M ports
at work is already undnd way,
in a state that may susurise
you.
This story is a collababation
withthhe global health repororng
center, withthupport from the
pulitzer center.
William:m: If you hahato guess
whicicstate in America was,,
hands-down, producing G E most
green renewawae energy, what
would you guess?
California?
Massachusetts?
It's tetes.
The state E at epitomizes oil
D gas a a got rich powering
he nation for decadesess now
the biggggesproducer of wind and
solar.
So how D D deep-red Texas turn
so green??
Michael: It'not unusual for
Texas to do all L E right things
for all ththwrong reasons, and
the rise of renewablbl is one of
those exampleses
William: Michael Webber studieie
the energy transitioioat the
univivsity of Texas and is
author of "Powow trip: The story
of energy."
Michael: W wdidn't do it for R E
cleanlinins, we didn't do I for
climatatchange.
We did it bebeuse it makes us a
lot of money fororhe landowners,
and saves us a lot O money for
the consumers.
William:m: O O study found that
L this cheap renewablelenergy
is savininthe average Texas
household almostst00 dollars a
year.
Though skeptpts say that figure
may be inflated.d.
There are a a ew of factors that
contributed to T ts boom.
Texas's gegeraphy is one.
Rorominter works for the E ergy
company engigi which has major
reneneble projects across thth
stste.
Rob: It's S big state.
There are a loloof areas where
it's sunny and D 'S windy and in
the wide open N aces of west
Texas and soututtexas, there are
some wonderful arere for
develoloent of renewable
resources.
William: Texas H H also had its
share of influlutial oil-men who
saw the lighghon renewables.
People like bibiionaire T. Boone
Pickens.
>> Lower electric rates for
people across S E spectrum.
William: T TRE's even one whoho
became governor.
In 19999 then governor George E
bush workiki with a democratic
, legisisture signed a law
deregegating texas''s power
rket to make it more
competitive, and E ehrined a
stste mandate for wind powow.
Emily: He wanand to support wind
power.
William: Emily foxhall covers
the energy indususy for the
tetes tribune.
Ily: There were landowowrs who
were willing to lease E eir land
fofothese new industries..
William: T Tse newfangled
industries.
Emily: Yeah, it wawaa new way
for thememo make money when
perhaps they wererstruggling to
do so with agricultutu.
Michael: Texex had a mandate
before England, bebere
californrn, before New York --
list all T Tse liberal economies
and Texas had D renewables
mandate before them.m.
William: Today, , E lone star
state gegerates more megawatts
of wind D WER than any other inn
the nation.
When it T mes to solar, Texas
trails only californrn and
actualal ranks first in
utiilty-scale solar prprects.
Combined with nuclear, Texas nono
gegerates almost 40% of itit
total enerer needs from
carbon frere sources, a hugege
surge in J jt a few years time.
Texas, like so mananother parts
of the cououry, has suffered
through a string O O
climate releled disasters.
They had recororbreaking heat
waves over the summeme and this
area is alwawa under threat of
hurricanes..
Six yearss ago when I was S re
for hurrrrane Harvey, this
entire area wawaunderwater.
Emily: The interestiti piece
re is climate change I the
context through whicicwe should
be talking a AUT all of this.
Like the reason we H he this
renewablblpower coming onto thee
grid is becacae, in order to
slow climate change,e,e have to
ow carbon emissions.
But ininhe Texas legislature,,
you rerely don't hear clilite
chchge coming up.
William: In fact, tetes's
renewawae boom isn't alwawa
being celeleated.
During 2020's paralyzing wintete
storm in T tas, which caused
widespread blackouou and left
6 people dead, renewables were
falsely blamed fororaking things
worse.
Goveveor Greg abbot had thisiso
sasa
V. At it: -- Governoror abbotot
R wind and our solar G G shut
down and that ththst Texas into
this situatiti where it was
lacking power at a atatewide
basis.
This shows how the G gen new
Dede would be a deadly deaeafor
the united states.
Willllm: But a S ssequent
analysis S Swed it was
un-winterized fossil F fl plants
principally natural gaga
at were responsible fofomost
of the blackouts.
Michael: The biggest failurereas
by far the gas system.m.
So about 85% O the gas
production in weststexas froze
about 50% statewide..
William: In this year's
legislative sessisi, Republican
legislators -- M my with the
port of the fossil fufu
industry - -introduced a slew of
anti-renewableleills.
Including a new W X on owners of
electric cars.
Michael: I havavto pay a $200
nual fee in Texas to R Rister
thisisar.
I'subsidizing gasoline a a
dieses drivers around the stste.
The focus S S on how to punish
renewables, how to pununh wind
and solar.
The grid needsdso be reliable,
wind and solar are N N reliable,
goes the story, thererere we
needed punish wind and solala
wiwiiam: But in a surprisisi
turn, alalst none of the
anti-renewableleills passed and
made it to governonoabbot' S
desk.
Proooo Michael Webber says, , at
green enengy in Texas has becomeme
more or less P pitically
bubuetproof.
Michael: Urban Democrats like itit
bebeuse it's clean ananrenewable
D the rural republicananlike
it bececse it's good for
economic develelment.
Lliam: The Texas clean energy
om is also being driveveby its
readadmade army of workers a a
trepreneurs coming dirirtly
out of the oililnd gas industry.
Tim M timer is the CEO of thth
geothermal company F fvo energy
geothermal energy cocos from
drililng underground to tap P E
heatatelow the Earth'ss surface
to S sn electrical turbines.s.
Tim: And because we'rereot
burning anything O ocombusting
anything, we' just using the
naturaraheat of the Earth, whaha
we can do O produce electricity
arouou the clock, 24/7, and D
so without C cbon emissions.
William:m:t is an ironinitwist.
Today's advanced geotheheal
would not be pososble without
the drilling and frackckg
technololo developop for natural
gas.
M: When I startrt over a
dedede ago --
william:m: Latimer, like so mama
within the texex larger
renewablblindustry, started hiss
career in N ssil fuels.
Tim: What weweee as time goes on
is people E ve realized that
climate change isns't a far off
problem.
Theye're still passionatatabout
prpriding affordable energrgto
the worlrl but the priorities
shift a littleleit because of
how urgent the climama crisis
is.
Anani think there's a a T of
people who have madedehat
realization J jt like I have.
William: None of this meananthat
Texas has turned its B bk on
fossil fueue.
Is still, by Y R, the
national leader in oil
productiti and natural gas
production.
This is ththessential challenge
for the negotitiors gathered in
dubai -- H H quickly can the
world's powers S sft this
babance and transition as S St
as Texas if not faster?
For the pbpbnewshour, am
williaia B bngham.
♪♪