* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Solar United Neighbors"] [00:00:19] GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE TIME TO COME OUT TODAY. UM, I'M PRIYA ZACHARIA. I AM THE CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER FOR MAYOR TURNER. UM, AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED. UM, THE MAYOR'S GONNA BE MAKING AN ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY, UM, TO SET THE STAGE. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY IS, UH, VERY LASER FOCUSED ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, BOTH OF WHICH WERE COMPLETED UNDER THE MAYOR'S VISION AND LEADERSHIP. AND NOTHING IS MORE EXCITING TO THE CITY AND TO OUR TEAM THAN TO NOT ONLY ADVANCE THE PROGRAM, BUT TO FIND, UH, ELEMENTS THAT, UM, SOLVE FOR MULTIPLE ISSUES AT THE SAME TIME. FOR INSTANCE, THINKING ABOUT INITIATIVES THAT BRING US CLOSER TO OUR AMBITION OF BEING A NET ZERO CITY BY 2050, REDUCING OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS ON THE SUSTAINABILITY SIDE, BUT ALSO MAKING OUR COMMUNITIES MORE RESILIENT, UM, THROUGH CREATING ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE PROGRAMS. SO, WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO MAYOR TURNER TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. PRAYER, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. LOOK, I'M EXCITED THAT THE TEAM IN THE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE HAS PARTNERED WITH SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS TO HELP HOUSTONIANS ACCESS THE BENEFITS OF ROOFTOP SOLAR. IN FACT, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH SOLAR, UH, UH, UNITED, UH, NEIGHBOR'S SUN, UH, PREVIOUSLY, UH, WITH GREAT RESULTS. UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS ALREADY LEADING THE WAY ON RENEWABLE ENERGY AND OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. WE COMMITTED TO POWERING MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2025. WE REACHED OUR GOAL FIVE YEARS EARLY AND HAVE BEEN POWERING 100% OF OUR BUILDINGS WITH RENEWABLE POWER SINCE JULY 1ST, 2020. AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL, OUR SOLAR ADOPTION RATES HAVE DOUBLED FROM 2019 TO 2021, AND HOUSTON IS NOW RANKED 16TH NATIONALLY. UH, IN TERMS OF OUR RANKINGS AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK TO IMPROVE OUR RANKINGS AS CITY, AS A CITY OF HOUSTON FOR SOLAR ADOPTION, WE ARE CURRENTLY PILOTING SOLAR APP PLUS WITH THE NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LAB, NREL, TESLA, AND OTHERS TO FURTHER STREAMLINE OUR SOLAR PERMITTING PROCESSES. OUR SUNNYSIDE LANDFILL SOLAR PROJECT IS AN EXAMPLE OF COLLABORATION WITH THE ENERGY INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS TO ADDRESS LONGSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CHALLENGES AND REVITALIZE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AS PART OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION. AND TODAY, UH, WE ARE ANNOUNCING OUR RENEWED PARTNERSHIP WITH SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS AND A NEW AND ENHANCED GROUP BUY-IN PROGRAM, TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH, HOUSTON, TO PROVIDE AN EASIER WAY FOR HOUSTONIANS TO AGGREGATE THEIR PURCHASING POWER AND SAVE ON INSTALLATION COSTS WITH ENERGY PRICES UP AND DOWN. WE KNOW THAT HOMEOWNERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES ARE LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE ON THEIR ENERGY BILLS AND INCREASE THEIR RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE RELATED EVENTS. TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH. HOUSTON PROVIDES OUR COMMUNITY WITH A SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD