Spotlight: Austin Winecoff

Spotlight on a Solar Pro: Austin Winecoff

austin winecoff solar intern extraordinaire This spotlight on a solar pro is Austin Winecoff. Austin threw himself with purpose toward the solar industry this year, and then stumbled onto Renu. Having discovered a passion for helping expand renewable energy while studying Sustainable Business and Sustainable Technology at Appalachian State University, he called the entire page of Google results for solar installers in Charlotte in pursuit of an internship.

He’s pleased he found Renu, where he gets along with the folks he works with and gets to help advance clean energy for the sake of those all over the world and future generations.

Once he came on board for the internship, Austin got some exposure to the office work related to solar and a lot of experience in the field, where the panels meet the shingles. Austin’s glad to have landed an internship with a local company instead of a national solar company from somewhere else, because he’d rather be around people who are locally-minded and follow a procedure that focuses attention on clients and the community.

He can tell the solar business is booming in the Carolinas, but at the same time he’s learned the ins and outs of the industry and he’s not shy to share his strong views on what should be done in the Carolinas to encourage more solar, saying, “It’s a shame that we’re hearing that parts of the South Carolina market are reaching a cap on solar net metering – the state government needs to bring the state into the 21st century. The North Carolina legislature should bring back the state tax credit!”

When not advocating for solar to be made even more affordable, or working on a roof, Austin likes cold locally-brewed IPAs, mountain biking and water activities like wake boarding and kayaking, being around dogs and tuning into Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Go Panthers!

Read about another solar professional: Jeff Stewart, Director of Alternative Finance

Read our solar professional spotlight about Christina McClain: Junior Project Coordinator

Read our feature on another solar professional: Frazier Spann, Solar Team Lead

Read another feature on a solar professional: Hannah Elliott, Operations Supervisor

Read about our two summer 2018 operations interns, Jenny Nguyen and Sam Robbins

Read about Logan Peterson, our summer/fall 2018 Operations Department Intern

Frequently Asked Questions About Solar for Your Home:

How exactly does going solar and a solar system itself work?

Solar energy begins with sunlight that hits the panels to produce energy that flows into your inverter, which converts the DC energy into Alternating Current (AC) electricity that can be used to power your home. This same energy is then consumed when powering your home’s light, appliances, gizmos, and gadgets. If you feel your home isn’t producing the energy that it needs, the utility will fill in the gaps. If you system produces more energy than needed, that energy will go to the grid and your utility will credit you for the unused power.

How many solar panels do I need for my home?

At Renu Energy Solutions we design our solar panel systems size based on three main factors.

Roof-size/available space: When we look at the size of your roof and the space available, we gather data that tell us the maximum number of solar panels your home or site can hold and we even consider shading. We use a software “Suneye” which takes a 360 picture of your roof and we use this photo to determine if your home is a good candidate for solar.

Energy Usage: When we determine energy usage we look at your past electrical bills from over the course of a year to make sure your system isn’t too big or too small.

Your Budget: We take your budget seriously and most importantly, we want you to be satisfied with our services. We take your feedback on how much you want to spend so that we can size your system appropriately.

What is solar net-metering?

Net-metering is a type of utility policy that controls how your system is connected to the grid and how you are credited for the solar energy you produce.

Does Duke Energy offer net-metering?

Yes! Both Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress territories in NC offer net-metering when your homes goes solar. If you are interested in net-metering, no worries. Our team will guide you through the process as certain utilities have a different application procedure.

Curious about the cost of a home solar system?

When our clients ask this question, we immediately tell Tham about the federal tax credit that comes with going solar. The Federal tax credit for going solar is 26% in 2020. For example, if the total cost of you system was $22,000, when you subtract 26% you are then left with a %16,280 solar system. There is not set price for a home going solar as there are many factors that contribute to the total cost. The price of a solar home can range from $10k to $100k based on the size of your roof, energy usage, aesthetic preferences, and of course, budget.

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Home Solar System

The amount of electricity that a solar energy system will produce will depend on a number of factors, including the location of the home, system design, and much more. Ideally, a home with an unobstructed south-facing view will produce more than enough energy.

Energy Storage

Installing battery backup along with your solar energy system for home or business is a smart move and can increase the value of your clean energy investment as well as peace of mind when a grid outage occur.

EV Chargers

Electric cars – with no gas engine at all – now work for most budgets and lifestyles. With more and more models to choose from, drivers are choosing electric vehicles (or EVs) than ever before!

Ready to Own Your Own Energy?

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