A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO ROOFTOP SOLAR IN CENTRAL TEXAS
The following column by Alan Northcutt appeared in the Waco Tribune-Herald on Sunday, April 15th:
Climate science has clearly determined that to maintain a
livable planet the mean global temperature increase above pre-industrial must
be limited to 2 degrees C., through rapid reduction of worldwide greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. In the United States,
the largest sources of emissions are electricity generation, and
transportation. In a previous Trib
column I reviewed hybrid and battery electric cars. In this column I will discuss rooftop solar,
using photovoltaic or PV cells, in Central Texas, incorporating my personal experience
of 27 months.
Availability.
Waco encounters an average of 230 sunny or partly sunny days per year,
and is thus an outstanding locale for rooftop solar for residences or
businesses. The primary requirement is a
roof unobstructed by trees or other objects.
(But if obstructions exists, many installers can erect ground based
solar arrays.) A south facing roof
generates maximum energy, but is not mandatory.
Although homeowner’s associations will often assert that rooftop solar
is not permitted, this claim is false, and they are not able to prevent
installations under Texas law. In fact,
the claim that solar panels are unsightly is actually a myth. Their sleek, black futuristic appearance is a
visual improvement over mundane gray shingles.
Cost. Although
the exact price of a home solar system depends on multiple variables, I will
provide a representative example. A 6000
watt (6kWp) system has a list price of approximately $18,000. For those in the ONCOR service area, a
properly oriented system could receive an incentive of about $4,200, reducing
the upfront cost to $13,800. (Note that
the ONCOR incentive varies throughout the year). Later, applying the 30% federal tax credit,
the final out of pocket cost would be only $9660. Although the price of PV cells has plummeted
over a decade, the new Trump tariff on panels is expected to increase the price
of a typical residential system by $500-$1000 in 2018, and by less in
2019-2021. The average time for a system
to pay for itself is 7 to 8 years, and the system thereafter saves the owner
money. The good news is that the two
predominant installers in Central Texas, Holtek of Waco and Freedom of Austin,
now both offer financing, making home systems highly affordable.
Installation.
Waco is fortunate to have an experienced local installer in Holtek ,
whom I utilized. I can attest to Holtek’s excellent customer service. Freedom Solar has also received a glowing
review from a friend who used the company.
Installation usually involves attaching the panels to the roof,
attaching the inverter (converts DC to AC) to an outside wall, and wiring the
system components, connecting to the existing electric service. The process surprisingly is completed in approximately
3 days.
Operation. One
delight of home solar is monitoring the function of the system. Through one’s computer or smart phone app,
data is displayed, including: daily, weekly, monthly, and annual electricity
output; total home consumption; and dollar cost savings. And through net metering, the excess
production during the sunny hours is credited by the grid provider, further
lowering one’s electricity bill. My
system of 30 panels has had an average monthly generation of 1,198kWh, a
maximum monthly generation of 1,660kWh, and several months with NO bill for
electricity consumption! With no moving parts, PVC systems are essentially care
free. In 27 months, the only maintenance
I performed was rinsing the panels once with a garden hose during a very dry,
dusty month.
Rationale. In
conclusion, the reasons to install rooftop solar are multiple:
·
Once the system cost is recovered, monthly
electricity bill savings represent income.
Further, the systems are guaranteed to produce 80% of initial output for
25 years!
·
Home value may increase 3 to 4% upon the
addition of rooftop solar systems, according to a 2011 study by the National
Bureau of Economic Research.
·
Conversion of the world’s energy system to
renewables is a race against time, to avoid climate catastrophe. Installation of rooftop solar is thus a powerful contribution to our children’s well-being.
·
Replacing fossil fuel energy with solar energy
has many additional benefits: cleaner air with decreased cardiopulmonary
disease, water savings during time of drought, decreased pipeline disasters,
and fewer fracking calamities.
Alan D. Northcutt, M.D. is a local physician, and director of the Waco
Friends of Peace/Climate
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