WAY TO BECOME BETTER INFORMED ABOUT SOLAR ENERGY AND ACCESS A COMPETITIVE OFFER FROM A VETTED EXPERIENCE, SOLAR INSTALLATION COMPANY THAT'S TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH. HOUSTON, IT IS FREE TO REGISTER, AND THERE IS NO OBLIGATION FOR PROPERTY OWNERS TO PURCHASE SOLAR PANELS. COMBINED WITH THE NEW INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, CLEAN ENERGY INCENTIVES. THERE HAS NEVER, NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO GO SOLAR IN HOUSTON. HOUSTON HAS TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL FOR SOLAR ENERGY, AND OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN HAS SET AN AMBITIOUS COMMUNITY TARGET OF GENERATING 5 MILLION MEGAWATTS PER YEAR FROM LOCAL ROOFTOP AND COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECTS BY 2050. WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO MEET THIS TARGET, BUT THIS NEW AND ENHANCED PROGRAM WITH SUN SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOLAR, DECIDES IF IT WORKS FOR YOU, AND HELP BRING CLEAN ENERGY AND CLEAN JOBS TO OUR COMMUNITY. PRESIDENT BIDEN SAYS THAT WHEN HE THINKS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, HE THINKS ABOUT JOBS. NOWHERE IS THIS TRUER THAN IN HOUSTON AND SOLAR ENERGY. IT'S ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING [00:05:01] JOB MARKETS IN THE NATION AND CAN HELP CREATE NEW LOCAL JOBS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. HOUSTON IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE FOR LOCAL ROOFTOP SOLAR, AND I HOPE HOUSTONIANS WILL TAKE A FULL ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOLAR AND TAKE THE LEAP TO PURCHASE A SOLAR SYSTEM IF IT'S RIGHT FOR THEM. I, AGAIN, THANK SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS FOR CONTINUING TO STEP UP THEIR COMMITMENT TO HOUSTON AND THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT ALREADY VOLUNTEERED TO SUPPORT THE TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH HOUSTON PROGRAM, THE HOUSTON RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP, CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY, AND TEXAS INTERFAITH POWER AND LIGHT. I ENCOURAGE MORE HOUSTON, HOUSTON COMPANIES AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN IN, IN THE EFFORT AND HELP THE PROGRAM GROW SO THAT ALL HOUSTON RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES WHOSE SOLE DESIRE CAN LEARN ABOUT SOLAR ENERGY AND ACCESS THE BENEFITS OF INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS ON THEIR ROOF. NOW I WANT TO INTRODUCE HANNAH MITCHELL, THE TEXAS PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS. FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, HANNAH HAS BEEN LEADING SUN'S EFFORT TO MAKE ROOFTOP SOLAR MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL TEXANS. SHE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN CONTINUOUSLY SCALING UP SON'S GROUP BUYING PROGRAM IN HOUSTON, AND WILL NOW TELL US MORE ABOUT, UH, TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH HOUSTON AND HOW AND WHY IS BIGGER AND BETTER THAN LAST YEAR'S CO-OP. HANNAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR TURNER. . GOOD MORNING. I'M HANNAH MITCHELL AND I'M THE TEXAS PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS. SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT EXPANDS ACCESS TO ROOFTOP SOLAR BY EDUCATING TEXANS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF DISTRIBUTED SOLAR ENERGY, HELPING THEM ORGANIZE SOLAR INSTALLATIONS IN GROUPS, AND STRENGTHENING TEXAS SOLAR POLICIES AND ITS COMMUNITY OF SOLAR SUPPORTERS. WE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP TO BRING TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH TO HOUSTON. TODAY