With Little Help, Texas' Solar Use Grows — Slowly

by Kate Galbraith
June 3, 2011
11 Comments

Corky Hilliard mounted 19 solar panels atop her Austin home last month — and expects to pay only about a quarter of the initial cost estimate for the array.

"My God, I mean, why wouldn't you do this?" said Hilliard, whose neighbors on both sides have also added rooftop panels.

For many Texans, there actually is good reason not to go with a solar option: Generous local incentives that allow Hilliard to pay less than $4,500 for the panels, which are projected to produce the equivalent of about two-fifths of her electricity use, do not exist in most of ...

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Comments (11)

June 3, 2011 @ 7:33 a.m.

BurningFeet

The wind energy success story is perhaps the only accomplishment of former Gov. Bush that anyone remembers. The positive economic and environmental impact of that decision is something all Texans can thank him for as those impacts renew themselves every year. Wouldn't it be nice if the current governor concentrated on a project of similar and vast potential, solar? Or will we fall back into the best the 1950's has to offer, nukes? The future is now, Gov. Perry.
June 3, 2011 @ 2:44 p.m.

Tim Covington via Texas Tribune on Facebook

I withdrew my original comment. With the current legislature (and voter) aversion to more taxes/fees, I don't see how this would have ever passed.
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June 3, 2011 @ 3:01 p.m.

Tim ThèRockstâr via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Remember from High School Economics: Economies of Scale? Solar is an Economy of Fail!
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June 3, 2011 @ 3:43 p.m.

Bambi Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook

@Tim so is not funding education.
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June 3, 2011 @ 3:44 p.m.

Aldo Merino via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Shameful and shortsighted, but predictable.
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June 3, 2011 @ 4:30 p.m.

Texas Southern Border News via Texas Tribune on Facebook

Texas is the next solar power frontier, incentives aren't needed to bring companies. They'll want to be here.
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June 3, 2011 @ 5:19 p.m.

Chrissy Vorderbruggen via Texas Tribune on Facebook

California is not exactlythe model state economically for us to follow. I would re-think any jealousy over a state that loses four businesses per day for the last several years to other states, most of them coming to Texas.
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June 3, 2011 @ 5:22 p.m.

Aldo Merino via Texas Tribune on Facebook

There's a lot to love (and not) about California. Writing off learning anything from the successes and failures of the model, dooms one to repeat many of the same mistakes. Texas is well on it's way to repeating a lot of the same problems, albeit in different ways.
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June 3, 2011 @ 8:16 p.m.

Ben Martinez via Texas Tribune on Facebook

You would have to be naive to believe that this gov is going to allow solar power to compete against big oil.
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June 4, 2011 @ 9:15 p.m.

Beverly Nuckols

If solar is economically sound, people will find a way to afford it. However, why should everyone in Texas pay to subsidize the few who decide to go solar?
June 28, 2011 @ 1:21 a.m.

L J

Forget incentives. I'd be happy if the "HOAs can't ban solar panels" bill had made it through so that I'd be allowed to buy solar panels, even at full price.