While some distributed solar systems can be ground-mounted or placed atop car ports, the vast majority of residential systems are placed atop a homeowner’s roof. As such, it’s helpful to know what changes, if any, need to be made to a roof before installation, and for replacement and upkeep down the road.
Pre-Installation Roof Repairs & Responsibility Before the installer goes about putting in an initial solar system, they should be able to let you know whether roof repairs are needed initially (roof replacement is usually recommended beforehand). Further, you should discuss with the installer whose job it is to repair damages to the roof or leaks.
Vent Pipe Placement Most roofs have plumbing vent pipes along them. Installers may simply work around them, but if you want to maximize your placement of panels, a roofer can be asked to either relocate vent pipes, or install low-profile vents which sit below panels.
6-Step ProcessADT Solar recommends following a sex-step process which involves 1. Notifying the system installer; 2. Have the system installer remove the solar panels; 3. Place the removed solar panels in an enclosed and protected area; 4. Have a roofer remove the damaged roof; 5. Have a roofer install a new roof; 6. Have the system installer reinstall the solar panels.
Identify Cost-Savings The DOE and NREL estimate that while in theory, the combined cost of roof replacement and solar installation should be $30,000, but that when performed together, the actual average cost was $25,000. The $5,000 in savings are possibly the result of partnerships between roofers and installers, essentially slashing the customer acquisition costs. Ask your roofer/installer about partnerships they have, which could result in savings of up to 30% on roofing.
Ethan Miller, TXSES Intern, and Larry Howe, Solar and Climate Solutions Advocate
It’s not hard to find estimates for utility-scale solar capacity in Texas; ERCOT regularly releases that information.1 What has been harder to find are estimates of distributed (rooftop) solar. Up until now, getting a realistic idea of how many buildings had rooftop systems was practically guesswork.
There are a few reasons for this:
Distributed solar can be metered or unmetered (and there are multiple metering techniques);
Distributed solar can be placed on residential, commercial and industrial buildings;
Reporting varies by utility provider (municipal, electric cooperative, competitive market, investor-owned); and
There is no singular reporting agency/organization.
Through the Texas Solar Energy Society, I connected with Larry Howe, who in his spare time was working on such an estimate. After meeting with him and reviewing his methodology and data sources, we devised a method to determine the volume of rooftop installations in the state.
For our analysis, we relied on scraping data from two main sources: the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Energy Information Administration (EIA). For the latest numbers, we used ERCOT’s Load Profiling Profile Type Counts (last updated October 3, 2023), EIA’s Annual Electric Power Industry Report, Form EIA-861 (both for net-metered and non-net-metered, updated 2022 and 2021 for Austin Energy), and EIA’s Form EIA-861M (monthly, updated July 2023). [2][3][4]
Since ERCOT’s Load Profiles tracked the amount of distributed energy only in competitive (deregulated) regions of the state, we used the EIA-861 and EIA-861M to get installation counts for residential and commercial buildings in municipal and cooperative utilities. The biggest challenge, however, was that the EIA-861 only reported installation count for net-metered projects. The EIA-861M counts customers for residential and commercial. ERCOT had only an idea of how much MW capacity the non-net-metered generators were producing. To resolve this, I used Google’s Project Sunroof per roof system capacity of 12.3 kW DC.[5] It’s important to note that Project Sunroof is a tool designed to estimate maximum distributed capacity in the state. Because that 12.3 kW DC is a much larger system size than is typical, we believe our final estimate is likely conservative. Lastly, EIA data often included private utilities as well (those already reported in ERCOT numbers). We removed them to ensure we weren’t double-counting.
It’s important to disclose the limitations of our estimates.
As previously noted, we had to rely on Project Sunroof’s estimate of average project capacity. Additionally, not all data are dated for 2022. Because Austin Energy’s net-metered count didn’t appear in EIA’s 2022 data, (possibly because of the city’s use of Value-of-Solar in place of net-metering), we relied on data from 2021 which may be marginally outdated. Lastly, the data are incomplete. EIA doesn’t seem to report numbers for all municipal or cooperative utilities in the state, and ERCOT’s numbers are restricted to ERCOT’s area, so those serviced by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Southwest Power Pool, or Southeastern Electric Reliability Council have not been included.