I'LL BE SHARING MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND OUR PROGRESS SO FAR. TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH HOUSTON IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS AND I CHOOSER INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS IN SOLAR GROUP PURCHASING. TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH IS A GROUP BUYING PROGRAM OFFERING HOUSTONIANS AN EASY WAY TO GET SOLAR AND BATTERIES. OUR PROGRAM WILL HELP PARTICIPANTS GET A DISCOUNTED PRICE ON A QUALITY SOLAR INSTALLATION FROM A PRE-VETTED INSTALLER. THEY'LL ALSO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF OUR GROUP BUYING EXPERTS AND SOLAR EXPERTS THROUGH EACH STEP OF THE PROCESS. HOUSTON, RESIDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM CAN REGISTER ONLINE, UM, BY ANSWERING A FEW SIMPLE QUESTIONS. AND AS MAYOR TURNER SAID, THERE'S NO COST TO REGISTER AND THERE'S NO OBLIGATION TO INSTALL PANELS. WE PROVIDE INFORMATION BY WEBINAR AND EMAIL AND HAVE A HELP DESK IN HOUSTON SO YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SIGN UP, THE BETTER THE PRICE FOR EVERYONE. SOON I CHOOSER WILL ONE A REVERSE AUCTION TO HELP DETERMINE THE INSTALLER FOR THE GROUP. AND SO DURING THE AUCTION, PRE-VETTED SOLAR INSTALLERS WHO HAVE ALREADY MET STRICT QUALITY CRITERIA WILL BID ON THE GROUP AND THE INSTALLERS OFFERING THE BEST OVERALL DEAL WILL WIN. ONCE THE PRICING HAS BEEN SETTLED, EVERYONE WILL RECEIVE A PERSONAL OFFER THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THEIR HOME'S UNIQUE ENERGY NEEDS. REGISTRANTS WILL THEN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EITHER, UH, MOVE FORWARD WITH THE INSTALLATION, UM, OR THEY CAN DECLINE. AND SO OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO SUPPORT HOUSTONIANS TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS AFTER PARTICIPANTS BEGIN ACCEPTING THEIR OFFERS. THE INSTALLATION PHASE WILL BEGIN AND WE WILL WORK THROUGH, UM, THE WILL WITH THE INSTALLATION TEAM THROUGH EACH PHASE OF THIS PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT INSTALLATIONS GO SMOOTHLY AND THAT QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED AS THEY ARISE. SO I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE SOME OF OUR PROGRESS TO DATE. UM, SO JUST IN THE PAST WEEK, AROUND 600 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP TO SEE IF SOLAR IS RIGHT FOR THEM. AND JUST TO GIVE SOME PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS ABOUT DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, UH, THAT SUN HAS SEEN TAKE PART IN OUR SOLAR GROUP PURCHASING PROGRAMS IN THE PAST. AND THIS PROGRAM HAS REALLY JUST STARTED. SO BASED ON THESE INITIAL NUMBERS, WE EXPECT TO ENGAGE THOUSANDS OF HOUSTONIANS ABOUT ROOFTOP SOLAR IN THE [00:10:01] COMING MONTHS AND SEE AN UPTICK IN LOCAL SOLAR ADOPTION. SO IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO SEE SO MUCH INTEREST AND PROGRESS IN TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH SO FAR. UM, I'D LOVE TO SHARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF ROOFTOP SOLAR. UH, AND YOU KNOW, THERE ARE REALLY MANY REASONS TO LOOK INTO SOLAR. ONE OF THE STRONGEST IS THE LONG-TERM ELECTRIC BILL SAVINGS, WHICH CAN ALLOW SOLAR HOMEOWNERS TO HEDGE AGAINST VOLATILE AND RISING ELECTRICITY RATES. AND MOST SOLAR PANELS ARE GUARANTEED TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY FOR 25 YEARS. RECENTLY, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN SOLAR AND STORAGE IN HOUSTON, UM, FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. AND SOLAR AND STORAGE CONTRIBUTES TO BOTH AN INDIVIDUAL'S SELF-SUFFICIENCY AS WELL AS OVERALL GRID RESILIENCY. UM, WHEN COMBINED WITH STORAGE. SOLAR CAN