If you’ve driven by the co-op lately, you may have noticed a major change to the office building. In September, SPEC installed 22 solar panels on the south side of its office building in Sinton.

These panels, installed by Bodine Scott Renewable, will provide a system capacity of 6.34 KW to the co-op building. Aside from generating power, the biggest benefit of the system is that its helping the co-op learn more about solar power.

To further the co-op’s education on solar power, SPEC installed two types of solar panels. In the top row, there are 10 panels with a string inverter, each with a capacity of 310 watts. The bottom row holds 12 panels with micro inverters, each with a capacity of 270 watts. Having the two different panels will help SPEC learn more about how each one works and which type of panel performs best with the co-op’s system.

As more data becomes available, the co-op will have a website available where members can view the information from the solar panels in real time. 

Why solar power?

As renewable energy grows more popular, we want to be your source for energy news and information. Today, there are very few solar systems connected to SPEC’s grid, so this project should provide a wealth of information for the co-op and our members in regards to generating solar power. In particular, doing more research on renewable energy better equips SPEC to answer member questions and can help us figure out what solar options are the most beneficial to our members.

Watch for a member survey

We will also be conducting surveys toward the end of the year to help us better understand what services our members would like from us going forward. Survey participants will be randomly chosen by a third party company and surveys will be conducted online or by phone.

Those selected to participate will receive a postcard in the mail with instructions for how to complete the survey.  We encourage all selected for the survey to provide honest feedback that will help guide your co-op in the future.