With clean data, we tallied all the installations. As of today (October 19, 2023), we estimate the total number of rooftop solar installations in Texas to be ~294,817.86. To give a better idea of the scale, take the U.S. Census Bureau’s figure of 12,136,678 housing units in the state (as of 2022).[6] Using the numbers for residential installations only, it looks like 2.39% of all Texas residences have rooftop solar installed. For all buildings in the state, it is 2.31%. While that number might seem small, it’s impressive progress for a fledgling industry that didn’t even appear in the Solar Energy Industries Association count of annual solar installations until 2013.[7]
One decade in, we’ve made significant progress but there’s much more to do to enact sound distributed solar policies that will build a well-trained distributed solar energy workforce and mitigate impending grid disruptions and failures. Our newest initiative, Infinite Power: Take Your Share of the Texas Sun, is an ambitious statewide educational campaign intended to double the amount of distributed solar in Texas by 2030. Through a collaborative process with industry groups, business members, and solar homeowners alike, TXSES will lead that charge, intensifying consumer education and heightening awareness that distributed solar will support ambitious clean energy and carbon reduction goals, enhance the resilience and reliability of the electric grid and build a diverse, equitable, well-trained distributed solar workforce.
If you’re interested in getting involved with similar research or would like to access our data, please reach out to Ethan Miller (ethan@txses.org)
Sources:
“Annual Electric Power Industry Report, Form EIA-861 Detailed Data Files.” Electricity, 2022. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/.
“Estimated Rooftop Solar Potential of Texas.” Project Sunroof, June 2019. https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/data-explorer/place/ChIJSTKCCzZwQIYRPN4IGI8c6xY/.
“Profile Type Counts.” Load Profiling, October 3, 2023. https://www.ercot.com/mktinfo/loadprofile.
“Texas Solar.” Solar Energy Industries Association, 2023. https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/texas-solar.
“Texas.” QuickFacts, July 1, 2022. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TX,US/EDU685221.
Vegas, Pablo, et al. “September 2023 Fact Sheet.” Electric Reliability Council of Texas, September 2023. https://www.ercot.com/files/docs/2022/02/08/ERCOT_Fact_Sheet.pdf.
If you are looking to install solar onto your home or business but feel overwhelmed at the number of installer options available to you, TXSES is here to help. We’ve put together a list of the top ten factors to consider when making the decision on which installer to go with.
1. Use a certified or accredited installer – The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners is one of the primary organizations tasked with issuing accreditation to solar installation businesses. In Texas, installers must be licensed through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and be performed by licensed electricians.
2. Use a member or business of a trusted industry group – Groups like Texas Solar Energy Society and the Solar Energy Industries Association have their own vetting processes for ensuring the ethical operation and standard of service for installers. Industry groups represent a good first stop to find some installers, and TXSES even offers a map of installers by county.
3. Use an experienced installer – The DOE recommends installers have a minimum of three years’ experience. They should be able to answer any and all questions about solar that you have (how is installation performed, what panels are used, what is the generation capacity of the panels, etc.).
4. Check reviews and referrals – Personal networks and online reviews are excellent sources of weeding through installers. Personal connections may be able to give you insight into the quality of previous jobs, and online resources can help identify suspicious business practices.
5. Compare quotes and cost estimates – The DOE recommends using Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sun tool to get a rough estimate of the cost of solar installations, and a reasonable bid before contacting installers. You should compare at least two bids across multiple installers to get a reliable estimate. Additionally, your installer should be able to explain the source of each cost within the offer, and inform you of any legitimate tax credits or installation incentives available.
6. Clarify corporate chain-of-command – The installer should disclose whether they do the work in-house or subcontract out. If the installer subcontracts, get information on the subcontractor, their experience, accreditation, etc.
7. Ensure conduction of roof-check – The installer should perform an analysis of the roof conditions before proceeding with installation. Make sure that they do so, and whether or not they recommend roof repairs or roof adjustments and options available.
8. Ensure solar is the installers area-of-expertise – Just because a business does installation doesn’t mean it’s their bread and butter. Choosing a business that focuses on installation is almost a surefire way of ensuring the quality of the job is met.
9. Verify whether warranties or legal assurances exist – Installers should be transparent about performance and equipment warranties on the system. The Renewable Energy Design Group recommends 90% production over 10 years and 80% over 25 for performance warranties, and 10-12 years for equipment warranties.
10. Verify that the installer is a legitimate business – Unfortunately, solar scams are all too common, but we recommend checking with your local utility provider, and the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker as two options to ensure the installers you’re looking at are not underhanded.
Barbose, Galen, Naim Darghouth, Sydney Forrester, and Eric O’Shaughnessy. “Tracking the Sun.” Berkeley Lab Electricity Markets & Policy. Accessed October 20, 2023.
Being blamed for problems you didn’t cause is frustrating and can even be grounds for defamation. For the Texas renewables industry, it’s just another day.
