Date

July 21, 2026

News Type

Press Release

What's the story?

Among US states, Texas is a leader in installed utility-scale solar and wind capacity. This is due, in part, to the state's ability to quickly get energy projects online-a notion now backed by data due to new research from Resources for the Future (RFF).

A new paper leverages a large data collection effort to quantify large-scale renewable energy development timelines in Texas. Researchers found that compared to renewables projects developed on federal lands, solar and wind projects in Texas came online approximately 40 percent faster. However, this speed was not uniform across projects. Many faced extended periods of negotiation with local authorities and other delays that extended project development horizons. The authors note that many steps in the development process in Texas are hard to trace, due to a lack of public records at the local level.

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Expert Perspective

Is everything faster in Texas?

In Texas, the median timeline for a wind project to move from the beginning of the bureaucratic process to full operation took 40 months. For solar, the duration was a median of 42 months.

Nine projects-about 12 percent-took less than two years to begin operation, but 11 wind projects and 10 solar projects took more than 4 years of planning, permitting, and construction to become operational. The longest development timelines often reflect long periods spent before construction, when developers are assembling land leases, getting tax incentive approvals, negotiating road access, and more.

How do we know?

The research team scoured public records for evidence of important milestones for renewable energy projects-usually information on public hearings, power-purchase agreements, local tax agreements, and other indicators of a project moving forward. At times, incomplete documentation was a roadblock to getting complete data on a project.

Despite data limitations, the research team compiled project development milestones for 44 large solar projects and 32 large wind projects constructed between 2018 and 2025. These projects spanned 58 counties in Texas, and the total capacity covered represents about 25 percent of total Texas wind capacity and 38 percent of solar capacity.

⚖️ How does Texas's permitting process compare to other states?

Texas differs from many other states because it lacks a uniform permitting process for renewable energy projects. Counties often play an important role when projects seek tax abatements, road use agreements, or other local approvals, but not every project requires a county-level approval, and many necessary development steps are handled privately or are not consistently documented in public records. While this makes it difficult to compare permitting timelines between Texas and other states, the authors identified relatively consistent data on local tax abatement approval as a valid comparison point. They found it takes solar projects an average of 6.5 months to get through the process and wind projects 7.5 months on average. In other states, state permitting approval takes a year on average.

Texas's timelines for tax abatement are comparable to permitting timelines in Kentucky and Mississippi. Texas's process is faster than that of Massachusetts, which also relies on local permitting processes and takes an average of 8.2 months for a project to secure approval. These comparisons, while not perfect, support Texas's reputation as a state that rapidly develops renewable energy projects.

Where can I learn more?

For more, read the working paper "Texas Wind and Solar Renewable Energy Development Timelines: From Local Incentives to Commercial Operation" by Brandon Holmes (RFF), Molly Robertson (RFF), Kevin Rennert (RFF), Keith Benes (Siting Resource Center), Natalie Baillargeon (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [LBNL]), Juniper Katz (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Robi Nilson (LBNL), and Ben Hoen (LBNL).

Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.

Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. RFF does not take positions on specific legislative proposals.

For more information, please see our media resources page or contact Media Relations and Communications Manager Annie Tastet.

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