Sunprint
The short answer
From Corpus Christi to Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley, federal EIA records put AEP Texas Central's wires in all nine of our South Texas counties, so most homes buy power from a retail plan and the plan sets the buyback. In Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties, Magic Valley Electric Cooperative members net their solar against their use each month, but anything beyond the month's use goes to the co-op unpaid. For a $150 average bill our calculator puts payback at 16 to 25 years.
Sun across South Texas
South-facing panels on a 6/12 roof
NREL PVWatts v8, standard losses. Our estimates take off another 5% for roofs that face other ways.
All three cities make the most power in summer and still a fair amount in winter. That matters most in Magic Valley's territory: because a month's surplus is lost, a system sized to cover a whole year's use makes more than the home uses in the cooler months, and that surplus earns nothing. Our Magic Valley guide works out how much each system size loses.
Who buys your solar power
| Utility | What it does with solar power you send out | Yearly savings, $150 bill | Payback | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Texas Central area | Your retail plan sets the buyback: from nothing up to about its energy charge | $744 to $1,341 | 16 to 18 years | Estimate → |
| Magic Valley | Nets each month at the full rate; surplus beyond the month's use goes to the co-op unpaid | $1,046 to $1,224 | 22 to 25 years | Estimate → |
AEP Texas Central uses Corpus Christi sun, Magic Valley McAllen's. In the AEP area the savings range runs from a plan paying wholesale prices to one crediting close to its energy charge.
We couldn't confirm the solar terms of Brownsville Public Utilities Board, Nueces Electric, San Patricio Electric, Rio Grande Electric, Medina Electric or Robstown's city utility, so the estimate shows a range for them. Programs: AEP Texas's 2026 energy efficiency plan budgets $670,941 in home incentives for solar, storage and EV chargers under its SMART Source program, paid through installers who have taken its required training.
Outages and hail
| Utility | Hours without power a year, 2020 to 2024 average | Leaving out major storms | Worst year |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Texas Central area | 10.9 h | 2.8 h | 31.7 h in 2021 |
| Magic Valley | 10.0 h | 2.5 h | 24.6 h in 2020 |
| Brownsville PUB | 2.2 h | 1.0 h | 3.2 h in 2021 |
| Nueces Electric | 10.5 h | 2.7 h | 25.4 h in 2021 |
| San Patricio Electric | 4.1 h | 3.4 h | 5.0 h in 2020 |
Average hours without power per customer, from each utility's reports to the federal EIA. "Leaving out major storms" drops the major event days utilities are allowed to exclude.
Hail is less of a concern here than in North or West Texas: NOAA lists 212 reports in our nine counties over ten years, 58 of them in Hidalgo County. Grid-tied solar shuts down in an outage unless it has a battery set up for backup; our battery guide covers the options.
Your estimate in three steps
- Enter your billYour ZIP code, your utility and last month's bill.
- See your estimateA yearly savings range based on your utility's rates and the sun where you live.
- Choose what's nextAsk for a quote call if you want real pricing, or just keep the number.
See what solar could save you
It takes about a minute. You don't need a site visit, a commitment or a sales call to see your number.
Common questions
Is solar worth it in Corpus Christi and the Valley?
For a $150 average bill and a system covering 85% of use, our calculator puts payback at 16 to 18 years in the AEP Texas Central area and 22 to 25 years for Magic Valley members, at $3.00 to $3.50 a watt with no incentives.
Who buys solar power in South Texas?
In AEP Texas Central's area your retail electricity plan does, since AEP only delivers the power. Magic Valley Electric Cooperative nets solar against members' use each month; surplus beyond the month's use goes to the co-op unpaid.
How much sun does South Texas get?
In NREL's PVWatts model, 1 kW of south-facing panels makes about 1,591 kWh a year in Laredo, 1,550 in McAllen and 1,524 in Corpus Christi.
Does AEP Texas have a solar incentive?
AEP Texas's 2026 energy efficiency plan budgets $670,941 in home incentives for solar, storage and EV chargers under its SMART Source program, paid through participating installers.
How much hail does South Texas get?
NOAA lists 212 hail reports in our nine South Texas counties from 2016 to 2025, the fewest of the eight Texas regions we cover.
Related guides
- Solar for AEP Texas customers
- Solar for Magic Valley members
- Texas solar buyback plans
- How many solar panels you need in Texas
- Solar batteries and Texas power outages
- Is solar worth it in Texas?
Savings and payback are our calculator's estimates, not a utility's or an installer's. Rates and buyback terms change; check your utility's current terms before you sign. Sources: AEP Texas: solar overview and interconnection · AEP Texas 2026 Energy Efficiency Plan and Report (PDF) · Magic Valley Electric Cooperative: solar and wind systems · MVEC: distributed generation manual (PDF) · U.S. Department of Energy: the road to resilience with rooftop solar · U.S. EIA Form 861: service territories, reliability and sales data, 2020 to 2024 · NOAA NCEI Storm Events database, 2016 to 2025 · NREL PVWatts v8. Reviewed October 2026.
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