Solar News

New co-op forms to help Dallas residents find deals on solar energy

If the solar panels are installed by this guy, then yes, totally onboard with solar energy.

ASES

A new co-op focused on solar energy is launching in Dallas. The Dallas County Solar Co-op is a group for residents and business owners who have interest in solar energy to learn about and get an affordable deal on installing solar panels.

It's being launched by Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit, in partnership with 350 Dallas and Green Careers Dallas.

Solar United Neighbors has a mission to create a new energy system in the United States with rooftop solar as the cornerstone. The group educates residents about the benefits of solar energy; helps organize group solar installations; and strengthens the state's solar policies and its community of solar supporters.

They host events and education programs to help people become informed about solar and advocate for fair solar policies.

Hanna Mitchell, program director for Solar United Neighbors of Texas, says in a release that their goal is to make solar power more readily available to all.

"The Dallas solar co-op will enable more homeowners and business owners to join the growing community of Texans saving money by harnessing solar power," Mitchell says. "We're building a movement to transform our electricity system into one that is cleaner, fairer, and shares its benefits more broadly."

All homeowners who reside in Dallas County are eligible to participate in the co-op, and it's free to join. Members are not required to purchase panels. Once the group is large enough, Solar United Neighbors will help the co-op solicit competitive bids from area solar installers.

So if you are considering going solar, the co-op helps get a better deal because there's a large group, says Molly Rooke, leader of 350 Dallas, an all-volunteer group working to inspire Dallasites to take on the challenge of climate change.

"Texas is a great state for solar and we're excited to help make this renewable resource more accessible to people through the group-buy model," Rooke says in a statement.

Co-op members will select a single company to complete all of the installations. They can then purchase panels individually based on the installer's group rate.

By going solar as a group and choosing a single installer, members not only save on the cost, they also have the support of fellow group members and solar experts at Solar United Neighbors.

The group is hosting information meetings in January as follows:

January 7, 2020, 6:30 pm: Texas New Era Center, 1408 N. Washington Ave., Dallas

January 9, 2020, 6:30 pm: Anita Martinez Recreation Center, 3212 N. Winnetka Ave., Dallas

sustainability

happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports