Troutman Pepper Locke is a proud sponsor of the 2025 Infocast Texas Clean Energy Summit, which will be taking place August 26 – 28, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

This conference is uniquely positioned to be the best place to discuss the results of the 89th Texas legislative session and learn from policy makers, as well as the state’s most active developers, asset owners, QSEs, offtakers, financiers, investors, and other key players as they tackle the challenges and opportunities defining Texas’ clean energy future.

On Wednesday, August 27 from 4:45 – 5:30, Ben Cowan will be moderating a panel discussion on “Navigating Storage Siting & Early Development Decision-making.” With falling battery costs, the ITC, inexpensive land, and a volatile market favorable to storage developers, Texas is poised to overtake California in BESS deployments. As BESS penetration increases, new siting and development difficulties arise, just as the legislative session once again introduces uncertainty in permitting policies and regulatory changes to revenue streams, state of charge, and other issues complicating the ability of storage developers to map out their plans. This panel will explore storage project development realities today and how BESS in Texas gets sited, permitted, and moves forward, including:

  • 89th session outcome: Many anti-clean energy bills failed, including SB 819, HB 553, HB 1343 and HB 1378. What does this mean for investment? Will it affect the current queue?
  • Where is BESS being sited in Texas today, and what proportions of projects are FTM vs BTM? Is this likely to change given data center BTM usage projections? What about clarity on cost allocation for transmission vs distribution connected batteries?
  • Is fire risk an issue for siting and permitting? General NIMBYism? How can developers future-proof projects? Are strategies shifting to provide different services and energy?
  • Expectations vs reality: How does today’s landscape affect forward curves and future storage project bankability? Why are munis not buying storage?
  • What is driving the reduction in battery prices, and how long will it last? Are tariffs or forced labor concerns affecting equipment delivery? Where are costs headed generally?
  • How are state of charge, dispatch duration, and other factors being included into plans, and are requirements clearly communicated to BESS owners and operators? Which resources are eligible, where are they sited, when must they be available?