Solar power has helped keep ERCOT's grid healthy this summer, at times meeting record power demands from natural gas plants, coal plants and more.
North Texans know there's plenty of direct sunlight when they step out in the summer. Can installing solar panels reduce energy costs and prevent blackouts or blackouts? That's what you need to know.
Are solar panels right for you?
North Texas' intense sun makes it a good place to start thinking about solar power. “More sun means more energy,” said UT Dallas professor Julia Hu. It's that simple.
But not all roofs are the same. According to Hsu, solar companies consider factors such as roof angle and shade from nearby trees or buildings.
Solar companies also ask about the square footage of your home and your typical power usage, says Tom Tseng of Texas Christian University, who studies energy. Based on all of these factors, they can design a system to suit your location and your needs.
Typically, businesses aspire to a system that covers 80% of their annual electricity costs. “It will never be 100% because the sun doesn't always shine,” said Tseng, who works at TCU's Ralph Low Energy Institute.
Hsu and Seng followed this design process to install solar panels on their roofs. They say you don't have to worry about how much electricity you can generate with your solar panels. You also need to think about what will happen if you don't take advantage of all the energy generated.
On a sunny afternoon, the solar panels on your roof can produce more energy than your house. Local energy providers have different ways to compensate you for excess energy fed back into the grid.
The utility company buys excess electricity from Hsu's roof panels. The price you get depends on the current cost of electricity.
Tseng said he could pay for the extra electricity with a credit on next month's utility bill.
Will NTX solar panels save users money this summer?
The money saved from solar panels depends on the number of panels installed, the amount of energy they produce and the amount of energy used by a person's home, Tseng explained.
His 22 solar panels cost $32,000, not including the tax credits he received. Every six months, he goes upstairs to dust the panels.
Its hail-resistant solar modules produce electricity in the summer around 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
He said I had no problem. "I do not regret".
Tseng says the amount a person saves on their electricity bill from the solar panels will help offset or offset the monthly cost of paying for the panels themselves. Otherwise, the panels may not be a good investment.
When he first purchased the modules, he estimated the payback period would be around 20 years. But Seng said electricity prices have risen due to fuel surcharges on consumers' electricity bills.
"The beauty of solar power...the cost of that power will never exceed the cost of installing it," he said.
Do solar panels protect customers from power outages?
It might seem like having your own power source means you're safe from power outages as long as the sun is shining. But Hsu often says that is not the case. In the event of a power outage in the middle of the day, the ceiling panels cannot carry the electricity on their own.
"In the event of a power outage, [ERCOT] must unplug our solar cells, otherwise the workers repairing the cables will be electrocuted," Hu said.
Tseng says newer and more advanced solar panels can avoid this problem. However, in general, if you want to benefit from solar power even when you are off-grid, you need a battery.
And it should be a big battery. Seng has a battery the size of a mini-fridge for backup power. During the day, its solar panels charge the batteries to provide additional power when the home grid is off.
"If it fails, I have six to eight hours of battery backup," he said.
Even with this battery, you won't be able to power everything in your home in the event of a power outage. "We can charge our phones, watch TV and keep food cool," Tseng said. A battery to run the air conditioner will cost $27,000, he says.
Hsu says that from a technical point of view, there is still a lot to do to improve the battery. In addition to their high cost, they degrade faster than solar panels, making them a risky investment.
Could solar panels be more popular?
The Cut Inflation Act of 2022 increased the tax credit for the cost of installing solar panels on rooftops from 26% to 30%. According to the White House website, an average household could save $300 a year, or $9,000 over the life of the panels.
Tseng said these incentives could encourage people to invest in solar panels with long-term benefits.
Tseng said increased research into cheaper and more efficient batteries could make solar panels more attractive to consumers.
“I think more and more people will go in that direction,” he said. "I really do."
Aditi Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for the Dallas Morning News. His scholarship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The news makes all editorial decisions.
Lila Levinson reports on science for the Dallas Morning News thanks to a grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
