I don't know much about Austin. But power from solar panels starts at $0.35usd per kwh and goes up from there. Solar power is not free, there is regular maintenance and one must replace the batteries, the whole bank at once, about every 6-7 years, depending on the type of battery and the conditions it was in. So one must check the local cost of grid electricity and compare it to 35 cents per kwh to see if solar panels are worth it. Plus a whole house solar panel system might cost $35,000 installed and most people don't have the cash and it STILL may not run your AC. And the tax incentives that are still around (most are gone) are only a 10% or so tax credit. So it's not worth it in many cases. Your electricity costs will be higher in warmer states as your AC will run a lot more. AC uses a compressor and compressors use a lot more power.