Texas’ wind and solar energy boom could leave Texans footing the bill for billions in decommissioning liabilities, according to a new research paper from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
TPPF and Life:Powered’s Brent Bennett and Cullen Neely detail the significantly higher land requirements for wind and solar power when compared to fossil fuel generation, as well as siting and disposal regulation gaps that may cost Texans $8.8 billion in decommissioning liabilities.
“Texas has become the nation’s leading producer of both wind and solar energy, with over 15,000 wind turbines and rapid utility-scale solar growth transforming the state’s electricity landscape,” Bennett and Neely wrote.
“However, the explosive growth of these resources – which require dozens of times more land per unit of energy produced than natural gas, coal, and nuclear – is imposing distinctive burdens on neighboring landowners and generating waste streams that existing regulations were not designed to handle.”
The report explains that between nuclear, coal, and natural gas energy generation, natural gas requires the most land. To produce the same amount of energy as natural gas, solar energy production requires about seven times the amount of land, and wind energy production requires more than 22 times.
“Previous [TPPF] research calculated the land required if Texas were to transition to 100% wind and solar electricity generation and found that such a transition would require approximately 6 million more acres of land than the current electric grid – more than five times the area of Harris County, which is where Houston is located,” reads the report.
In addition to the extensive land requirements, disposal and liability challenges pervade the wind and solar energy industry.
Bennett and Neely give the example of Sweetwater, a Texas city that has become the victim of unpermitted wind turbine disposal. Global Fiberglass Solutions, Inc. (GFS) and several affiliates were sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in early 2026 for “illegally dumping thousands of wind turbine blades and materials at two disposal sites in Sweetwater.”
According to the report, GFS stockpiled over 3,000 blades and wind turbine parts after being hired by numerous wind energy companies to dismantle, transport, and recycle the materials.
“The Sweetwater case illustrates a broader problem facing the wind industry,” Bennett and Neely wrote. “Wind turbine blades, which can measure 200 feet in length, are constructed from fiberglass, carbon fiber, and epoxy resin – materials that are extremely difficult to recycle using conventional methods.”
They noted that as early wind farms reach the end of their useful life, the disposal volume is expected to “grow dramatically.”
The report notes that a majority of states nationwide are “behind the standards” regarding regulation of siting, decommissioning, and disposal of renewable energy facilities. A 2025 analysis noted that 30 states received a “failing grade” on an assessment of wind and solar decommissioning requirements. Texas received a C grade, and Virginia was the only state to receive an A grade.
“By contrast, 25 states, including Texas, received an A for oil and gas well decommissioning when rated on the same scale, highlighting a stark double standard in how different energy industries are regulated at end of life,” the report read.
Wind and solar decommissioning can come with a burdensome price tag, with costs ranging from $30 million to more than $100 million for every 1,000 megawatts of capacity. Despite this substantial cost, many states do not require these costs to be fully covered before facility construction begins.
While the report lays out incremental steps the Texas Legislature has taken to address these problems, Bennett and Neely say that more is required.
One proposed solution explained in the report comes in the form of “ambitious legislation” put forward by State Sens. Lois Kolkhorst (R–Brenham) and Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston).
The proposed legislation would require all wind and solar facilities in Texas to obtain a permit from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), in addition to other requirements such as a cleanup fund, and public notice and comment periods. The 2023 bill, as well as a 2025 “stripped down” version, passed the Texas Senate but were not heard in the Texas House.
“Whether the proper solution is to grant the PUC permitting authority through a CCN-type process (i.e., a process that regulates transmission lines in Texas) or to simply enact statutory requirements for setbacks and other parameters that are then handled individually by the developer and landowners is an open question,” Bennett and Neely wrote.
“With wind, solar, and energy storage now comprising almost half of the installed capacity in Texas and over 90% of future projects nearing completion, the Legislature is long overdue to provide remedies for these problems.”
The next legislative session is scheduled to begin on January 12, 2027.
