Solar News

City of Dallas creates solar program to help residents get best deals

Owl perched atop a solar roof, surveying all that is beneath.

Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash

The City of Dallas has partnered with a solar nonprofit to help residents go solar.

They've partnered with Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit dedicated to solar education, advocacy, and consumer protection that arranges "co-ops" so that homeowners can buy rooftop solar panels and get a "group rate."

America Garcia, Texas Program Director for Solar United Neighbors says that "by going solar with a group, participants feel confident in their decision and save money through the power of group buying.”

The city recently founded Solar Switch Dallas, a resource that works with local governments and nonprofits to facilitate group buying programs, helping homeowners and small businesses navigate the process of installing rooftop solar.

Dallas joins other cities such Corinth, Fate, and Farmers Branch, who also have partnerships with Texas Solar Switch.

UPDATE 3-12-2024: The City of Dallas’ Whole Home program has partnered with nonprofit Solar United Neighbors to offera second round of Solar Switch Dallas. Residents are encouraged to register in the auction by March 13. The more registrations by auction day, the better the discount will be. (Residents can still register for Solar Switch after March 13 auction date.) Nearly 600 Dallas area residents registered for the 2023 Solar Switch Dallas program; participants saved an average $6,030 on a rooftop solar installation.
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Solar saves money on energy bills. How much it saves depends on factors such as how much sun your roof gets, your electricity usage, and your electricity rates. Real estate site Zillow says that a solar system can add more than 4 percent to the value of your home.

Solar also preps residents for climate change and helps the city fulfill its climate goals, says Carlos Evans, Director of Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability, in a statement.

Going solar has become more accessible due to the dropping price of solar panels and new federal clean energy incentives. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), participants can use the solar tax credit for residential solar and save 30 percent on their total system cost. A similar tax credit is also available to small businesses.

Solar Switch runs a periodic "reverse auction" in which multiple installers compete to get a job; auctions are expected to result in offers that are 12-20 percent lower than what would be charged otherwise. Residents can visit SolarSwitch.com/Dallas to register.

sustainability

Summer swelter news

Texas is No. 2 on list of states likely to see power outage in summer

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Texas led the list of states with the most hours of summertime power outages.

Warning: Dallas could be in for an especially uncomfortable summer. A new study puts Texas at No. 2 among the states most at risk for power outages this summer. Michigan tops the list.

Solar energy company Wolf River Electric analyzed the number of large-scale outages that left more than 5,000 utility customers, including homes, stores and schools, without summertime electricity from 2019 to 2023. During that period, Texas experienced 7,164 summertime power outages.

Despite Michigan being hit with more summertime outages, Texas led the list of states with the most hours of summertime power outages — an annual average of 35,440. That works out to 1,477 days.

“This means power cuts in Texas tend to last longer, making summer especially tough for residents and businesses,” the study says.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the electric grid serving 90 percent of the state, predicts its system will set a monthly record for peak demand this August — 85,759 megawatts. That would exceed the current record of 85,508 megawatts, dating back to August 2023.

In 2025, natural gas will account for 37.7 percent of ERCOT’s summertime power-generating capacity, followed by wind (22.9 percent) and solar (19 percent), according to an ERCOT fact sheet.

This year, ERCOT expects four months to surpass peak demand of 80,000 megawatts:

June 2025 — 82,243 megawatts
July 2025 — 84,103 megawatts
August 2025 — 85,759 megawatts
September 2025 — 80,773 megawatts

One megawatt is enough power to serve about 250 residential customers amid peak demand, according to ERCOT. Using that figure, the projected peak of 85,759 megawatts in August would supply enough power to serve more than 21.4 million residential customers in Texas.

Data centers, artificial intelligence, and population growth are driving up power demand in Texas, straining the ERCOT grid. In January, ERCOT laid out a nearly $33 billion plan to boost power transmission capabilities in its service area.

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.

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