PROVIDE BACKUP POWER WHEN THE GRID GOES DOWN, WHETHER THAT'S DUE TO WINTER STORMS OR SUMMER HEAT WAVES. AND EVEN WITHOUT SOLAR, SORRY, EVEN WITHOUT BATTERIES. SOLAR CONTRIBUTES TO GRID STABILITY AND RESILIENCE WHILE KEEPING RATES LOW FOR EVERYONE. SO BY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY DRAWN FROM THE GRID ROOFTOP, SOLAR MEANS REDUCING THE NEED TO PAY FOR EXPENSIVE NEW POWER PLANTS. ROOFTOP SOLAR ALSO REDUCES THE COST OF MAINTAINING AND OPERATING THE ENERGY GRID BY REDUCING THE NEED FOR TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS MEANS THAT SO THAT INVESTMENT IN LOCAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS LIKE ROOFTOP SOLAR SAVES ALL HOUSEHOLDS MONEY, EVEN THOSE WHO DON'T END UP ADOPTING SOLAR. UM, I'D ALSO LOVE TO SHARE SOME OF THE MAIN BENEFITS OF GOING SOLAR THROUGH TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH. SO THROUGH THE FIRST PHASE OF TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH, UM, WE PLAN TO SUPPORT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ON THEIR SOLAR JOURNEY AND HELP FAMILIES MAKE INFORMED ENERGY CHOICES BY GOING SOLAR AS A GROUP THROUGH TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH, PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT TO SAVE BETWEEN 15 AND 20% OVER GOING SOLAR ON THEIR OWN WHILE RE WHILE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT THROUGH EACH PHASE OF THE PROCESS. PARTICIPATING IN TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH ALSO GIVES FAMILIES PEACE OF MIND BECAUSE YOU KNOW THE INSTALLERS ARE PRE-VETTED FOR QUALITY AND THAT YOU'RE GETTING A GREAT PRICE. IT ALSO GIVES YOU ACCESS TO EXPERTS IN THE FIELD WHO CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS WITHOUT A SALES PITCH. AND AS MAYOR TURNER MENTIONED, NOW IS A PARTICULARLY GREAT TIME TO GO SOLAR BECAUSE OF THE PASS OF THE RECENT PASSAGE OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OR IRA, UM, THIS, THE PASSAGE OF THE IRA INCREASES THE TAX CREDIT TO 30% FOR SOLAR AND EXTENDS IT FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS, WHILE ALSO EXPANDING OTHER CLEAN ENERGY INCENTIVES LIKE HOME BATTERY STORAGE. UM, AND THESE CREDITS MAKE SOLAR AND HOME ELECTRIFICATION MORE AFFORDABLE THAN EVER. SO THE EASIEST WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO SIGN UP ONLINE. AND WHILE THIS PROGRAM HAS MANY BENEFITS, THERE IS, UH, A LIMITED TIME TO SIGN UP. SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE, PLEASE GO, UH, TO TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH.COM/HOUSTON. NEXT UP, WE WILL HEAR FROM RETIRED ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON AND SOLAR HOMEOWNER, DR. JOHN GLOVER TO SHARE HIS EXPERIENCE GOING SOLAR. GOOD AFTERNOON, AS SHE SAID. I'M JOHN GLOVER. I'M A RETIRED PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. I'VE ALSO BEEN VOLUNTEERING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS SINCE THE LATE SEVENTIES. SO I LOOK AT ROOFTOP SOLAR THROUGH BOTH LENSES. FIRST, AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, I'M INTERESTED IN THE VARIOUS DETAILS OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY AND IT'S JUST PLAIN COOL. SECONDLY, AS A LONGTIME ENVIRONMENTALIST, I RELISH AN, AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRODUCE MY OWN CLEAN ELECTRICAL POWER. AND ACTUALLY THERE'S A THIRD LENS. IT JUST PLAIN SAVES MONEY AND THAT'S GOOD. SO WHEN I LEARNED ABOUT SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS SUN WHILE ON THE NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR A FEW YEARS AGO, I THEN HAD ALL THE HELP I NEEDED TO MAKE THE MOVE TO SOLAR. SO THREE YEARS AGO, MY WIFE AND I JOINED [00:15:01] THE A SUN CO-OP AND MADE THE SWITCH TO SOLAR