Grab Your Pitchforks, Folks! It's Time to Get Excited About... Roofs?

In a plot twist no one saw coming, the Austin City Council is about to make your roof the hottest thing since sliced bread. They're voting on a proposed Solar Standard Offer program this month, and you better believe it's a big deal.

In a city that's basically a solar panel's dream with all our sunshine, rooftop solar has been the neglected stepchild for too long. But not anymore! This program is kicking open the door for solar companies to lease your roof space, install their own panels, and sell the clean energy to Austin Energy. No more shelling out thousands or taking loans for installation – they'll handle it all. [ insert angry cat meme here ]

Austin Energy will cough up 11.24 cents per kilowatt-hour for energy from systems under 1 megawatt and 8.41 cents for larger ones. Why? Because it saves them (and us, since they're city-owned) a ton of cash. Win-win!

Now, don't be fooled by the term "small-scale." With thousands of megawatts of potential, our empty roofs are about to become power stations. And if you think our air is bad now, just wait till we don't make this change. Spoiler alert: it'll cost us a pretty penny and our health. [ insert 'this is fine' dog meme here ]

But fear not, for rooftop solar and local batteries are here to save the day! The energy from this program will also boost Austin Energy’s Community Solar program. So even if you can't install panels (looking at you, renters), you can still join the solar revolution. sign up here, you lazy bums

So, let's recap: more solar power, less pollution, green jobs, and a boost to the local economy. What's not to love? Get excited, people! This isn't just about roofs anymore – it's about our future. And if you're not on board, well, I've got a strongly worded tweet with your name on it.

Kaiba White, your favorite climate policy and outreach specialist from the Texas office of Public Citizen, out. [ mic drop ]