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El Paso Electric pitches county on Texas Business Solar subscription program; commissioners ask staff to investigate enrollment options
Summary
El Paso Electric briefed the court on a new Texas Business Solar Power Program that lets customers subscribe to blocks of generation from the Felina solar farm for a fixed $10.52/kW monthly subscription; staff and commissioners agreed to study subscription scenarios for county facilities.
El Paso Electric presented a Texas Business Solar Power Program to the Commissioners Court on March 19 that would allow the county to subscribe commercial accounts to solar generation located at the Felina facility.
Alejandra Montalo, representing El Paso Electric, said the utility built a 150‑megawatt solar site (about 300,000 panels) and reserved 50 MW to serve a commercial subscription program. “The technical portions of it are going to be… a fixed cost of $10.52 per kilowatt,” she said, outlining flexible term options (one, five or 10 years) and the ability for subscribers to take 10‑kW blocks of capacity. The utility said subscribers receive generation and fuel credits that can offset the subscription charge; presenters shared illustrative county bill impacts showing net savings for several large county accounts in a 2025 usage example, estimating about $82,000 in net savings for a sample courthouse subscription and roughly $180,000 across five large county accounts at the levels modeled.
Commissioners asked whether credits and subscription pricing are locked for the contract term, how renewable energy credits (RECs) would be treated, and whether the subscription price can be reduced if the program expands. El Paso Electric responded that the subscription price cannot increase during an agreed term and that RECs may be transferred or retired, which can help entities with external sustainability reporting. The utility said the program is ~75% subscribed already and recommended county staff return with a scoped list of county accounts and estimated impacts if the court wished to place interest forms or enroll.
Outcome: Court consensus: staff will prepare options (e.g., one‑building, many‑building scenarios) and estimated bill impacts for the county’s largest accounts and return for the court to consider enrollment or an interest submission.
Why it matters: The program offers a no‑capital, off‑site route for the county to increase renewable energy procurement and possibly reduce operating costs for high‑demand county facilities; commissioners asked for financial scenarios before committing to enrollment.
