Against the backdrop of Washington’s furor about climate change legislation this week, Texas made the very welcome decision to jump into the solar game by voting overwhelmingly in favor of funding a state-wide solar rebate. A monthly surcharge on all electric bills ($0.20 individual, $2 small business, $20 corporate) will pave the way for the $500 million initiative. The rebate will pay for up to one-third of residential solar installations out of a dedicated $30 million per year. Another $70 million per year–at least–will go towards commercial projects.

The rebate will be managed and handed out by regional utilities; there are already a couple doing so under their own steam in Texas (Austin has a good program, for instance) but this will make solar a viable option for everyone in the state.

Additional provisions in the bill include solar easement laws, low-cost loans to encourage schools to go solar, and a requirement for developers to offer solar as an option in subdivisions of 50 or more homes. Texas has long taken advantage of its vast windswept spaces to harness wind power, but this is the first concerted movement towards making use of the state’s equally bountiful sunshine. Nice job, Lone Star.