Brown County, TX — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No specific moratorium information available.

None codified.

By-right — no county ordinance; tax abatement likely approved.

Pro-solar — 415 MW project operational; board facilitated development.

West Central Texas county; Brownwood county seat; Intersect Power's 415 MWp Radian Solar operational as of 2023; R-majority board; no documented opposition; strong developer track record established.

Improving

No state siting board for solar in Texas. PUCT regulates utilities; ERCOT manages interconnection for ERCOT service territory (most of state); SPP governs Panhandle/northwest TX. County Commissioners Court governs unincorporated areas under Texas Local Government Code. Many rural TX counties have NO zoning authority — solar is essentially by-right without county approval requirement. HB 2527 (2023) requires counties with solar ordinances to provide a 'reasonable' permitting framework. No statewide preemption prevents county restrictions. ERCOT interconnection queue is severely congested — grid study delays of 2-4+ years common.

Texas has no state RPS mandate. Key incentives: Federal ITC (30% base + bonus adders for energy communities/domestic content). Property tax abatement via Chapter 312/313 successor frameworks (county-level negotiation required). ERCOT wholesale market provides strong merchant revenue stack. No state income tax benefits developer HQ decisions. USDA REAP available for rural projects.

Radian Solar (415 MWp, Intersect Power) — reached commercial operation 2023. Major utility-scale project.

None documented.