The Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club joined forces recently with the nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors (SUN) and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in announcing the launch of Houston’s citywide solar co-op that will help Houston residents go solar – advancing a major goal of the Houston Climate Action Plan (CAP), which was approved last year. At a recent press conference, representatives from the Sierra Club joined with many others to help encourage Houstonians to consider going solar.
Sierra Club member Wally Callaway joins Hannah Mitchell with SUN and Mayor Sylvester Turner at a recent press conference.
In October 2020, Houston City Council officially adopted the CAP and committed to annual GHG reporting and updating the CAP at least every five years. The City’s 2020 GHG inventory is planned to be released later this summer. While Sierra Club is still working to make the CAP plan stronger, it is still an important step in making Houston a clean energy leader.
An update on the implementation of Resilient Houston and the Houston Climate Action Plan is available here: Rice | Kinder Institute Resilience and Climate Progress in Houston.
The City of Houston is the nation’s largest municipal user of renewable energy in the US and is currently powering all municipal operations with renewable energy five years ahead of schedule. The Houston region is one of the fastest growing regions for solar in the country. SUN’s citywide solar co-op will directly support the CAP target of generating 5 million MWh from local solar projects per year by 2050.
SUN’s city-wide solar co-op is open to homeowners and business owners in and around Houston. Co-op members will select a single solar company to complete the installations following SUN’s facilitation of a competitive process to select an installer. Joining does not obligate members to purchase solar. Members will have the option to individually purchase panels and electric vehicle chargers based on the installer’s group rate.
Since 2018, SUN has hosted six small scale solar co-ops in areas around Houston including Spring Branch, Lake Olympia, East Houston, Central Houston, the Woodlands, and West Houston. With the City’s support, this will be the first time a solar co-op will be available to all Houstonians, city-wide. SUN is collaborating with local non-profits including South Union CDC, Houston Sierra Club, TX Interfaith Power and Light, and the Houston Renewable Energy Group to spread word about the solar co-op.
According to SUN’s estimates, solar co-ops in Texas provide 569 kW of solar power, $1.64 million in local economic investment, and more than 18.4 million lbs. of lifetime carbon offsets.
Two initial online information sessions are planned for Thursday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m., and Wednesday, May 19, at 12:00 noon. Individuals interested in learning more about the citywide co-op can register or attend one of the upcoming information sessions:
Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. CT
RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fLTApbdRTJyyFc6BVORzjg
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CT
RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n5l-4jaoS7uZwPuC0HgSFQ
These online information sessions are also posted to the Houston Sierra Club Meetup website.
The solar co-ops are free to join, and joining is not a commitment to purchase panels. The co-ops solicit bids from area installers and then choose installers to serve the groups. The selected installers provide participants with a personalized proposal that makes the most sense for their circumstance. Participants can then decide if going solar is right for them. Solar United Neighbors works with co-op participants and the chosen installer throughout the installation process to ensure it goes smoothly.
About Solar United Neighbors
Solar United Neighbors is a nonprofit organization that works in Texas and nationwide to represent the needs and interests of solar owners and supporters. Solar co-ops are part of the organization’s mission to create a new energy system with rooftop solar at the cornerstone. Solar United Neighbors holds events and education programs to help people become informed solar consumers, maximize the value of their solar investment, and advocate for fair solar policies.