Solar energy sticks comes to South Texas

In a place as sun-drenched as South Texas, you’d think solar power would have already caught fire.

The fact is solar has been slow to catch on here, though lately it seems to be gaining a toehold. Case in point: Texas State Technical College-Harlingen in September threw the switch on an 861-square-foot solar panel array that provides electricity for the college’s Autobody Collision Technology Building.

TSTC got its solar array thanks to Sarah Merrill, a professor of philosophy and ethics who took the initiative in applying for an $88,000 Green Mountain Energy grant that paid for materials and installation of the array, made up of 60 panels containing photovoltaic solar "cells" that convert energy from sunlight into electricity. Green Mountain is an Austin-based "clean energy" electricity provider. Merrill, a lifelong environmentalist who came to Harlingen from Purdue University, says she learned about the energy company from her TSTC students.

"Since faculty at other colleges write grants routinely as part of their service, I just figured, here’s a grant," she says. "I’ve had pretty good success before in writing grants."

Merrill credits TSTC’s administration for backing her efforts.

"As in everything you need the right fertile ground," she says. "TSTC has to be commended for their uptake."

Al Guillen, TSTC’s associate vice president of academic affairs, describes the college’s president, Cesar Maldonado, and vice president/provost Pat Hobbs as "very visionary" when it comes to such things, while Merrill exemplifies beliefs-in-action.

"My goodness if she didn’t get (the grant)," Guillen says. "We’re so proud of her."

Even before the grant, the South Texas Renewable Energy Institute was under development at TSTC-Harlingen. The institute’s focus, as originally conceived, was on wind energy. Guillen concedes that, to date, the college is "still not off the block on solar." That will change, however, now that the campus has its own solar array.

"Our plan is to establish a solar technology program," Guillen says. "We’ve got a resource that we’ll be utilizing for instruction — calibration and metering and monitoring and all that."

The wind technology program, which will be similar to the one at TSTC’s Sweetwater campus, makes sense for Harlingen in light of the Texas Coastal Clean Energy Project — a massive wind farm project planned for the coastal waters off South Padre Island. Like the wind program, a solar technology program at Harlingen could serve as a model for other campuses, Guillen says. The REI will start offering courses in 2010, though it won’t have its own building for perhaps a couple of years.

Wind and solar power are natural complements in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where the wind is either blowing or the sun is shining, if not both, depending on the time of year or time of day.

"The sun can provide power during the day," Guillen says. "In the evenings the wind provides power. Who has more sun than us? Both (technologies) are going to be growing hand in hand."

Gianluca Ferrario, owner of SPI Go Green, a certified solar and wind technology installation and consulting firm, says a big major advantage of solar is that it provides energy during the same time of day during the summer when air conditioners are blasting and demand for electricity is peaking — between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Big users such as schools and businesses, by providing some of their own energy with solar panels, can avoid the extra costs utility companies charge for drawing excessive power during peak periods.

Also, solar power can save utility companies money by alleviating the need to beef up their power infrastructures to be able to handle more capacity in the face of rising demand. In Austin, for instance, the utility pays incentives to residents to install solar technology. Austin’s population has exploded during the last 30 years, sending demand for electricity soaring.

"It costs less to give an incentive and have everybody produce a portion of their electricity instead of having to build another power plant," Ferrario says. "It’s cheaper to give incentives to people who do solar installation."

Austin aside, the state of Texas is not especially generous compared to some other states in terms of solar incentives for residents and businesses, Ferrario says. Legislation that would have sweetened the pot considerably did not survive the most recent legislative session — dubbed the "solar session" due to the sheer number of solar-oriented bills. Lawmakers will likely get another crack at the issue next session, Ferrario says.

Currently, Texas offers a 30-percent tax credit to homeowners on the full cost of installing a residential solar system. Also, homeowners who go solar get a break on property taxes under Texas law. While a home’s appraised value goes up after being retrofitted with a solar system, the homeowner only has to pay taxes on the pre-retrofit appraisal value. Businesses also can get a 30-percent tax credit but, unlike residences, also have the option of taking the credit in the form of cash on the barrelhead. Different parts of the state, such as Austin, may offer additional incentives. A nationwide database of federal, state and local incentives can be found at dsireusa.org.

In short, Ferrario says, Texas has a ways to go when it comes to encouraging solar energy — though he’s optimistic.

"I think it’s a matter of time," he says. "I think little by little we’re going to go in that direction. I started a business with my own money. I risked my family. I risked my house, but I do this because I can see the future going this direction."