SUN ARRANGED THE CO-OP THAT WE JOINED THAT ALLOWED US TO GET A GROUP DISCOUNT PRICE, AND THEY ANSWERED ALL OF OUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS THAT HELPED US GET THE CONFIGURATION THAT WAS RIGHT FOR US. OUR INSTALLATION IS 24 PANELS PROVIDING ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF KILOWATTS OF POWER. IT'S ABOUT AN AVERAGE SYSTEM. WE HAVE BEEN VERY PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS. OUR ARRAY PRODUCES ABOUT HALF OF THE ENERGY THAT WE CONSUME. WE GET PAID ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR FOR THE SOLAR ENERGY THAT WE PRODUCE. AFTER THE SOLAR PANEL WERE INSTALLED, THERE WAS NOT MUCH ELSE TO DO. THEY START GENERATING ELECTRICITY IMMEDIATELY. THERE'S ALMOST NO MAINTENANCE GOING. SOLAR CAN BE SUPER SIMPLE AND EVERYONE SHOULD LOOK INTO IT. IT'S BASICALLY PLUG AND PLAY. FINALLY, I'LL POINT OUT THAT THE TECHNOLOGY HAS IMPROVED AND PANELS ARE MORE EFFICIENT NOW. FOR EXAMPLE, THE PANELS MY SON WILL BE INSTALLING ON HIS NEW HOUSE THROUGH ANOTHER SUN CO-OP, PRODUCE 25% MORE POWER AND THUS 25% MORE ENERGY OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY. OVERALL, IT'S BEEN GREAT TO PRODUCE OUR OWN ENERGY RIGHT ON OUR OWN ROOFTOP AND EARN CREDIT BACK FROM THE EXTRA ELECTRICITY FOR PANELS OUR PANELS GENERATE. WE WERE VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE SUPPORT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GOING SOLAR, AND WE RECOMMEND THAT HOUSTONIANS INTERESTED IN GETTING SOLAR SIGN UP FOR TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH. GETTING SOLAR PANELS MIGHT BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU DR. GLOVER, FOR SHARING THAT PERSONAL TESTIMONY. AND, UM, THANK YOU HANNAH. I THINK IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY ENLIGHTENING TO LISTEN TO, UM, YOU KNOW, ACTUAL TRUTH FROM THE GROUND ON NOT JUST THE COUPLE OF BENEFITS THAT WE OFTEN ENVISION, BUT THE WHOLE GAMUT OF HEALTH, UM, THE BENEFITS ON YOUR PERSONAL POCKETBOOK, ON THE QUALITY OF AIR, AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE LARGER AMBITIOUS GOALS THAT WE HAVE IN THE REGION, UH, FOR, UH, CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE. AND MAYER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR VISION. AS ALWAYS, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY THAT I GET TO STAND UP HERE, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE TEAM OF FOLKS, UH, AT THE CITY THAT MAKE THIS POSSIBLE. I ESPECIALLY WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY COLLEAGUE, UM, TAMMA PREMIER, WHO HAS BEEN CHAMPIONING THIS, UH, IN OUR OFFICE FROM THE BEGINNING. AND EVERYONE AT THE CITY, THE OFFICE OF COMMS, UH, I KNOW, UH, CHIEF DEPUTY, UH, UH, CHIEF HUNTER AND, UH, DEPUTY CHIEF, UH, HAMBRICK WERE OF RIGHT AT THE BACK, UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF COMMS, UH, AND THE MAYOR'S TEAM AND EVERYONE ELSE. AND, UH, LAST BUT NOT, NOT THE LEAST, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND, UM, FOR BEING PART OF THIS GRAND VISION. THANK YOU. UH, I WANNA OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS, IF ANY, KEEP 'EM ON SOLAR FOR RIGHT NOW. YEAH, YEAH. OKAY, COOL. UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. THAT'S ALRIGHT. MY FIRST QUESTION IS, UH, WHAT IS THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS PARTICULAR CO-OP GROUP? YEAH, SO THE, THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS FEBRUARY 21ST FOR THIS GROUP. OKAY. UM, AND, UM, DO YOU HAVE TO BE A CITY OF HOUSTON RESIDENT? CAN YOU LIVE IN HARRIS COUNTY OR AN OR NEARBY COUNTY? IF YOU LIVE, UH, IN, IF YOU LIVE IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA, YOU ARE WELCOME TO SIGN UP. WHAT IF YOU, I MEAN, THAT INCLUDES LIKE FORT BEND COUNTY. YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA CAST A, A WIDE NET FOR THIS ONE. SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY HARD CUT LINES AS TO OH, YOU'RE SO FAR AWAY. