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The icy storms that overtook Texas resulted in unprecedented blackouts, leaving millions of people without power for days on end. Along with other catastrophic weather events that have recently dominated the news feed, this is resulting in a surging demand for personal power sources.

While a generator may adequately power your home for a few days, obtaining fuel to endure a prolonged outage can be difficult, if not outright impossible. So how can you overcome the limitations of traditional generators? Many homeowners believe the answer lies in solar-powered microgrids.

What is a Microgrid?

A microgrid is essentially an independent power grid for your home. This is not a new concept, as rural communities have relied on these types of grids for years. However, modern technology and the rise of affordable solar power have allowed these grids to be significantly scaled down.  

A residential microgrid will include some means of generating power, such as solar panels. It will also need commercial-quality batteries to store that power in the event of an outage. A complete system will be self-sustaining and will be able to power the majority of the equipment within the home. This includes the HVAC system and large appliances.

In fact, several million homes in the United States are already equipped with solar panels. Some even have batteries that are capable of storing excess energy that can be used in the event of an outage.

As mentioned above, the biggest reason for the growth is the realization that municipal power grids are not as reliable as they were once believed to be. 

A short outage that only lasts a few hours is easily endured. However, an outage that lasts days or weeks can seriously hinder your family’s quality of life. Such an outage can leave you unable to heat your home or store food. This can result in hundreds of dollars in losses and even endanger your family through extreme temperatures.

Current Market and Projected Growth

The rapidly increasing interest in residential solar and microgrids bodes well for future growth. Currently, the market is valued at roughly $9 billion in the United States alone. Some organizations project that it will be worth over $40 billion by the end of the decade.

Residential solar companies saw some indications of the potential for continued growth in the days following the Texas outage. In fact, some companies experienced an increase of several hundred percent in web traffic. This growth will result in an increased demand for qualified contractors that can install microgrids and solar equipment.  

How Much Does a Microgrid Cost?

Purchasing a residential microgrid is a costly endeavor and will vary based on the size of the home.  Most solar-powered microgrids cost somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000, which places them out of reach for many homeowners.

In addition, microgrids take quite a while to install. This is primarily due to delays in obtaining necessary equipment. Solar panels are in particularly high demand and are responsible for the majority of these delays. For comparison, a whole-home generator costs about half as much as a microgrid and can be installed in a few days.

There is hope for some homeowners, though, as a few states offer substantial rebates for solar panels. Currently, Florida and California are the only states that institute such a program, but Texas is likely to follow suit after recent events. These rebates allow homeowners to cut their costs in half, which substantially increases the appeal of solar microgrids.

As noted above, the projected growth of the Texas microgrid market means that licensed contractors will be in huge demand. If you are interested in getting involved, then you will need to obtain your Texas Electrical license.

RocketCert can help you to achieve this goal with our extensive prep materials. We offer hundreds of online courses and self-paced training modules. Our fully remote learning environment allows you to prepare from any location without interrupting your busy schedule. Take advantage of our “No Pass, No Pay” promise and pave the way to success with RocketCert today!