Renewable solar energy is more accessible than ever for homeowners. Federal tax rebates, individual state incentives, and lower installation costs make solar available to a wide array of homes.
California’s solar renewable energy is already breaking records. California’s focus on increasing renewable energy sources is influencing other sunny states. Texas and Florida have begun to look into how solar energy can help their residents as well.
Read on to see if it’s a worthwhile investment.
The Future of California: Renewable Energy Through Solar Power
Thanks to California’s solar mandate, the state supplied 103% of its electricity demand from renewable sources in May 2022. This means the entire state had all the electricity it needed through renewable energy.
The milestone may not come as a surprise. After all, 1.3 million California homes have a solar energy system installed. The high rate of solar energy from California homes is thanks to the state-wide mandate and incentives offered by the California Energy Commission for homeowners, developers, and builders.
Pros and Cons of Solar Power
When looking at solar power systems, it’s important to get all the facts. Let’s look at the pros and cons of solar.
Pros of Solar Power Systems
- Good for the environment: Solar power systems lower your carbon footprint and do not contribute to air pollution.
- Lowers electricity bills: Not only does solar power directly affect your electricity bill, but with net metering, you can sell any energy you don’t use back to the grid for a profit.
- Low maintenance: Solar panels only need to be cleaned off about once every six months unless they get covered in dust or debris. As a general rule, your system should be blissfully low-maintenance.
- Does all the work for you: Once installed, there’s nothing more you need to do. Your panels will soak up the sun and allow you to relax and enjoy your home.
- More energy independence: Electricity prices keep increasing, but it doesn’t matter if you provide for your own energy needs.
- Raises your home value: While specific numbers depend on the size of your home, your energy use, and the area in which you live, on average, solar panels increase the sale price of a home by 4.1%.
Cons of Solar Power Systems
- You will need another power source at night: While solar panels don’t work when it’s dark, storage batteries help you store the energy from the day for use at night. If you don’t use solar batteries, you’ll need to pull electricity from the grid.
- It can be a lot of money upfront: While solar represents decades of savings, upfront costs can be intimidating. However, multiple government incentives and options exist to help reduce and mitigate the initial cost. Plus, the savings you can experience in your monthly power bill can be used to pay off installation costs.
- They don’t fit onto every home’s roof: Depending on the size, style, and angle of your roof, solar may not be a great option. However, it makes sense to contact a solar company for a quote instead of simply assuming it won’t work for you. The experts may have a solution.
Solar Energy in Other Sunny States
There are other states looking into taking advantage of their sunny weather by harnessing solar energy. Here’s how Texas and Florida have both been handling their solar potential.
Texas
Texas is sixth in the nation when it comes to solar energy potential—but they have a way to go to meet that potential. Currently, Texas produces 3% of the state’s energy through solar power.
While there isn’t a mandate in place like in California, individual cities have been reworking building codes to be more solar-friendly. In fact, the city of San Antonio has contracted a renewable development company to add 300 megawatts of solar energy to its portfolio.
Florida
Florida is a great state to invest in solar energy. It has an average of 237 sunny days a year! In 2020, renewable energy made up 5% of the state’s total electricity use. Solar accounted for two-thirds of that.
There is no mandate for solar energy within the state, but there are tax credits and other incentives. Right now, there seems to be a tug of war between Floridians who want/have solar power and utility companies. The utility companies want solar users to pay more or charge them fees for using their grid.
But it’s not all bad. One of Florida’s biggest utility companies, NextEra Energy, is on schedule to install 30 million solar panels by 2025.
Current Home Can Help You
Current Home has operations in California and Florida. Our solar installation plans help you get what matters most to you. Whether that’s savings, power, or control of your energy, we can help you reach your goal. Get a free quote today.
Contact us and join the solar power movement!
