The Lone Star State has been actively building on its renowned “Everything is bigger” reputation.
Nationally, Texas has moved to the number one spot in wind production and battery storage. It is also slowly but surely ranking up in solar potential, but still struggles to bid farewell to crude oil.
Meanwhile, another country has been breaking world records by powering its grid with renewables, teaching Texas a thing or two.
How Texas is maintaining its “Everything is bigger” reputation in energy
Tourists and locals may get a kick out of the eccentric Texan landmarks and laws. The Cadillac Ranch, the Cowboy Hat-topped Eiffel Tower, Route 66, and the Chili Law come to mind.
However, environmentalists and conservationists will be pleased to learn about Texas’s growing energy mix.
Drilling for oil has always been synonymous with Texas, as the fossil fuel has served the country for many years.
This is why not many may have believed that the state would become a national leader in sustainability. Wind power, battery storage capacity, and even hydrogen hubs are all the biggest in Texas.
Texas is also just a hoot and a holler away from beating California’s solar capacity for good. The renewable expansion makes sense, considering it is a data center magnet.
So the Lone Star State effectively rebranded itself, but what did happen to the nation’s old power backbone?
In short, nothing really.
Drilling deeper, but to what extent
The Lone Star State has broken national records in renewable capacity. However, the Texas Oil and Natural Gas Industry also broke new records.
Today, Texas is still responsible for nearly 42% of all American oil production. And that is not all the state is drilling for.
The Texas Economic Development Corporation made it quite clear that hydrogen is quickly becoming key in the Gulf Coast. While hydrogen will effectively decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, does this mean that Texas is ready to let go of oil?
Investing in expanding hydrogen capacity will help meet unprecedentedly higher power demands. However, whether obtained naturally or produced, there are several risk factors.
Induced seismic activity, methane contamination, and atmospheric leaks. Why risk it all when the state can continue to invest in other renewables?
A certain European country has achieved the seemingly impossible, not just once, but twice! Texas could learn a thing or two.
How this country can teach Texas a thing or two about renewables
As America experiences record power demands in 2026, renewables may not be enough to support national power grids.
Or so we thought.
Portugal proved the entire world wrong in 2023. For six consecutive days, renewable energies (mainly solar and wind) generated 1,102 GWh.
This power output lasted for a full 149 hours and surpassed residential and industrial power demands. Portugal even sold excess power to Spain, profiting from resilience and sustainability.
In 2024, 95% of renewable energy supplied Portugal’s grid for a full month.
What can be learned from the Texas endeavor?
The lesson that Texas should take from this?
A power grid can remain stable, meet power demands, and even surpass them, all without needing fossil fuels.
“And we were producing with a positive impact to the consumers because the prices have dropped dramatically, almost to zero.” – Hugo Costa, EDP Renewables overseer for Portugal
Portugal is also set on expanding its offshore wind capacity by 10 GW. Its interest in additional solar capacity is also proof that the nation is ready to go all in.
Texas should focus its rebranding on being a “Renewable State” instead of taking charge wherever opportunity presents itself.
With the UN’s “bankruptcy” warning looming over the Americas, careful planning, investment, and expansion would be the smarter choice. Especially in the long run!
