Bill Text: TX HB4090 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to a grant and loan program to promote the installation of on-site solar energy and energy storage for resilience.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-29 - Referred to State Affairs [HB4090 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB4090-Introduced.html
| By: Talarico | H.B. No. 4090 | |
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| relating to a grant and loan program to promote the installation of | ||
| on-site solar energy and energy storage for resilience. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 2305, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 2305.040 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 2305.040. SOLAR ENERGY AND ENERGY STORAGE RESILIENCE | ||
| GRANT AND LOAN PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "solar energy device" | ||
| means a system or series of mechanisms designed primarily to | ||
| provide heating or cooling or to produce electrical or mechanical | ||
| power by collecting and transferring solar-generated energy. | ||
| (b) In this section, "energy storage device" means a | ||
| mechanical or chemical device that has the ability to store | ||
| solar-generated energy for use in heating or cooling or in the | ||
| production of power. | ||
| (c) In this section, "essential community services" means | ||
| those providing the public with free water, food, shelter, medical | ||
| services, emergency response operations, and other services that | ||
| the local county deems essential. | ||
| (d) The energy office is the supervising state agency of the | ||
| solar energy and energy storage resilience grant and loan program. | ||
| The program is established to encourage the installation of solar | ||
| energy and energy storage devices to enable locations that provide | ||
| essential community services during emergencies to continue | ||
| operating autonomously when electricity from the grid is not | ||
| available. | ||
| (e) The energy office shall award grants or make or | ||
| guarantee loans for the the solar energy and energy storage | ||
| resilience grant and loan program. | ||
| (f) Grants shall be made available for government | ||
| facilities. The energy office shall distribute grants in a manner | ||
| that ensures an equitable geographic distribution. | ||
| (g) The energy office shall determine the terms under which | ||
| a loan may be made under this section and shall set the interest | ||
| rate for a loan at a low rate that the energy office determines is | ||
| sufficient to recover the cost of administering the loan program. | ||
| (h) Before awarding a grant or making a loan under this | ||
| section, the energy office shall enter into a written agreement | ||
| with the entity to which the grant is to be awarded or the loan is to | ||
| be made. The agreement may specify that if, as of a date specified | ||
| by the agreement, the entity has not used the grant or loan for the | ||
| purposes for which the grant or loan was intended, the entity shall | ||
| repay the amount of the grant or the amount of the loan and any | ||
| accrued interest, as applicable, under terms specified by the | ||
| agreement. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
