Courtesy of the Austin American Statesman, the following is an excerpt from a recent article announcing the exciting prospect of increasing the scope of green energy options in the Austin/Pflugerville area. And before you tell me that I mispelled "Farm" understand that in Pflugerville, if they can put a "Pf" in it, they do. It's just the way they like it!
A startup solar energy company with corporate backing from India has won tax breaks from the City of Pflugerville and is near a similar agreement with the Elgin school district to build a 60-megawatt solar plant. The plant would be large enough to provide electricity to all the homes in Pflugerville and, if it were built today, would be the largest in the United States.
RRE Austin Solar could break ground by the end of the summer on the $230 million plant on 600 or so acres of rural land about a dozen miles east of Pflugerville. But before the company moves forward, it wants tax breaks from Travis County. The company would employ about a half-dozen people, long term, to operate the plant, said Angelos Angelou, an Austin-based consultant on the project. He said that if the company gets property tax breaks from the county, it will consider headquartering the startup, with about 20 employees, in Austin. Angelou said RRE Austin Solar is backed by NEPC India Ltd. and ReGen Powertech , companies that have a 25-year history of developing renewable energy in India, mostly manufacturing wind turbines. He said the U.S. government will subsidize 30 percent of the capital costs of the plant.
Mayor Jeff Coleman said Pflugerville insisted that the solar farm carry the city's name as a branding strategy. "Central Texans are very interested in green technology and being good to the environment," he said. "This is an opportunity for the city to create a name within the Central Texas green community."
For the whole article, visit the Austin American Statesman.
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