WACO, Texas — Triple-digit heat means the A/C's are cranking and energy use is on the rise. But, with ERCOT asking Texans to conserve energy, is solar power a good option?
"Her average power bill was around $750 a month and now it's close to zero," Lloyd Alcorn, President of Solar Waco, said.
It's all thanks to solar power energy.
"We will always have energy from the sun and if we were to, as a society, understand how to manage it better, it would be a perpetual source of power that would never go away," Alcorn said.
Alcorn works to educate Central Texans on the powers of solar energy, but how does it work?
"The solar panels generate power pretty much from 10 a.m. to roughly 5:30 or 6, and then they really tail off," Alcorn said. "But we generate a lot of extra power from 11-3 and all of that power goes to the grid."
These solar systems interact with the grid while eliminating demand, and a solar battery is the key piece to the system. The extra stored power is used to power your home, with a chance to change the landscape of energy.
"If we could put that on half the residences in the state of Texas," Alcorn said, "We believe that, even with the emerging electric vehicle demand, we believe that Texas could go without building another powerplant for 25 years."
Installing solar in your home costs anywhere from $42-$53,000 depending on the size of the project. It's helping the grid while also helping your pocket.
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