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. UM, I THINK MANY OF THE RESIDENTS WILL PROBABLY BE CITY, CITY OF HOUSTON RESIDENTS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE, UM, HARD CUT BOUNDARIES ON, SAY, FORT BEND IS COMPLETELY OUTTA THE QUESTION. SO WE WELCOME THOSE FOLKS TO REGISTER AS WELL. OKAY. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE MAYOR. MM-HMM . UM, WE SPOKE WITH A, UM, CO-OP MEMBER WHO WENT THROUGH A PROGRAM LAST YEAR, THEIR OWN CO-OP PROGRAM. UM, GREAT EXPERIENCE, BUT HE HAD FRUSTRATIONS WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO AFTER THE INSTALLATION GETTING CENTER POINT TO COME BY, DO ALL THE INSPECTIONS AND TURN ON HIS SOLAR PANELS. HE SAID THERE WAS A LOT OF RED TAPE INVOLVED AND IT WAS FRUSTRATING. YEAH. AND WHAT I WISH I COULD SAY THAT I, I COULD ASSIST HIM ON THAT. UM, BUT THAT IS A CENTER POINT QUESTION. UM, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE HANDLING THAT PORTION OF IT AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS NO JURISDICTION ON THAT, BUT TO URGE THEM ALONG. SO THERE'S NO WAY THE CITY OF HOUSTON CAN WORK WITH CENTERPOINT TO TRY TO GET, I MEAN, YOU'RE TOUTING THIS PROGRAM, BUT ONCE YOU HAVE THOSE SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED, HE'S SAYING IT TOOK A MONTH FOR THEM TO GET 'EM TURNED ON AND IT WAS JUST FRUSTRATING. YEAH. TIME, MONEY. WE ARE CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY [00:20:01] URGING, YOU KNOW, CENTER POINT AND WE HAVE, AND I THINK THEY HAVE PROVIDED MORE PERSONNEL AND MORE RESOURCES. AND FROM THE LAST REPORT THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE SEEN OR HEARD, UH, THEY HAVE EXPEDITED THE PROCESS. SO THEY HAVE, THEY'RE FULLY AWARE, UH, THAT THEY HAVE LITERALLY BEEN HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WANT THE PANELS AND THEY'RE NEEDING, UH, UH, THE WORK TO BE DONE MUCH QUICKER. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME LONG DELAYS, UH, BUT UH, THEY HAVE INCREASED THEIR PERSONNEL PROVIDED ADDED RESOURCES. UH, THEY'VE REDUCED THE, THE WAIT TIME AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE MORE OF, MORE OF THAT OCCURRING BECAUSE WE DO WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE A, A ADVANTAGE OF THESE ROOFTOP SOLAR PANELS AND OF COURSE, WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND THE TAX CREDITS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED, UH, AND THEN WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH SUN, UH, SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS AND THE APPLICATION PERMITTING PROCESS BEING REDUCED, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO, TO WANT TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE, UH, THE 30% DISCOUNT. UM, SO WE, YOU KNOW, CENTERPOINT IS A PARTNER OF OURS AND, UH, WE JUST HOPE THEY WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND, AND STAFFING IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE INSTALLATION OF THESE SOLAR PANELS AND, SORRY, OR BACK TO, UM, SURE. THIS SUN. UM, YOU SAID THAT THERE WERE 600 PEOPLE WHO'VE SHOWED INTEREST SO FAR. IS THAT 600 PEOPLE WHO'VE SIGNED UP FOR THIS PARTICULAR CO-OP? YES. YEP. SO 600 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP FOR TEXAS SOLAR SWITCH, HOUSTON SO FAR. IS THERE ANY CONCERN THAT IF A CO-OP BECOMES A GROUP BECOMES TOO BIG, THAT IT COULD ACTUALLY SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS? SO, UM, WE ARE, OUR, OUR GOALS ARE BUILDING IN MUCH HIGHER CAPACITY