Increased outages; 2021’s grid failure; conservation requests; and EEAs all point to a problem with the grid, but who or what’s to blame? Texas’ preferred boogeyman is the renewable energy industry. Pablo Vegas, President/CEO of ERCOT blamed renewables for the EEA 2 no less than 18 times on September 6.[3] His statements were unfounded – claiming low generation does not make it so. NPR reported, “there was, apparently, wind power being produced in the state on Wednesday.” If low renewable generation was the cause, ERCOT would have needed to increase power on the grid. Instead, ERCOT “cut about 1,000 megawatts.”[4]
Unfortunately, falsehoods about renewables do not address problems and cost taxpayers. The real reason an EEA 2 was issued was not because renewables were underperforming; quite the opposite. A transmission line between South Texas and Dallas was facing congestion. Congestion occurs when the lines don’t have enough space to move all of the electricity generated in one place to another. If too much electricity is on the line, it overloads and must be cut. Congestion is expensive, translating to price increases of $2B in 2021.[5] Rather than wind, the grid’s inadequate infrastructure and transmission capacity was the problem.
So why is Texas prone to congestion?
It may be the fault of our interconnection process. Most states use an ‘invest and connect’ “interconnection method in which grid upgrades are made before generators are interconnected. Texas instead uses a ‘connect and manage’ method, which allows generators to be interconnected quickly, but face curtailment (temporarily cutting a generator from the grid) if the grid has excessive power. It’s a double-edged sword; while ERCOT interconnects resources rapidly, it risks congestion.[6]
Ironically, renewables increase grid reliability in a taxpayer-friendly manner. Increased storage (batteries) allows local governments to quickly send power from virtual power plants (VPP). VPPs are 40-60% cheaper than traditional peaker plants (combustion plants that only operate when the grid exceeds peak demand or is under stress), and offer payouts to home/system owners.[7] Additionally, increasing transmission capacity puts more electricity on the grid. Greater capacity means renewables can sign favorable power purchase agreements (agreements between consumers – ERCOT, municipal utilities, co-ops, retail electric providers, etc. – and generators to purchase power) which keep electricity prices low.[8]
It’s past time to quit blaming renewables and address insufficient transmission. It’s imperative too; while primary energy consumption has been constant since 2000,[9] state population is expected to double from 2010 to 2050.[10] It’s inevitable that electricity demand will rise. Increased transmission will need to meet those demands. Changes to the interconnection process are paramount, lest we further waste taxpayer money and precious time pointing fingers.
[1] Buchele “ERCOT Can’t Move Energy Where It Needs to go, and it’s Putting the Grid at Risk” 2023.
[2] Stringer, et al. “Texas’ Winter Storm Sent Power Outages Soaring” 2023.
With the gaveling of Sine Die on May 29 for the 88th Texas Legislative Session, Texas successfully avoided the passage of catastrophic anti-renewable bills like SB 7 and SB 624. However, several bills, including those that would further subsidize the already taxpayer-laden fossil fuel industry have made their way to Governor Abbott’s desk. Here’s a brief overview of some of the more pertinent bills.
TXSES’ Wins in the Legislature:
Passed:SB 1699 (Johnson), permits aggregated distributed energy resources to participate in the ERCOT wholesale market without having to register with the PUCT as a power generation company. Additionally, the bill permits utility providers to offer and promote demand-response programs when possible and allows them to make use of grant funding for up to 10% of the costs. Demand response, as a concept, seeks to increase grid reliability by reducing energy consumption during times of peak demand through smart-metering technologies and increased energy efficiencies. Sent to Governor Abbott on May 29.
Passed:HB 3526 (Raymond), will forbid municipal or county governments from applying building codes to the construction of solar pergolas (patios with solar panels affixed). The bill was sent to Governor Abbott on May 18.
Killed: HB 4455 (DeAyala), would have increased the ability of homeowner’s associations (HOA) to restrict the location of rooftop solar. Specifically, under current law, if the homeowner can prove that an alternate location outside of the HOA-designated area would result in 10% more electrical generation, the homeowner may use the alternate location. HB 4455 would have raised that bar from 10% to 25%, a more difficult hurdle for solar homeowners. Fortunately, the bill died, having failed to make it out of the House Business & Industry Committee.
Killed:SB 7(Schwertner|King), would have mandated electric utility providers to pay exorbitant fees to generators during unreliable grid conditions. Additionally, the bill offered little regulatory oversight and would incentivize new dispatchable generation facilities. Expert estimates had pinned the cost of SB 7 from $10-$18 billion; however, legislators capped the cost to $1 billion annually. Large generators indicated this was not enough for them to build new facilities.
Killed:SB 624 (Kolkhorst|Middleton), would have imposed excessively stringent permitting processes on renewable energy generators and levied new application fees. Fossil fuel and nuclear plants were exempt from this permitting process. Additionally, non-dispatchable generators (aka renewables) would be required to pay more costly service fees than they currently pay. In sum, the bill required renewables to bankroll further development of fossil fuels.
