By Trey Dao
IKEA Rooftop Solar Installation
1,913 panels 1.2M Kwhr
Equivalent to powering 110 homes a year, taking 200 cars off the road, or 3.5 million miles. It totals a 30% energy offset for the entire building and is still the largest array in Houston (it was recently reduced in size, but the output remains the same due to an increase in panel efficiency).
The first set of panels was installed in 2012 and replaced at the start of 2025. As a bonus, the leftover panels did end up being recycled.
Plug-In Solar Presentation
What is unique about the panels is that they're modular and include both rigid, ground-mounted panels and lightweight, semi-flexible bi-facial panels that can be placed where conventional panels cannot, such as railings and fences.
The battery also runs on a smart communication system, meaning that if the system is at full capacity, the battery will start charging, storing excess energy production.
During Hurricane Harvey, one of the owners of the company used his panels and battery to run his bare necessities when the power grid was shut down, such as his fridge, TV, wifi router, and a small window AC unit. Another customer was able to let a neighbor in need plug into his system to help them run their essentials.
All components are self-installed and utilize the existing home wiring to replace utility power. The total power production depends on both the system setup and your home energy needs but can output anywhere from 200 watts to 2000+ Watts or 2-4 kWh. The inverter, smaller than traditional units (hence micro) converts direct current electricity to alternating current electricity for home appliance use. Getting a power meter is also highly recommended, as it regulates the power produced for your household and lets you see how much is produced and used at what time.
These systems can save anywhere around $200/year; however, when coupled with a battery could save a lot more. Swapping to more energy-efficient alternative devices, lights, and more is also highly recommended to further increase savings. It takes traditional solar 10+ years to make costs back, whereas with plug-in solar systems it can take around 5-6 years for states like Texas and as little as one year for places like California with solar tax credits.
One huge benefit of these modular plug-in solar systems is that they work for both renters and homeowners. They are lightweight and easily integrated systems, meaning you can take them with you when you move or increase the size of the system if you have a greater energy demand. Additionally, environmentally speaking, switching to a plug-in or conventional solar system also prevents carbon emissions generated from coal or fossil fuels burned to generate electricity.
These systems are inherently very safe and come with built-in safety measures. Of the 5 million inverters sold in Germany, not one death occurred. Compare and contrast this with diesel generators that pose a far higher risk to consumers.
The main consideration for installation safety is eliminating breaker masking, where the breaker only sees reduced current on the total supply when swapping to plug-in systems. The solution is to install the panel and battery at the end of the circuit, rather than in the middle, eliminating the increased current that can lead to wire melt and fires, or to install the system on a dedicated circuit.
Q&A Discussion
Q: Is it fairly easy to pass supporting regulations on plug-in solar?
A: On the regulatory side, as long as linemen are safe, legislators should be happy to adopt this technology. Some of the current challenges facing plug-in solar come with unnecessary overregulation, administrative barriers, and picky HOAs.
Q: Is the Texas grid built for two-way energy flow?
A: Without battery storage, you only want the plug-in system to be as big as you need it to generate for your demand because excess power will go back to the grid but with no buyback agreement.
Coal is often on the margin due to fewer hours running, meaning more operators will be pushed to close. This is beneficial; for example, since 1980, some state plants have gotten away without any sulfur emissions regulations
Moreover, solar farms lessen the total demand on the energy grid. More decentralization is very beneficial and a win-win scenario for both industry and individual consumers. As transmission overheads get cheaper, it results in cheaper transmission costs on everyone’s bill.
Lastly, during eras of increasing climatic events, a decentralized grid equals more resiliency and the ability to provide cooperation between neighbors in emergencies.
Q: Five years from now, what would a successful market look like in TX?
A: This is a simple goal: 10% of households have plug-in solar across the state.
We like to think of plug-in solar as a “Gateway Drug”. Once the consumer is saving money on household electricity costs, it will influence their decisions on other energy expenditures such as transportation and owning electric vehicles.
Q: What is the highest threat halting the mass implementation of this technology?
A: The biggest ‘threat’ is the utility companies; however, it should be a relatively easy argument to convince them. Once they know their linemen will be safe during installation and won’t be an existential threat to their sales, there will be little resistance from any side - economic or regulatory.
There are also big benefits to the oil and gas industry as well because, as the infrastructure develops, their energy costs will decrease. Development requires electricity. The more people are generating their own power, and more transmission lines are built, it reduces the strain on the grid, and it reduces costs for all industries.
Q: Do a lot of panels tear off during high winds?
A: In very high winds, you will have some issues, but hail is really the biggest problem. If there’s physical damage to the panels, the solar cells can overheat and need to be replaced.
Q: What are some other issues plug-in solar faces in regulation?
A: HOAs do crack down on plug-in solar, but this can be addressed at the state level with the passing of bills eliminating HOA overregulation.
Renters can also face difficulties, as landlords can ban them from the buildings. This is also difficult to address because you can’t cut the owner of the house out of the decision-making process. This is also an issue in cities abroad, like in Berlin.
Q: How much do systems cost?
A: Here’s the cost for one panel:
$1-2 per watt
$400-1000 per panel, but there are also discounts for buying in bulk or bundling different components like batteries and panels.
As the market matures and scales, these systems will get cheaper over time. For example, when they were first invented, panels costed $100/Watt.
Some countries, like in China, the government stepped in and set a price ceiling at 9 cents a watt. In Australia, including both installation costs and permitting, it costs under a dollar per watt.
Furthermore, inverters are traditionally produced in China, and with the FCC recently passing a tariff on foreign inverters, prices can fluctuate as well. Companies have to figure out how to recoup those costs and usually do so by passing them to consumers. CenterPoint does provide a rebate for solar up to 15kW.
Photos by Trey Dao.