THAN 600 PEOPLE. SO, UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE AIMING TO BE WORKING WITH SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE. UM, AND, AND THEREFORE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE AMOUNT OF INSTALLERS THAT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DO THAT. UM, AND WE HOPE THAT THE INCREASE IN DEMAND WILL ALSO MEAN THAT THE INTERCONNECTION, UH, TIMELINES WILL CONTINUE TO BE IMPROVED. THANK YOU. I'LL TOPIC, MAYOR, YOU TOUCHED ON IT VERY BRIEFLY WITH REGARDS TO SUNNYSIDE AND THEY DO HAVE AN INVESTMENT THERE. HOW, HOW PIVOTAL IS IT TO ENSURE THAT PROGRAMS LIKE THESE GET INTO ALL NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON? AND SEPARATE FROM THAT, UM, HOW DO YOU CONVINCE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME HOME FOR 50 YEARS OR 40 YEARS SAY, YOU KNOW, IT'S A COST, BUT AS YOU TALK ABOUT THE STRUGGLES THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LATER ON IN LIFE, THIS IS THE INVESTMENT THAT WE BELIEVE IS A CITY AND OTHERS THAT'S RIGHT. FOR YOU. HOW DO YOU GET THAT MESSAGE ACROSS TO EVERYONE? WELL, I WILL TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE, UM, ALL THROUGHOUT OUR CI CITY AND IN THE REGION, THEY'RE LOOKING AT WAYS THAT THEY CAN CUT THEIR U UTILITY COSTS. PEOPLE ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO THEIR MONTHLY UTILITY BILLS. AND, UM, UH, IF IN THE INSTALLATION OF, UH, SOLAR PANELS, YOU CAN REDUCE YOUR MONTHLY UTILITY COSTS, THAT'S A BENEFIT TO EVERYONE. OKAY. ANYTIME YOU CAN REDUCE WHAT YOU'RE PUTTING OUT AND THEN UTILIZE THAT ON OTHER THINGS, UH, THAT IS A TREMENDOUS, THAT'S A TREMENDOUS PLUS. UH, WITH REGARDS TO, UH, SUNNYSIDE, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY AMPED UP IF I CAN USE THAT AS RELATE TO, UM, THE IDE SOLAR FARM, UH, THAT WILL GENERATE ENOUGH POWER TO POWER TO SAVE 5,000 PLUS HOMES, UH, FROM THE, UH, CLEAN ENERGY POINT OF VIEW, TAKE 120 MILLION POUNDS OF EMISSIONS OUT OF THE AIR AND, AND, AND PROVIDE GOOD JOBS AND TRANSFORM A COMMUNITY. UM, SO LOOK, WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, UM, NOW IT IS EVEN MORE AFFORDABLE, UH, FOR PEOPLE AT THAT LOWER, UM, SOCIAL ECONOMIC RANGE TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF SOLAR ROOFTOPS. UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 30% CREDIT, ALONG WITH SOME OTHER BENEFITS, UH, THAT MAKES IT A LOT MORE AFFORDABLE. AND WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BE IN A POSITION TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF, OF THOSE SORT OF BENEFITS. UM, AND WHEN YOU COMBINE WHAT, UM, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH, WITH SUN, UH, SOLAR UNITED, UH, NEIGHBORS, UM, THROUGH THIS CO-OP ARRANGEMENT THAT DRIVES THE COST DOWN, YOU KNOW, EVEN MORE. AND THEN WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE DOING ON THE NAT ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF OF ENERGY, UH, AND THAT SOLAR APP PERMITTING, THAT SPEEDS UP THE PROCESS AS WELL. SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE, UH, REGARDLESS OF YOUR, WHERE YOU FALL ON YOUR SOCIAL ECONOMIC STRATA TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING THAT WILL REDUCE YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL AND AT THE SAME TIME ADDRESS CLIMATE ACTION IN REAL, IN, IN REAL TERM, IN REAL TIME. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, OKAY. YEAH, IF WE CAN, WE'LL TAKE SOME UNRELATED QUESTIONS, BUT IF WE WANT TO BREAK DOWN REAL QUICK, UH, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. OKAY. SUN'S GOING DOWN ON THIS [00:25:01] TOPIC, , THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS ANNA. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.