As a Texan, as a member of the state's congressional delegation and - most importantly - as a grandfather, I am concerned by media reports that the Legislature will consider the construction of up to 18 conventional technology coal-burning power plants. I agree with Gov. Rick Perry and others that, as Texas grows, we must ensure adequate power production. However, I think we need to take a hard, deliberate look at how the external costs of conventional coal pollution will affect the health of our citizens and our state - and consider better options being tested right here in Texas.

While I will leave it to the Legislature to debate Perry's proposal to relax the permit process for proposed coal-fired plants, I have concerns with the plan from the perspective of federal policy. Though the states play a large role in the regulation of emissions, municipalities must comply with federal air quality standards. Cities whose pollution exceeds federal standards risk increased federal regulation and a stigma that can hurt economic growth. Areas saddled with coal-burning plants might find themselves in violation of federal law.

With a Democratic majority in Congress and President Bush on record as committed to facing down global warming, the federal government is sure to step up efforts to limit the emission of carbon, a major agent of global warming and a major output of the proposed coal plants. Such policy will probably include a "cap-and-trade" system, which would penalize high-volume carbon emitters such as coal-fired power plants. Bills under consideration in Congress would cap the emission of global warming gasses such as carbon dioxide at 2004 levels. Therefore, a large carbon burden in the form of 18 coal plants would be very expensive for Texans.

What concerns me the most, however, is that we will miss out on technologies that could solve our energy problems in a way that creates jobs and protects the environment as well as our health. One of those promising technologies is being developed in Texas and is known as "Power the Army." A project spearheaded by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and based at Fort Bliss in El Paso, it is revolutionizing solar energy technology. It could push solar energy from the margins to the mainstream.

The program uses three components: the extractor, which extracts electrons from solar panels rather than the sun having to push them out of the panels; an inverter, which converts direct current (DC), which solar panels provide, into alternating current (AC), which we actually use, at very high efficiency; and a control system to regulate the process.

"Power the Army" - which, once proven, would be available to the public and could provide energy for Texas and the nation - focuses on cutting the cost of solar energy in half, ultimately to eight cents or less per kilowatt hour. The technology collects power from sunrise to sunset, in sunny or overcast conditions, which current technology cannot do. A 1-gigawatt plant equipped with the technology, which is in the planning stages, could power 275,000 homes.

Texas-born and Texas-bred technologies such as the "Power the Army" solar project should be the future of our state's energy economy - not dirty coal.

We can do better. For our grandchildren, we must.