At GVEC, we serve a large area of small town and rural customers and members. But this does not mean we stand idly by while the world around us advances in energy solutions, renewable options and technology. In fact, qfuite the opposite usually occurs—many times GVEC is at the forefront of leading the way in these innovations in our area.
In last month’s issue, I talked about some of our goals for products and services we plan to offer in 2020. I’d like to expand a little more on a couple of those mentioned:
Residential Battery Storage
Last year, we witnessed significant growth in our solar services as we met the demand of our members interested in utilizing renewable energy. In fact, GVEC was named the top solar utility cooperative in Texas by the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) in 2019. This means we ranked number one in the state for the most residential solar watts-per-customer.
This also means the popularity of solar is soaring in the Guadalupe Valley, and we will continue to provide excellent customer service in the installation of solar panel systems in the most convenient and affordable ways possible. We are committed to staying up with progressive technology for our solar customers, including offering residential battery storage solutions in 2020.
Residential battery storage will allow solar customers to store unused energy for “a rainy day,” so to speak, helping to meet their home’s electricity demand when the sun isn’t shining. Customers will also be able to safely power their homes during an outage. Read more about residential battery storage on the following page.
Residential EV Charging
In 2019, we stepped up to fill a need we recognized for public electric vehicle (EV) charging in our area. We installed two GVEC Power Tower™ fast-charging stations along IH-10. As we monitor the growing trend in EV manufacturing and sales, we anticipate our customers and members adopting EV technology at a higher rate. We aim to be able to meet home EV charging needs for customers and members.
This is why GVEC will offer residential EV charging stations in 2020. EV charging stations for your home, installed by licensed GVEC electricians, will help eliminate the guess work of who to hire and seek advice from as customers familiarize themselves with driving electric.
As your electric provider, you already know and trust us. Just as our founders did with electricity, we want to ensure those we serve in the Guadalupe Valley are not left “in the dark” when it comes to transitioning and venturing into the future of new energy solutions and technologies beyond the meter.
I’m always interested in your questions and feedback. Contact me by phone at
830.857.1152, email at dschauer@gvec.org or by mail at P.O. Box 118, Gonzales, TX, 78629.
