Houston: Energy Capital for ALL Forms of Energy

Published Mar 11, 2019 by Lou Ann Duvall

Guest Blog Post by John Berger, Founder and CEO of Sunnova and Co-Chair, Greater Houston Partnership Energy Industry Committee

For decades, Houston has championed the moniker, "Energy Capital of the World"—a global hub for traditional energy—and this title has served us well. Over the years, however, the energy landscape has evolved and morphed dramatically in response to technological change and the demand for clean energy—new energy. And as the energy landscape has evolved, so too has Houston through the cultivation and adoption of disruptive technologies and services that have challenged the status quo and set out to strengthen our city's reputation as the world's leader of all things energy.

Cities have always been laboratories of change and through the rapidly shifting US energy system, due to pressures from consumer demand, energy preferences and new technology, Houston is leading the charge to help posture what the new energy system for the 21st century consumer looks like.

As the Founder and CEO of Sunnova, one of the leading U.S. residential solar and storage service providers, headquartered here in Houston, we are excited and encouraged to see the new energy future made possible through cleaner, more reliable and sustainable energy options, like residential solar and battery storage technology services.

The momentum the solar industry has experienced over the last few years has opened up a new world of energy options for increasingly engaged and demanding consumers. Solar storage services provide homeowners with energy options that are more resilient in the face of storms and natural disasters because the energy source is sited on the home rather than hundreds of miles away and offer consumers who are concerned about their impact on the air, land and water a better option for where their energy comes from. When coupled with other significant technological advances, such as home energy management systems and demand control technology, solar energy gives consumers control and options where they previously had neither.

It is amazing how much we underestimate the pace of change. What we are witnessing right now is a major energy transformation that will provide cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy solutions for consumers. And this is happening here, in the Bayou City.

Houston is a leader in consumer choice, energy innovation and technological disruption; we know it is our entrepreneurial and innovative spirit as a city that will help us to lead the world in new energies and retain our title as the “Energy Capital of the World.”