Before building data centers, developers must build society

Building trust comes before building data centers

In 2017 I signed a contract with Solarcity for a 7.67 kilowatt DC system rooftop solar array. The 20 panels were supposed to ensure I could offset all my electricity costs and consumption through renewable energy. A friend who worked for Solarcity had introduced me to a sales rep at our nearest Home Depot. After one conversation, he specced the panels and sent me an agreement. I convinced my wife we would be paying next to nothing for power in exchange for the monthly lease price. Less than a year later, our monthly bill was down to $2.25. There were months I had credit balances and did not pay a penny. It stayed that way for at least four years.

I shared the above bill with my wife and family. Everyone was blown away. Where could they get the same deal? Several friends and family members signed up for solar right away.

Except for my mother-in-law in Dallas. She waited a few years. So when, right before COVID, she started getting a ton of pushy solar salesmen coming to her door, she was primed and decided to go for it. She detested the sales tactics (they treated her like she was old and didn’t know what she was doing.) But she had social proof of the benefits of solar from her son-in-law.

Things didn’t get better. Every interaction with the solar company from the point of signing the preliminary agreement became the closest thing to the worst customer experience ever. There was roof damage. The bill increased exponentially. Zero responses to customer calls. So she went online to check, and every review of the solar sector was horrible. Horrible enough for enough people in Texas that the Texas attorney general launched an investigation earlier this year.