Your resource for going solar in San Antonio.

 

Local Potential for Solar Power

San Antonio benefits from being on the edge of the most intense solar power concentration in the United States. While San Antonio does not have the intensity of sunshine that El Paso, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Albuquerque have, it has more solar energy than many other cities (many with very active solar programs!).

 

Concentrated Solar Power

Large-scale concentrated solar power (CSP) projects appear to be able to provide most of the needs of San Antonio and Texas, assuming suitable transmission and storage capacity. Total existing capacity to generate electricity in Texas is about 80,000 megawatts, but Texas has the potential for nearly 150,000 megawatts of CSP.

 

Distributed Generation

Solar panels on individual houses and businesses are an example of “distributed generation,” or DG. DG refers to the production of electricity from local, small, energy sources as opposed to distant, large, centralized power plants. Americans have become more aware of the vulnerability of infrastructure to failure and terrorism. Distributed energy is now viewed as a less vulnerable and more viable strategy for the future.

 

Consumer's Guide to Solar Electric

For a property to be considered a good candidate for a solar electric or photovoltaic (PV) system, an area with unobstructed access to the sun's rays for most or all of the day is necessary to build a viable source of energy for your home or office. Remember, an energy-efficient building needs a smaller PV system. In other words, the more energy efficient your home or office is, the less energy you will need to produce.