| 1 | 1 | | By: Talarico H.B. No. 4090 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to a grant and loan program to promote the installation of |
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| 7 | 7 | | on-site solar energy and energy storage for resilience. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 2305, Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 2305.040 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 2305.040. SOLAR ENERGY AND ENERGY STORAGE RESILIENCE |
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| 12 | 12 | | GRANT AND LOAN PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "solar energy device" |
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| 13 | 13 | | means a system or series of mechanisms designed primarily to |
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| 14 | 14 | | provide heating or cooling or to produce electrical or mechanical |
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| 15 | 15 | | power by collecting and transferring solar-generated energy. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) In this section, "energy storage device" means a |
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| 17 | 17 | | mechanical or chemical device that has the ability to store |
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| 18 | 18 | | solar-generated energy for use in heating or cooling or in the |
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| 19 | 19 | | production of power. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (c) In this section, "essential community services" means |
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| 21 | 21 | | those providing the public with free water, food, shelter, medical |
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| 22 | 22 | | services, emergency response operations, and other services that |
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| 23 | 23 | | the local county deems essential. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (d) The energy office is the supervising state agency of the |
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| 25 | 25 | | solar energy and energy storage resilience grant and loan program. |
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| 26 | 26 | | The program is established to encourage the installation of solar |
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| 27 | 27 | | energy and energy storage devices to enable locations that provide |
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| 28 | 28 | | essential community services during emergencies to continue |
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| 29 | 29 | | operating autonomously when electricity from the grid is not |
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| 30 | 30 | | available. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (e) The energy office shall award grants or make or |
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| 32 | 32 | | guarantee loans for the the solar energy and energy storage |
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| 33 | 33 | | resilience grant and loan program. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (f) Grants shall be made available for government |
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| 35 | 35 | | facilities. The energy office shall distribute grants in a manner |
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| 36 | 36 | | that ensures an equitable geographic distribution. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (g) The energy office shall determine the terms under which |
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| 38 | 38 | | a loan may be made under this section and shall set the interest |
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| 39 | 39 | | rate for a loan at a low rate that the energy office determines is |
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| 40 | 40 | | sufficient to recover the cost of administering the loan program. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (h) Before awarding a grant or making a loan under this |
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| 42 | 42 | | section, the energy office shall enter into a written agreement |
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| 43 | 43 | | with the entity to which the grant is to be awarded or the loan is to |
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| 44 | 44 | | be made. The agreement may specify that if, as of a date specified |
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| 45 | 45 | | by the agreement, the entity has not used the grant or loan for the |
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| 46 | 46 | | purposes for which the grant or loan was intended, the entity shall |
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| 47 | 47 | | repay the amount of the grant or the amount of the loan and any |
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| 48 | 48 | | accrued interest, as applicable, under terms specified by the |
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| 49 | 49 | | agreement. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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