Looks Like Central Texas Is Going Green

Center for Solar Energy Draws Closer

Progress continues to be made on the creation of the Center for Solar Energy. The Center for Solar Energy is a collaborative partnership between Texas A&M University-Central Texas and PPA Partners. Since the project was announced in 2013, the partners have focused on legal documents regarding governance of the project, intellectual property rights and other issues. The partners have also focused on raising funds for the project.

The project will be an electric power generator subject to the rules and regulation of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. PPA Partners has focused on the technical aspects of project design and conducting the engineering studies necessary to support the application to connect to the electrical grid regulated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), a state agency.

PPA Partners build and successfully demonstrated a prototype project at Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona that consists of five, one-acre sites generating one megawatt of electric power at each site. That project could not be expanded at that location due to geographic and academic constraints. When completed, the $600 million Center for Solar Energy will cover up to 800 acres in Bell County and produce several hundred megawatts of electric power.

The project will be an incubation program to develop early-stage technologies in solar power with the goal of attracting the interest of capital investors and bringing those technologies to the marketplace. The system will host the largest assortment of photovoltaic technologies in the world and serve as a true test site for leading-edge technologies, leading to thousands of clean energy jobs in Central Texas.

In addition to job creation, the center will accelerate research and curriculum development at TAMUCT and extend collaborative opportunities across an educational spectrum to universities and agencies within the TAMU System, as well as to regional community college partners and school districts. TAMUCT, community colleges and school districts will be adding new curriculum offerings to encourage research and education in renewable energy.

PPA Partners is a leading solar energy company headquartered in Morgan Hill, California.Texas A&M University Central Texas is part of the Texas A&M University System, one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation with a statewide network of eleven universities, nine state agencies and a comprehensive health science center.

For more information about this exciting program, visit http://thecenterforsolarenergy.com/. 

Solar panels at Arizona Western College Solar Installation.

Legislative Tour Being Planned The Texas Legislature convenes in session for five months every two years. The 84th legislative session begins at noon on Tuesday, January 13, 2015. Many in our community are putting the finishing touches on our legislative agenda. It is important that we communicate our legislative priorities effectively. It is difficult to describe why a priority is important. It is far more effective to show why a priority is important. One very productive method that we use is a tour for legislators. The one we are planning for the upcoming session will be our fifth in nine years. Here is how the process works: Members of our Public Policy Council work with legislators to pick a strategic day, after the session starts, conducive to good attendance. The program is planned based on showcasing the priorities. Legislators mail invitations to their colleagues. Attendance is directly proportionate to the effort expended by legislators. Venues are reserved and prepared. On the day of the event, early in the morning, attendees board busses at the State Capitol, provided by the Public Policy Council, to come to the community. Representatives of the Public Policy Council and local legislators host attendees on the bus ride. Attendees are delivered to a location that we want to showcase. TAMUCT and CTC are popular venues. A short reception and refreshment break is held for attendees, community leaders and Public Policy Council members to get acquainted. A program is convened that consist of a welcome from each of our local legislators and a community leader and a concise, fact filled presentation on each of our legislative priorities. No written support materials are passed out. At the completion of the community presentation, attendees are loaded on the busses and taken to Fort Hood. At Fort Hood, attendees are greeted by the Commanding General at the back of the III Corps Headquarter where they pose for a group picture. They receive a Command Brief and an extensive tour of the post including lunch with Soldiers. The day concludes with a community reception hosted by the Commanding General at Club Hood. Attendees are loaded on busses and are delivered back to the State Capitol. Later in the session, a community delegation goes to the State Capitol to call on each attendee to deliver support materials and a memento of their time spent in our community. No one has a better story to tell than do we. No one tells it with more impact. No one has a partner like Fort Hood to help tell it. Those who come here are forever changed as a result of spending their day with heroes. Participation in the activities of the Legislative Tour is available to Public Policy Leadership Council members and Public Policy event pass holders. Want to join us? Invest in Public Policy events today. Contact Maria Michel, Maria@killeenchamber.com, for more information.

Warrior Guarantee As students head into secondary education, economic concerns can exist. The question “what will my education cost me?” can be daunting. Collegeboard.org reports an average annual increase in tuition and fees of 4%, making the rising cost of education a serious concern. While increases in the cost of a secondary education should be expected over time, this does not mean college is out of the question. Texas A&M University-Central Texas (TAMUCT) addresses this issue with its Warrior Guarantee, a program that ensures an increase in tuition or fees will not affect the student participating in the program over a predetermined time period.  The Warrior Guarantee offers both Undergraduate and Graduate students a defined tuition and fee rate that will not change during a specific number of consecutive semesters. In the event of extenuating circumstances, such as military deployments or medical emergencies, students can request to extend the program for the number of eligible semesters that are missed. An additional bonus for undergraduate students is the flat tuition option that caps tuition at 12 semester credit hours. The student only pays for 12 semester credit hours, regardless of how many hours they take. For more information on this innovative program, visit www.tamuct.edu/departments/guarantee.

Upcoming Events Annual State of the City/Region Join us for a Luncheon on Friday September 26 from 11:30 am-1 pm at Central Texas College for an update on the City and the Region. Mayor Scott Cosper will discuss what is going on in the City of Killeen followed by Judge Jon H Burrows sharing regional updates. Quarterly Luncheon The Public Policy, Public Education, and P20 Councils will be hosting a luncheon Monday, October 27 from 11:30 am-1 pm at Central Texas College. Commissioner Michael Williams with the Texas Education Agency will discuss of House Bill 5, Endorsements, and how they impact Businesses and Education. CCSR Conference The second annual regional CCSR Conference will be Friday, November 7 from 9 am-2:30 pm at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. This event will bring together regional educators and business professionals to learn about endorsements and how the implementation of these endorsements will affect the students coming out of the education systems and into business. Learn from local schools and businesses on successful bridging programs that are already in place and how to implement them. For more information about any of these events, contact Maria Michel, Maria@killeenchamber.com.