SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio is one of the fastest growing city's in the U.S. when it comes to the amount of solar energy harnessed every day.
In the past year the amount of solar energy available for use in San Antonio jumped by 36 percent, or about a third, and the numbers just keep getting better from there. Ana Lozano, CPS Energy's Strategic Research and Innovation Manager told us, "Just recently Environment Texas announced that we moved from 7th to 5th place nationally for a total solar capacity here in San Antonio and we are still first in the state of Texas." CPS Energy is also ranked 2nd nationally among municipally-owned utilities for total solar, owned, or contracted.
The company offers two different options for customers considering going solar. Lozano said, "We have our traditional rooftop solar program for customers who are interested installing a system on the roof of their home or on their business, and we even offer a rebate to help offset some of those costs." But to get that rebate you need to have the system installed by a CPS Energy solar contractor.
CPS Energy also offers Big Sun Solar. Lazano said, "Last year we teamed up with Go Smart Solar, a local firm right here in San Antonio to bring our customers the community solar option. With community solar customers are able to purchase panels at an offsite location and still receive the benefits of the energy they generate."
Community solar is best for customers who rent their apartment or home, homeowners with a lot of shading on their roof, those who don't want to maintain a system on their roof, customers who live in a historic district with restrictions, or anyone interested in trying out solar for the first time. Lozano added, "The program has been open for about a year and it's 5 MW and it's about 70 percent sold out."
The credit you earn with Big Sun Solar travels with you when you move for the life of the program which is 25 years. To find out more about the program click here.