Frequently Asked Questions
Learn More About Parliament Solar
General
Parliament Solar is a large-scale solar Project planned on a 3,433 acres on leased land owned by Waller Solar LLC, a Rice University entity, and a private landowner. The entire Project will be contained on the 3,433 acres leased area; no condemnation of other property is needed.
AP Solar Holdings LLC is performing the development phase of the project, and a counterparty (pending announcement) will provide financing for the construction of the project. AP Solar 8 LLC is the project company that owns the Parliament Solar project.
NO! AP Solar has joined forces with Texans Against High Speed Rail (www.Texansagainsthsr.com) to fight the Texas Central project.
AP Solar’s Parliament Solar Project will bring much-needed low-cost electricity to the ERCOT power grid, and the Texas Central project, if constructed, would significantly impact the Parliament Solar project as the current alignment for the high speed rail line runs through the Parliament Solar project site. AP Solar is assuming that the high speed rail project will not be constructed and is contributing cash and helping with fundraising efforts to advance the Texans Against High Speed Rail organization’s efforts to defeat that project.
The project is scheduled to break ground in the first quarter of 2023 and be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2024.
Energy Benefits
Texas sits in a geographic and climatic sweet spot, which allows it to cheaply and efficiently harness energy from many different sources, including renewables, to help meet increased demands on electricity. As the largest energy-producing and consuming state in the nation, Texas has done an extraordinary job of adopting a multi-source generation approach to supply power to its rapidly expanding economy. Solar power is key to that approach.
When operational, Parliament Solar will provide enough low-cost electricity to power about 140,000 Texas homes.
As part of a larger energy diversification program, oil and gas companies are also investing heavily in solar projects. ExxonMobil, for example, plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico by 2030, including utilizing low-carbon electricity which includes solar, wind, hydrogen, and natural gas with carbon capture.
By diversifying its energy portfolio to include solar – one of the cleanest, most abundant, reliable and low-cost energy sources in the world – Texas is addressing the peak demand stress on the state’s power grid.
Site Impacts
Nearly all of the Project site burned in the Riley Road Fire in 2011. The vegetation that grew back is not suitable to resume timber harvesting due to its poor quality and the distance to timber markets. Since 2011, landowner selected solar as the site’s best use. The design will avoid the areas of wetlands, so large areas of riparian cover will remain undisturbed on the site along waterways. However, the remaining site will be cleared of trees.
A forester was consulted to estimate that the fuel load will increase by about 3 times over the next 10 years if left undisturbed. Clearing the trees reduces wildfire risk during drought conditions along the approaching urban interface.
As part of the development process, AP Solar coordinates with the US Army Corps of Engineers to determine the wetlands boundaries and obtain review of Nationwide Permits used to authorize any crossing of equipment or roads over wetlands areas.
AP Solar also coordinates with the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to identify critical habitat and species of concern in the Project area. There is no critical habitat associated with the Project area. The recommendations issued by these agencies will be incorporated into the facility design as appropriate, and a 3rd-party, qualified biologist will be employed during the construction phase, including clearing, to address applicable considerations specified by the agencies.
No widespread use of herbicides will be used to defoliate or deforest the site. At most, minimal use of herbicides may be used during operations at the recommended application rate only in specific areas, such as the entrance or near the office building. Once the Project is constructed, the area will be replanted with native or low-growth vegetation, and it will be maintained using mechanical means such as mowing or grazing. These restrictions are part of the lease between AP Solar and the landowner.
The NC Clean Energy Technology Center’s white paper Health and Safety Impacts of Solar Photovoltaics (May 2017) is often referenced in this regard. The summary states:
“The purpose of this paper is to address and alleviate concerns of public health and safety for utility-scale solar PV projects. Concerns of public health and safety were divided and discussed in the four following sections: (1) Toxicity, (2) Electromagnetic Fields, (3) Electric Shock and Arc Flash, and (4) Fire. In each of these sections, the negative health and safety impacts of utility-scale PV development were shown to be negligible, while the public health and safety benefits of installing these facilities are significant and far outweigh any negative impacts.”
Economic Benefits
The economic benefits of Parliament Solar to Waller County are substantial, totaling more than $35 million in total county tax revenues over a 35-year period. These revenues will support Waller County roads, first responders and other essential community services. Existing and proposed solar projects, such as Parliament Solar, provide benefits to the broader economy by keeping energy costs affordable and reliable for Texas homes and businesses.
No, the Parliament Solar project economics are based on taxation of the entire appraised value without considering a Chapter 312 tax abatement agreement.
Yes, the Waller Independent School District (ISD) greatly benefits as well. If the ISD enters into a Chapter 313 agreement, it will receive over $7.5 million in supplemental payments over a 10-year period that are available to be spent in any way subject to the 313 agreement and Texas Education Agency rules.
AP Solar has developed 3 other solar projects in Texas, and each of these projects have 313 agreements. When these projects are constructed, the school district will be a primary beneficiary, receiving a significant amount in additional funding. Parliament Solar can provide similar benefits to the Waller ISD.
In addition to the tax revenues, the County will benefit from the more than 300 jobs that will be created during the est. 18 month construction period. During operation, Parliament Solar will sustain at least four full-time positions.
AP Solar has worked with the County to address the future need for roads. In the event that roads need to be constructed on the site during the life of the Parliament Solar project, AP Solar has agreed to leave “exclusion areas” for north-south and east-west roadways. These “exclusion areas” will be free of solar panels so that a County project will not have the burden of cost associated with the removal of panels.
Other
Most of the project site is situated on land owned by Rice University. Until the Riley Road Fire that occurred in 2011, the site was used for timber harvesting. Due to the damage done to the timber reserves and the distance to market, timber harvesting is no longer a desirable land use, so Rice University has made the decision to convert the land to solar energy production until the end of the solar project life.
The lease requires the Project owner to return the land to the pre-construction condition. A letter of credit, parent guarantee or similar acceptable guarantee, in an amount equal to the removal cost of the solar facilities and remediation of landowner’s property, is required by the lease.
Once the solar plant infrastructure is removed, and the landowners will determine how to best utilize their property.
Currently, most modules are refurbished and reused since the cost of reused modules are about 20% of a new module. Once the useful life of a panel is over, it can be recycled. A short video on how this happens at one US recycler can be found here:
https://youtu.be/5ldXfmimXz8?t=36
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has a fact sheet that addresses recycling of panels, including establishing recycling partnerships and preparing for future volumes: