Solar Power Still a Child Growing

By Jo Lee Ferguson Special to the News-Journal | 1 comment
L ocal builder and Realtor Susie Scadden is conducting an experiment.
In 2009, she built a rental duplex between Longview and Hallsville and, with the help of Longview-based Tejas Energy Solutions, equipped it with a solar power system.
"I'm a builder, and I wanted to see how it works before I put it in my homes," she said, after explaining she didn't want to have to pay monthly electric bills at the property. She equipped the home with a 10-kilowatt system, with the solar panels installed in the backyard because there wasn't enough roof space.
Right away, she experienced one of the challenges of solar power — although it went unnoticed by the duplex's tenants.
"The first few months was in the dead of winter, so we didn't get a lot of sun. The last month or so, it has started paying its own monthly bills," she said.
However, the system is tied into Southwestern Electric Power Co., so when there's not enough solar power for the residence, it automatically pulls from SWEPCO's system.
"(The tenants) don't see any difference one way or the other," she said.
Still, it's too early to tell whether she will use solar power in other homes she builds, she said.
Her decision to use solar power is part of a slow acceptance of the renewable energy source in East Texas, according to Tejas Energy Solutions co-owner David Sellers.
"People don't want to spend that kind of money yet," he said, adding there are few incentives available in Texas for installing solar power systems. However, there are some tax and utility incentives available to help defray the cost of using solar power in a home, he said.
Also, since the systems are tied into the electric grid, it's possible they'll sometimes generate more electricity than the home uses. The power company provides credits to the customer for that extra electricity that's sent to the grid, Sellers said.
He, his wife, Misty, and business partner Johnny Pickett established their renewable energy company a year ago. The firm provides all kinds of "energy solutions" for residential and commercial customers, working with SWEPCO, for instance, to test certain homes to determine whether they're energy inefficient. The company also installs energy efficient lighting for homes and businesses, and provides heating and air conditioning equipment and services, advising businesses and individuals on upgrades they need to save money.
The firm, which covers Texas, Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma, is one of a few East Texas firms that provides solar power systems. Sellers said Tejas is a master agent for Ontility, a provider of solar products.
"I wanted to give something back to the community, society as a whole," he said. He had experience with solar power, since he previously worked for a chemical company and installed solar-powered chemical pumps at oil well sites.
"Being green is the way of the future," Sellers said. "We've taken and taken and taken. Now people are starting to realize we're going to have to give something back."
In the past year, the business has installed about six solar power systems, he said, although the firm has stayed busy with the other portions of its business. Much of the solar work has been commercial and residential projects in Louisiana, which he said offers more incentives.
He doesn't push solar on people, though, he said. For instance, when customers who are interested in solar power call him to their house, the first thing he does is look at the home's 12-month energy consumption history. He then looks for ways to make the home more energy efficient, and that makes it possible to install a smaller, less expensive system.
People in this area aren't as aware of solar power as other parts of the country.
"We're dyed in the wool oilfield," he said.
He expects, though, that people will be drawn more and more to solar power as the cost of electricity increases in the face of legislative changes and a challenging environment for building new coal power plants.
"Energy is not going down," he said. "It's only going up."