When you think of the Rio Grande Valley, a diverse energy production mix probably isn't the first thing that pops into your mind. But maybe it should. The RGV is home to the largest wind farm in the state and a number of large-scale solar farms. But it's not just renewables. Next year, the Port of Brownsville will be home to a brand new liquefied natural gas facility. This has some asking the question: Is energy production the economic future of the Rio Grande Valley?

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For the season finale, we're back where we started: Austin. But more than talking about how people in Austin feel about the energy transition and the energy industry more generally, we're considering how the proceedings in Austin affect the energy portfolio throughout Texas. We'll hear from lawmakers, lobbyists, experts, and utilities about how what happens in Austin, changes the state.

Voices from across Texas energy:

"We can argue philosophically about a lot of things, but the reality is this state today is hugely dependent upon the power generated by those forms of generation whether that's wind, solar, or batteries," said Texas State Rep. Drew Darby.

"We need to recognize that there are sacrifices that people in rural Texas have to make in order to provide those goods and services to people who want to live in cities," said Texas State Rep. Drew Darby.

"In Texas, I think very little have we seen people be opposed to a project because of politics," said Catlin Smith, Senior Vice President of Federal and Regulatory Affairs at Jupiter Power.

"When political scientists think about opposition to renewable energy and the energy transition, generally, they're of two minds: There's a group that thinks it's all about economics and economic self interest, and there's another group of people who are focusing on partisan polarization and the fact that the two parties are growing apart on renewable energy," said David Spence, professor of energy regulation at the University of Texas.

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At more than 600 megawatts…the Frye Solar Plant has more power capacity than the town it operates in has official residents. Located on almost six square miles, about an hour north of Lubbock in Kress, Texas - population 592 - the project is a microcosm of the energy industry expansion occurring throughout the Lone Star State. In return for a lease to construct huge energy infrastructure projects, a few landowners get a nice pay day, but what benefit do they bring to the area as a whole? And what about electricity bills for the plant's residential neighbors? Surely those go down, right? All that and more on the next episode of Phases and Stages: The Texas Energy Story.

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⁠Learn more about The Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin