Feb 21, 2025 | Txses Impact
In each Solar Report newsletter, we feature one of our highly regarded Platinum Business Members with an exclusive interview. This month, TXSES Communications Director Tamara Kowalski reached out to Inclusive Prosperity Capital (IPC) Smart-E Loan Program National Director Madeline Priest to learn about the company’s mission, accomplishments, and impacts on customers.
Origins and Leadership
Inclusive Prosperity Capital, Inc. (IPC) is a non-profit clean energy financing organization dedicated to ensuring everyone has access to the benefits of clean energy and resilience. Spun out of the Connecticut Green Bank in 2018, IPC focuses on aligning investment capital and financing programs with organizations, projects, and community initiatives that benefit underserved markets. Our Smart-E loan program has been live in Texas since March of last year.
I have worked in the residential clean energy and energy efficiency space for 15 years. My first energy efficiency job was a three-year, 14 town, grassroots organizing campaign to get more energy audits and residential rooftop solar completed in the state of Connecticut. Then, in 2013, I moved to the Connecticut Green bank where I managed its residential Smart-E Loan and Solar for All programs, designed for underserved consumers while ensuring strong consumer protections, including traditional credit and alternative credit underwriting strategies. Thanks to those programs Connecticut reached “beyond parity” for residential rooftop solar penetration in low-income census tracts and communities of color.
Mission and Vision
We provide a gateway to inclusive prosperity by engaging with communities impacted most by climate change. We invest in clean energy and resilience in partnership with local initiatives and organizations to provide energy security, climate justice, and economic growth. We believe everyone should have access to the benefits of clean energy and resilience. Together, we can create change in underinvested neighborhoods and underserved markets to achieve inclusive prosperity.
Approach to Projects
We truly believe that contractors are the face of the clean energy industry in the residential market and we designed our Smart-E Loan program to be easy for lenders, contractors, and homeowners. With flexible timing of loan disbursements to meet industry needs, low contractor fees, low loan rates, long terms, and an easy application for your customers, we feel like the product is a real no brainer!
Career Impact
Meeting with and listening to the needs of our contractors has been the most impactful. I’ve learned so much about different business models, policies, technology advancements, and issues. I love when our contractors tell me their customers’ stories with pride. Together, we help real people and at the end of the day, that’s what matters.
Key Accomplishments
I take a lot of pride in the real impact our program makes for communities. I love hearing stories from small, local businesses that were able to double the size of their crew with access to easy, affordable financing solutions. It makes me very proud to hear how this program made the dream of going solar a possibility for a family who is trying to save money to make ends meet.
See IPC success stories.
Industry Surprises and Dynamics
Even though each state has unique solar policies, so many things are a universal experience! Customers want to gain control of their energy costs. Everyone wants a path to do so that is easy and doesn’t have a lot of unnecessary barriers and is affordable.
Challenges Faced
Making connections with folks who haven’t heard of us or our track record of running great financing programs for over 10 years! We might be new to Texas, but we’re not new to solar financing. We’ve worked with small businesses and local lenders for over a decade, helping them grow and serve more customers.
Unique Contributions or Initiatives
In addition to the Smart-E Loan Program, IPC is proud to lead the Community Power Coalition, which was awarded $249.3 million under the EPA’s Solar for All program. This transformative program is designed to scale innovative residential-serving community solar and multifamily solar development and deliver meaningful benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities across 46 states, including Texas, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. If you are a community solar or multifamily solar developer, you can learn more about the program and sign up for our mailing list here.
Future Outlook
We are really looking forward to adding more Smart-E lenders, expanding our list of eligible contractors, and serving more Texans in their journey to clean energy and energy independence.
Final Thoughts
To learn more about the Smart-E Loan program and how you can offer it to your customers visit our website.
Feb 21, 2025 | Consumer Confidence
A guide for U.S. homeowners on the process of getting rooftop solar panels from the U.S. Solar Energy Technologies Office.
(August 4, 2021)
So you’re thinking about joining the 3 million U.S. homeowners who have gone solar. Solar energy will help you save on your monthly electricity bills and combat climate change, but what needs to happen to get those solar panels on your roof?
View this webpage in Spanish. Vea esta página web en Español.
Along with understanding the solar installation process, being familiar with your individual circumstances, like the age of your roof, can help you be a more informed solar consumer. Here are the steps to take to get powered by sunshine.
