Archives: Resources

New Year, New Electric Bill

Time to read: 3 minutes January 3, 2023 The new year brings new opportunities, goals, and other things to strive for. Some get that gym membership they’ve always thought about buying while others try and set up a new habit like journaling. But what about lowering your electric bills? Are you going to make 2023 your year by reducing or even eliminating those bills?  Make 2023 a Solar Year In 2022, electric bills for Texans skyrocketed. With the winter season here, the price for electricity still seems to be high. Some Texans have seen their electricity bills double in size.…

Greatest Solar Hits of 2022

Time to read: 3 minutes December 29, 2022 What a year it’s been for solar-powered energy and IES Texas Solar! As the year comes to an end, we wanted to put together a list of some of our most popular articles for both new and already dedicated readers! We wanted to make sure no one in the solar community missed a good read! Check out the top ten articles of 2022!  Solar Buyback One of the most unique things about solar power is that you can sell your excess energy back to your utility company. Solar buyback is a really effective…

Solar Panels vs Other Renewable Energy Sources

Time to read: 6 minutes December 27, 2022 Renewable energy has been around since the 1800’s and has become an important topic in the past decade. There are many reasons why people are switching to renewable energy sources for their homes, vehicles, and businesses. Environmental benefits, saving money, and lowering our reliance on foreign energy suppliers, to name a few. Especially since the recent Russia-Ukraine War, the entire global economy has felt the effects of the dependence on fossil fuel. This has caused many countries who rely on this source to invest in other forms of energy. In this article,…

Winter Grid Failure Checklist

Time to read: 4 minutes Date: December 24, 2022 IES Texas Solar cares about the Health and Safety of our community of Solar Energy Readers. Your IES Texas Solar Team wants to thank you for your continued readership and support of our goal to educate Texans about solar energy.  We hope that these valuable safety tips are useful in keeping you and your family safe and warm during the coldest parts of the year.   -Your IES Texas Solar Team Below are a few tips to stay safe. Extremely low temperatures present a very real problem for the Texas power grid.…

Prepare for Cold Snaps and Power Outages

Time to read: 5 minutes Date: December 20, 2022 Now that winter is in full swing, cold snaps are imminent. There is a big winter storm that is projected to occur in the next week during the holidays and knowing what to do can save you a lot of trouble. Texas has become a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to winter weather.  So far this year, we’ve had weeks where the temperature never went below 70 degrees only to suddenly be hit with rain and low 40 degree weather. It’s important to note that even if it’s…

What do you Need to Know About Rooftop Repairs and Replacement with Solar Panels?

Time to read: 5 minutes  Date: December 15, 2022 Your roof is important when it comes to solar panels. This sounds obvious, but a lot of different things can happen with the roof of your home or business. When you begin exploring the idea of a solar powered system, you’ll probably find yourself wondering if your roof is ready for solar panels. Do you need to patch up your roof? Does any of it need to be replaced? The big question here is “what do you need to know about repairing your roof when you have solar panels?”. We reached…

Exploring Solar Technology for RV’s and Campers

Time to read: 6 minutes Date: December 13, 2022 Solar powered energy has become a popular cost-saving and reliable energy source for many uses. You can find solar powered technology on tiny homes in remote locations, sprawling agricultural operations and everything in-between across the country. But did you know that many are also taking advantage of the power of the sun while away from home? Since the pandemic, more people are looking for ways to get out of the house and to travel and experience new adventures. One popular alternative to hotels and resorts is to take your own home…

How Were Solar Panels Invented?

Time to read: 5 minutes Date: December 8, 2022 Solar technology is much older than many people realize. From the late 1800’s to the middle of the 1900’s, brilliant inventors and scientists experimented with and studied electrodes and light. In America, many of these incredible minds set the stage for the birth of a new renewable energy source that would change the world. While more Texans are installing solar powered systems than ever before, they took quite a bit of time to develop into the sleek, shiny electricity producing power houses they are today. In one of our previous posts,…

Solar Powered Energy – Turning the Tide to Conserve Water for Future Generations

Time to read: 7 minutes Date: December 6, 2022 For decades, scientists, engineers, and analysts have championed the idea of solar for many applications and reasons all with the same goals. These goals range from the conservation of natural resources to balancing the scales on climate-related changes and many others. For many of us, we look to alternative energy to stake independence or normalcy on a fluctuating electricity bill, protecting our assets in harsh weather, and helping the environment whether it's by sustaining bees or shaded crops. But often, a big reason that Texans make the switch to solar is…

The History of Solar Power

Time to read: 6 minutes December 1, 2022 Have you ever caught a shimmer out of the corner of your eye while on a walk or a drive and noticed a shiny, futuristic solar panel adorning the roof? It seems like every residential area has several (if not more) homes with a set of cutting-edge solar panels adorning their roofs in 2022. This technology is extremely popular now, and more Texans are installing solar arrays with backup batteries and generators every day. We’ve previously covered some of the incredible things that this technology is effective for such as: Grid failures…