There’s been lots of media coverage recently on the unprecedented attacks against solar power. The “Big Beautiful Bill,” which Congress passed and the President signed this year, eliminated a tax credit on residential solar systems, though the tax credit on leased systems remains in place.
Capital & Main reporter Elena Bruess took a look at the post-BBB landscape and what it means for companies like Freedom, our customers, and groups that are helping people access the benefits of solar power. She wrote about the pivot that we’re making, as well as the broader challenges that these anti-energy policies are creating.
Here’s an excerpt:
In early July, when most Americans were celebrating Independence Day, Bret Biggart was making plans to keep his Texas-based solar energy company from going dark. The Trump administration had just adopted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which fundamentally altered tax and spending policies in the United States, including phasing out federal tax credits for clean energy.
Biggart, who has worked in the solar industry for over two decades, was alarmed. Just a few years ago, the Biden administration had done the opposite by raising solar tax credits to 30% for homeowners and businesses — increasing interest, accessibility and market for solar energy. But now, Biggart prepared for that momentum to plunge in 2026. “A lot of people are trying to install solar right now, because once you roll into January you won’t get the credit,” said Biggart, CEO of Freedom Solar Power, a residential solar installation company based in Austin.
“There’s this cliff … and how gnarly it is, is sort of to be determined.” Despite being home to one of the largest petrochemical industries in the world, Texas has a large and growing renewable energy market. The state is third in solar jobs behind California and Florida, and employment in the solar industry has increased by nearly 30% between 2018 and 2023, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. And, recent reporting by the United States Energy Information Administration found that in Texas, utility-scale solar — which is solar energy sold directly to the state electrical grid — generated 50% more energy within the first nine months of 2025 than in the same period in 2024, and nearly four times more than in the same period in 2021. However, the state is not as far along when it comes to nonutility-scale residential installation and community solar programs.”