- Choose a solar installer. An installer can help you determine if your roof is suitable for solar panels. Start by researching qualified, insured installers online or ask for recommendations from people who have gone solar. Comparison-shop by asking multiple installers to come assess your roof. Make sure your installer is licensed and certified by a reputable organization like the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners. When reviewing your contract, make sure you understand the terms and don’t hesitate to ask questions. e la luz del sol.
Note: Your solar installer will guide you through the process and some companies will do everything else for you! But, here’s what else needs to happen:
- Make sure your roof can support solar panels. A solar installer, roofing expert, or structural engineer can help you determine your roof’s solar suitability. It can help to know when your roof was installed or replaced, but if you don’t know and can’t ask the previous homeowners, your local government should have a record of when it issued the building permit. (It can often save you money if you install solar at the same time as a roof replacement.)
- Determine your home’s solar potential. Aside from your roof’s condition, your home’s solar rooftop potential depends on your geographic location, the position of your home in relation to the sun, how much shade you have, and the PV system you and your installer choose. These mapping services and tools can help you find out how much sunlight will reach your solar panels, along with your potential cost savings from going solar, but your installer can assess this for you too. Note that online tools estimate our solar potential using remote data sources, like satellite data. For a detailed evaluation of your solar potential, talk to an installer.
- Calculate your electricity needs. Reviewing your previous electricity bills can help you figure out how much power you need annually and seasonally. This is a good time to do a home energy audit to see whether you need to make any energy-saving home improvements so that you can get the most out of your system. Your installer can look at your bills to help you determine your current and long-term energy needs. Remember to consider any recent or future changes to your home that may affect your usage. For example, you may have just bought new energy-efficient appliances, or you could be planning to buy an electric vehicle that will need charging.
- Evaluate your finance options. You can buy or lease a PV system. Buyers can either purchase a system outright or obtain a solar loan. When you own a system, you receive solar tax credits and incentives, but you won’t if you lease. Some solar loans allow you to take advantage of the federal investment tax credit up front by allowing the loan provider or solar installer to take the credit in exchange for a reduced system cost or loan amount. Leasing a system can go one of two ways: You can pay a leasing company a fixed monthly payment for the use of your PV system, or you can enter a power purchase agreement, meaning you’d buy the electricity your system generates based on a set price per kilowatt-hour.
- Obtain permits and schedule inspections. Give your installer the information they need to obtain the permits and arrange the inspections that your local government requires. The PV system installation generally takes only a few days, but permits and inspections can take weeks to months. It depends on the local regulations in your area. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s SolarTRACE tool can give you an idea of how long it may take to complete the permitting, inspection, and interconnection process in your jurisdiction.
If your home is not suitable for rooftop solar, you can still get the benefits of clean energy by investing in a community or shared solar program. By going solar, you can play an active role in achieving the nation’s goal of a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035. For more information, visit the Homeowner’s Guide to Going Solar.
This blog post is part of the Energy Department’s Summer of Solar campaign, which lifts up stories of the diverse Americans who use solar energy and the communities that are making it easier to go solar.
Photo Credit: Residential solar project in Anchorage, Alaska, by Dennis Schroeder / National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Feb 17, 2025 | Job Board
Ready to turn your love for the environment into a fulfilling career? EarthShare Texas (ESTX) is excited to announce a wide variety of job opportunities from its member organizations working on conservation, sustainability, and environmental protection in the Lone Star State! Whether you’re just starting out in the green workforce or looking for a new challenge, there’s something for everyone who wants to make a real difference in our state and beyond.
Take a look at the job board at the link below for more details about open positions within the ESTX network.
Jan 30, 2025 | Solar News of Note
Austin Energy has launched a new solar program that is the first of it’s kind in the industry. The Solar Standard Offer Program will let commercial customers lease out their rooftops and/or parking lots for solar installations—at no cost to themselves—and to be compensated for the solar power generated.
The program will allow property owners who might not otherwise have the finances, credit or possibly just not the interest to invest in solar themselves, to receive the benefits of solar. Participating solar contractors will finance, install and maintain the solar systems, and Austin Energy will purchase the energy produced at a set rate. System capacity must be between 50 kW and 10 megawatts.
The energy produced supports Austin Energy’s Community Solar Program, which offers renewable energy to residential customers, including low-income customers who participate in the Customer Assistance Program (CAP). The program contributes to the AE’s climate, affordability, and energy sustainability goals.
Program Participants
- System Host: An existing Austin Energy commercial customer willing to host a community solar project on their property.
