Renewable Energy at Texas Parks & Wildlife
The mission of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Our philosophy in fulfilling our mission includes balancing outdoor recreation with conservation as we manage and protect natural and cultural resources. We rely on sound science to guide conservation decisions, demonstrating that stewardship can improve current conservation problems and can help Texas meet the conservation challenges of the future. We are committed to responsibly managing our finances and appropriations to ensure the most efficient and effective use of tax-payer resources in order to provide the highest possible standards of service, fairness, courtesy and respect to our customers. TPWD understands that we must look to the future to identify new conservation customers and devise programs that will engage their interest and enthusiasm for outdoor recreation into the 21st century.
In 2010 TPWD secured nearly $4 million worth of grants, funded by the Distributed Renewable Energy Technology Program, to install 25 solar photovoltaic systems at 17 of our facilities across the state. The grants will provide reimbursement of up to 80% of eligible project costs from the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), which is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition to the grant projects, we have also installed a system at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. These systems were installed in 2011-2012 and are currently in full operation.