As San Antonio’s solar ecosystem continues to grow in complexity, the Alamo City is now home to what is being called the first retail design center for rooftop solar in Texas.
Freedom Solar Power recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the company’s new retail space located inside an office park off Perrin Beitel Road and Loop 410. Modeled after an Apple store or cell phone showroom, the space will be a game changer for how rooftop solar is sold in San Antonio, company officials said.
“The idea here is that we’re not going to knock on customers’ doors; they’re coming to us and knocking on our door,” Freedom Solar Power Managing Director Brett Biggart told the Business Journal. “We can show them what solar looks like. What the payback looks like. Show them what the design looks like on their house and be able to walk them through the entire process.”
Prior to opening their new retail space, Freedom Solar Power was located in a small office off South Alamo Road in the trendy King William District. The company’s new location is handy to a number of electrical supply companies but it will also serve as a design center, showroom, sales office, parts warehouse and a base for installers.
Companies such as the TreeHouse hardware store in Austin sell solar panels directly to customers and Texas Solar Outfitters in Houston has a storefront off Shepherd Drive but Freedom Solar Power Sales Director Kyle Frazier said their new San Antonio location is the first true design center and showroom for rooftop solar in Texas.
Freedom uses and installs solar panels made by San Jose, California-based manufacturer SunPower, which include microinverters that convert the raw electricity generated by the panels into power that can be safely used inside a home.
“Most people who buy this technology will never touch it,” Frazier said. “They’ll sign a contract with us. We’ll come and install it on their roof, which they’ll never walk on. The closest that they’ll ever get to this $20,000 investment is 20 feet. Here, they can touch it, they can see it, they can understand it and see where their money is going.”
Federal tax credits and rebates offered by San Antonio’s municipally owned utility company CPS Energy have transformed the Alamo City into a lucrative market for rooftop solar. CPS Energy gives higher rebates to solar companies that have a local office, a local telephone number and provide warranty service within 48 hours.
Expanding without the help of outside investors, Freedom currently has five full-time employees in San Antonio but that number is expected to grow to 10 by the end of the year. The company is expected to finish 2016 with $36 million in sales across the state of Texas but that figure is expected to grow to $100 million by the end of 2018.