Earlier this week, several solar companies and organizations made presentations to the City Council of San Antonio expressing their concern about “under-funded rebates that aren’t keeping up with the industry’s growth” which was reported in yesterday’s Express News.
Some have said that “they’ve had to lay off employees and even close down their businesses because they don’t have confidence that future rebates will be available…” Solar Texas was not part of that effort.
At Solar Texas, we have never relied upon rebates for our business success. We commenced operations before rebates were implemented and we will be in operation after rebates cease. Rebates are nice to have from a business sense, but by their very nature, they are short term incentives to influence the market. Rebates are a reallocation of funds.
The money funding local rebates for solar comes from the San Antonio population. People who cannot afford solar are paying a proportion of their CPS Energy bill toward other people who can. Any company that relies solely upon rebates for its business success will have its business fortunes linked to the demise of those rebates as well.
The aim of the CPS Energy rebates was to provide a leg up for the local renewable energy market to delay or defer the investment by CPS Energy in new power generation sources. “It was never our intent for rebates to be the foundation for the entire market,” according to a quote attributed by the SA Express-News to Lisa Lewis for CPS Energy.
At Solar Texas, we look forward to the leveling of the market and the removal of artificial advantages to one portion of the market over another. Our future is linked to the future of San Antonio and the surrounding areas. We do not regard rebates as a substitute for conscientious work, good business ethics and a commitment to the local community.
We knew the rebates had to come to an end and we made sure that Solar Texas wasn’t beholden to their continuation for our business success. We do not employ many people, but we will not be lessening our business commitment to South and Central Texas. We made no presentation to argue for rebates in front of City Council. Likewise, we didn’t make any investment that tied us with the continuation of the CPS Energy rebates.
Whatever CPS Energy and the City Council decides, Solar Texas will be serving the San Antonio area and surrounding regions for many years to come.