- System Owner: Either the system host or a third party that leases space from the system host to install and operate a solar system for the Community Solar program.
- Participating Solar Contractor: The solar installation company applying for permits and installs the solar system.
Applications opened on January 14th. See more details and apply:
Phase Two: Residential & Small Commercial Installations
The program is already preparing to expand! On Wednesday, January 29th, Austin Energy hosted the first in a series of stakeholder meetings to develop this expansion to include small commercial and residential installations. See recordings of past stakeholder meetings and list of future meetings:
At least one more stakeholder meeting will be held regarding this topic:
Check back here and on our social media for updates on future meetings.
Dec 13, 2024 | Txses Impact
In each Solar Report newsletter, we feature one of our esteemed Platinum Business Members with an exclusive interview. This month, TXSES Communications Director Tamara Kowalski reached out to Solar CenTex CEO Howard “Scot” Arey—past member of the TXSES Board of Directors and active long-term supporter—to delve into the company’s mission, accomplishments, and its impacts on its Central Texas customers.
Origins and Leadership
I started this company in 2013 after I retired from the Army following a 25-year career. I knew that energy would be important to Texas and that solar would be part of the solution. I had a brief stint working for Mission Solar, when it was named Nexolon America, as their plant was being built in San Antonio. That helped me understand what Solar CenTex needed to do to be successful.
Mission and Vision
Our core focus is to provide reliable, value-adding solar systems with the necessary support after the sale. It’s the after-sale support that we have learned is the most important aspect of our work.
Approach to Projects
We focus on residential and rural projects. Our “resi” customers are mostly alike, but not always; they want to save money month to month. Our rural ranch owners have different reasons for installing solar so the first question we ask nearly all is, “why do you want solar?” Some think it’s a silly question, but the answers typically go in several directions.
For some, it is long-term savings, and they see this as an investment to save money. For many, it is distrust of the Texas grid; Uri has left a lasting impression on many and they never want to go through an extended outage again. More and more, we see people who want to keep what they produce because they hear “the utility doesn’t pay you anything for your excess solar.” It’s not quite “nothing” but as many reimburse at a low “avoided cost” we have customers who recognize that batteries enable energy management to store and use what they produce. Finally, we get some who just want to do their part for the environment, and they see their solar contributing to a better environment for Texas. In fact, many who do install solar know that no matter their primary motivation, this is just better for the environment.
Career Impact
The last economic slowdown and the rise in interest rates has been the toughest. We’ve been through several drops and rises on the “solar-coaster” but this last Covid and post-Covid slowdown really leaned us to operate as efficiently as possible and focus on customer needs versus my personal objectives. So many installers went out of business—some deservedly, some not—and that has left a trail of unsupported solar owners who now need a reliable support partner. We see this as central to our company mission today.
Key Accomplishments
It’s regional, but earning the “Best of” from our Killeen Daily Herald means much to me because that means local fellow citizens are voting for us. But my favorite projects have been the off-grid systems. Not many are really suited for true off-grid but we did one in the Hill Country that I secretly yearn to have as my own personal home. They’ve been fully off the grid for 8+ years. It’s really possible, even in Texas.
Industry Surprises and Dynamics
Finding qualified installers. I wish I had done more to support local workforce development and training but even then, having in-house training is essential.
Challenges Faced
Finding skilled, trained installers and electricians has been the top challenge, by far.
Future Outlook
We’ll continue to be conservative in our growth strategy and maintain our focus on Central Texas. Having watched so many try to grow as fast as possible and be all things to all people, I’ve learned that growth for growth’s sake does not necessarily translate to better supported customers. Energy storage will be part of all we do going forward because it unlocks the full potential of solar.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been involved with the Texas Solar Energy Society for over a decade by either serving on its board or being a faithful supporter and follower. I hope all members of our industry recognize that there are forces that influence Texas legislators to be “anti-renewable” but that Texas needs every bit of energy it can produce, whether it be from your roof, a natural gas plant, or a wind farm. So, it is the obligation of every solar installer to make sure their projects are done right and generate not just lots of kilowatt-hours but hundreds and thousands of solar owners who tell their legislators to make solar as easy as possible to adopt in Texas.
Interested in becoming a TXSES Platinum Business Member? Contact Patrice “Pete” Parsons at pparsons@txses.org for details about membership perks, requirements, and how your company can become involved in TXSES’s vibrant community. Whether you’re seeking exclusive benefits or opportunities for collaboration, she can guide you through the process and address any inquiries you may have.
