BRAZOS VALLEY, TX — The use of renewable energy has always been surrounded by skepticism, but it seems now more Texans are taking an interest after the epic downfall of the Texas power grid.
The power of solar energy has slowly made an impact in various states across the U.S, now, Texans are joining the wave after winter storm Uri. There is too much uncertainty now to just solely relying on the Texas power grid.
I spoke with the owner of Texas Green Energy, who shared not only has he spoken to an increase of new buyers but has also heard from many customers seeking additions to their systems.
”Usually, among the people that call us, one of those may ask about batteries in a normal time," said Adam Burke, owner of Texas Green Energy. "Now since the freeze, everyone is asking about batteries,”
The growing interest is now causing a wait time for installations.
“ We definitely have now 6 installations in the queue, before the freeze, we had one,” added Burke.
Burke shared, someone, can save at least 75-85% off your annual electric bill.
Your savings will eventually chip away at your upfront cost. According to experts, it could cost around 30,000 thousand dollars or less, all this is depending on the size of your system
”I think the benefits that we’ve seen with the particular system we have, it’s a grid-tie with a battery backup," said Tony Provin, Brazos Valley resident who transitioned to solar energy. "We’ve had a couple of little power outages here there and for the most part, it didn’t affect us at all,”
Those who have already made the transition say, it has come in handy during power outages. Tony Provin a customer of Texas Green Energy said, his home could have possibly relied solely on his critical load solar energy system for at least a week during the winter storm.
“I would say the number one thing is being prepared for the unknown, we’ve seen gasoline prices in the last three months go up, I anticipate we’ll see electricity prices go up,” added Provin.
Although there may be limitations to this investment, for instance, if there is snow covering panels it'll be a bit more difficult to function at its full capacity. But Provin also explains, each month, the system pays for itself with how much he saves. And other times, he gets paid for his investment.
“When we have a bright sunny day it’s quite exciting, all of a sudden we're selling power back to BTU,” said Provin.
The transition to renewable energy is a slow movement but there are plenty of resources to engage your interests as people gradually begin making the switch.
According to project sunroof, you can save at least $85 dollars a month in College Station on your electricity bill by making the switch to solar energy.