A recent article in Dallas News gave some pause for thought. Solar power is increasingly being used all over the United States to power individual homes but surprisingly, not in Texas, where the capacity for solar power per head of population is amongst the smallest in the country (the Solar Energy Industries Association states that solar use is thirty times greater in Arizona, for instance).
So why doesn’t Texas use solar as much as it could?
The answer is complicated but seems to be in how solar energy has been positioned against wind power. In 2005, the state of Texas set ambitious renewable energy targets and offered renewable energy credits as an incentive. However, it has been much cheaper for people to establish wind power in Texas (to set up wind farms, for example) so electricity companies have met their renewable energy targets through wind and not through solar energy. (Environmentalists have laid the blame with legislators who have not mandated a preference for which kind of energy should be used and in what kind of percentages).
There are also other factors at work. In order for local schemes to be successful, lots of people need to opt in, which is an issue when people need a certain level of knowledge to make the leap of faith. It can just seem too complicated for the average homeowner. Another key factor is that many people do not own their own homes so are not in a position to install solar panels or any other sort or renewable energy. The final nail in the solar coffin has been that the government has not offered people the option of selling back any surplus energy that they produce, which might provide a financial incentive for them to install solar panels.
Solar is a good option in theory
That said, there are some financial incentives for using solar power more in the future. In the past few years, Chinese imports of solar panels have brought the cost of installing solar energy down to a point where it may now be affordable for many people. If you add the fact that Texas has a climate well suited to solar energy as well as the increasing rise in energy bills across the US, it might be time for a rethink.
So next time you’re looking for a roofing contractor in Flower Mound and you’re running through all the possible options, maybe it might be time to rethink your energy use and install solar panels at the same time?
Pearson Roofing Company, established since 1979, is a leading, reliable, full-service roofing contractor in Flower Mound TX. Contact their office in Fort Worth on 817-261-1811 or Dallas on 972-471-2700 or go to their website at Pearsonroofing.com.
