Why it pays to go solar

Now that the dust has settled on the Rate Case, I wanted to address some of the arguments that were raised yesterday in opposition to solar incentives by a city council member and by some people during the public comments period. Those arguments stemmed from the question:

"Why should regular rate payers subsidize solar energy incentives?"

It's a fair question. Why should a guy help his neighbor pay for his solar panels? It doesn't seem fair. But in the pursuit of all the good things that solar has to offer, we have to look at the bigger picture. After all, even people without children pay for schools because schools are good for society.

So I put together a list of all the reasons why it would benefit all of us if El Paso became the Solar capital of the Southwest. After the break.
-Clean AND renewable energy. El Paso’s main energy sources, natural gas and nuclear, are cleaner, but not clean. Natural gas for instance emits half the carbon dioxide of coal. Neither natural gas nor nuclear is renewable. Nuclear also has added concerns of plant security and waste. Solar, on the other hand is completely safe, clean and renewable.

-Jobs. Despite the recession, the solar industry added 17,000 new American jobs in 2009, while oil and coal companies laid off workers or stayed static (Source: Solar Energies Industry Association). The Dept of Energy cites a study estimating that 276,000 jobs could be created by the US solar industry between 2009 and 2016.Renewable energy jobs are tied to an infrastructure that’s not easily outsourced. Those are not jobs that will go to Juarez.


-Stable energy prices in the future. Fuel prices will continue to climb as oil reserves are depleted (same with natural gas reserves), and coal will get more expansive as well as government starts regulating emissions. Electric rates will be more and more volatile. Renewable energy prices, however, are stable and attractive and can help hedge against future rate increases.

-Save money by not building new power plants. Solar homeowners return their unused solar electricity back to the grid to be sold to other customers. In a way, they become electricity producers. With enough of them around, there may not be a need to build new power plants, which are not only polluting but also very expensive (Their cost being passed on to the consumers in the form of rate increases).

-Avoid brownouts and blackouts. The most strain on the electric grid is during peak times. In El Paso, peak times are at the hottest part of the day, when A/Cs are running full blast. That’s also the time when rooftop solar produces the most power. This extra power at the very moment it is needed the most can protect us from brownouts and blackouts by reducing the strain on the grid.

-Energy security. Rooftop solar affords a certain amount of energy independence from foreign sources of energy and its decentralized nature could safeguard communities from attacks or natural disasters wiping out all power.

-Education. We need to educate our young people to become the workers of the future -renewable energy engineers, solar certified electricians, etc. (For instance, PV installers need both electrical and roofing training). But to get these types of courses in our colleges and university, we need to build the demand for these specialties in El Paso. In addition, high-tech education centers can create a productive cycle of research-invention-production that lead to substantial federal or state investment in research facilities and staff.

-Efficient energy transmission. With solar panels, there are no transmission and distribution losses because electricity is produced at the point of consumption.


-A good product. PV systems are long-lasting and virtually maintenance-free.

-Incentive programs will not be needed forever. The price of the technology is going down and soon, many more people will be able to afford rooftop solar without any help. But by then, it’ll be too late and other cities will have passed us buy. Now is the time to incentivize, so we don’t have to play catch up later.

-Manufacturing. If PV manufacturers can be persuaded to produce panels at the market source to reduce transportation costs, this could not only create manufacturing jobs, but also spur a healthy supplier market with more jobs. Historically, even if manufacturing has settled in Juarez, suppliers have thrived in El Paso.

-Access to federal grants. Under the Obama Administration, the federal government is dedicating money to promoting renewable energy sources. But to paraphrase the old saying, “you need money to make money,” you need a proven solar record to attract federal solar subsidies. For instance, the Energy Department’s program Solar America Cities gives money and technical assistance to 25 American cities that have shown a willingness to fund and otherwise support solar programs, including rooftop incentives. Austin and Phoenix are Solar America Cities. So are Milwaukee and Seattle. El Paso should also be.