Austin solar installations spike in 2014

According to the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center, Austin is 17th in the nation in terms of total amount of solar power installed within city limits. In a news conference outside of City Hall on Thursday, the environmental advocacy group’s director Luke Metzger applauded Austin for jumping from 13 megawatts in 2013 to 21 megawatts at the end of last year — a 62 percent increase. “Austin is a star when it comes to solar power, and we hope that the new City Council will continue the policies to keep Austin shining,” Metzger said. Austin would likely be higher on the list, he added, if the measure included the 30 megawatt Webberville Solar Project located in the City of Manor. The organization’s new publication, Shining Cities: Harnessing the Benefits of Solar Energy in America, lists San Antonio in 7th place with 88 megawatts, Houston in 32nd place with 5 megawatts and Dallas in 45th with 2 megawatts.