TXSES’ Losses in the Legislature:
Passed: HB 5 (Hunter|Meyer|Burrows|Shine|Longoria), will replace Chapter 313, a recently expired program that helped oil and gas companies, chip manufacturers and other industries secure billions in tax abatements through local school districts. HB 5 also makes methane gas power plants cited in SB 2627 eligible for tax abatements. While the bill was scaled back from its predecessor and includes more oversight, it still excludes clean energy generators and battery storage facilities from receiving the benefits. HB 5 was sent to Governor Abbott on May 30.
Passed: SB 505 (Nichols) will require electric vehicle (EV) owners to pay a $400 registration fee for new first-time EVs, and a $200 annual registration fee each year after. Some purport that the bill is designed to make up lost revenues from gas taxes; however, the bill will punish rather than reward EV’s economically beneficial carbon reductions. EV advocates proposed a mileage system in addition to a lower registration fee. The bill was signed by Governor Abbott on May 13 and will become effective September 1, 2023
Passed:HB 2127 (Burrows|Meyer|Goldman|King, Ken|Raymond), will claw back the power of home rule cities dramatically. Should cities draft or pass any law that pertains to any of the contents of the Texas Agriculture Code, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Business & Commerce Code, Finance Code, Insurance Code, Labor Code, Local Government Code, Natural Resources Code, Occupations Code, or Property Code, the law will be considered null. This will dramatically reduce the ability of cities to incentivize the adoption of renewables and disincentivize the continued use of fossil fuel generation. HB 2127 was sent to Governor Abbott on May 24.
Passed:SB 2627 (Schwertner), will establish a special fund for dispatchable (non-renewable) generators to receive 2% interest loans for up to 60% of the cost of developing new facilities. While the bill will not go into effect without the enabling legislation SJR 93, it will still withhold taxpayer dollars and provide up to 20% of costs in the form of bonuses. All the while generators have admitted that the extra financing is not necessary. SB 2627 was sent to Governor Abbott on May 29.
SJR 93, the enabling legislation for SB 2627, proposes a constitutional amendment to create the State Energy Fund Amendment and authorizes other funding mechanisms for the construction, maintenance, modernization and operation of electric generating facilities. It was filed with the Secretary of State on May 30 and will be on the general election ballot statewide on November 7, 2023.
Passed:SB 1290 (Perry) will direct the Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas A&M Agrilife + Forest Service to study the effects of the operation of, and the impacts of the disposal of solar, wind, and energy storage equipment. The bill was sent to Governor Abbott on May 29.
Killed: HB 3010 (Zwiener), would have streamlined the municipal permitting process for solar installations significantly. The bill would have required cities to use the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s SolarAPP+ program to expedite permitting and reduce costly wait times. Despite maneuvering and attempting to add the language as an amendment to other bills, HB 3010 did not make it out of House State Affairs Committee.
Killed: HB 4542 (Moody), would have required utility providers operating outside of ERCOT to institute a net-metering buyback program for homeowners with rooftop solar that produces excess generation. HB 4542 was placed on the intent calendar on May 24.
Indeterminate Impact
Passed: HB 1500 (Holland|Bell, Keith|Canales|Goldman|Clardy), the sunset bill for the Public Utility Commission (PUCT), was one of the more harrowing pieces of legislation in the 88th. Under the Texas Sunset Act, all state agencies go through sunset review to determine if that agency is still necessary, or if some of the functions of the sunsetting agency should be moved to another agency in order to improve efficiency/effectiveness. While amendments are often added in sunset legislation, it’s considered bad practice. The bill was amended to include some provisions of SB 7, the so-called “performance credit mechanism,” and SB 624, a discriminatory permitting process for solar and wind projects only.
Included in HB 1500:
Caps the cost of the PCM at $1 billion. Renewables are excluded but battery storage should be able to participate.
Mandates the “firming” of renewables at the portfolio level by 2027; includes battery storage as an acceptable firming method.
Mandates the PUCT to conduct a study of cost allocation of ancillary services by 2026.
Requires the PUCT to establish a reasonable allowance for transmission-owning utility costs associated with interconnection.
Mandates the PUCT to implement a Dispatchable Reliability Reserve Service (DRRS) by the end of 2024.
Establishes a termination date for the Renewable Generation Requirement – known in other states as the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) – on September 1st, 2025.
HB 1500 was sent to Governor Abbott on May 30.
Passed: SB 1015 (King), will amend the Texas Utilities Code to provide the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) with sole regulatory control over tariff/rate-making adjustments. Revisions replace the 60-day minimum with a 60-day maximum process and establish limits to the frequency with which electric utilities may request adjustments. The bill was sent to Governor Abbott on May 29.
