In short: in the Rio Grande Valley, your utility decides most of the math. AEP Texas wires come with a retail provider you choose; Magic Valley Electric Cooperative averaged about 10.2¢ per kWh in 2024 and Brownsville’s city-owned BPUB about 12.7¢ (EIA). Each treats extra solar differently, and hurricanes and freezes top FEMA’s local hazard list.
Below: the Valley’s utilities and their solar rules, backup power for hurricanes and freezes, and where permits come from in McAllen and Brownsville. For statewide rules (solar sales law, TDLR licensing, property tax exemption), see our Texas energy guide.
Rio Grande Valley at a glance
- AEP Texas Central (wires; you choose a retail provider): serves much of Hidalgo and Cameron counties. 228 minutes without power per customer in 2024 with major events, 150 without (whole AEP Texas Central system). Competitive-area homes paid about 16.7¢ per kWh on average in 2024, about 5.7¢ of it AEP’s delivery charges (EIA-861).
- Magic Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC): member co-op across the Valley with about 126,400 home customers; about 10.2¢ per kWh in 2024; 122 minutes without power with major events, 116 without.
- Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB): city-owned, about 48,100 home customers; about 12.7¢ per kWh; 161 minutes without power with major events, 76 without, over about 2.8 interruptions.
- Oncor: its wires also serve some parts of Hidalgo County (EIA). System-wide, mostly in North Texas, Oncor customers lost 532 minutes in 2024 with major events, 67 without.
- Sun: about 5.07 kWh per square meter per day in McAllen and 4.98 in Brownsville (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,450 to 1,480 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Hidalgo County “very high” for hurricanes, cold waves and ice storms, and Cameron County “very high” for hurricanes and cold waves. Cameron is also in TDI’s windstorm catastrophe area.
- Public charging: 43 public ports at 21 locations in McAllen (16 DC fast) and 48 ports at 9 locations in Brownsville (30 DC fast) (AFDC, read October 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Your bill tells you which one you have. Their solar rules differ more than their prices:
- Magic Valley Electric Cooperative: solar homes go on a net meter, so within each billing cycle the solar you send out offsets what you use. But MVEC does not buy back or carry forward any excess: a month with more production than use earns nothing extra. Size solar to your monthly use, and contact MVEC and sign its agreement before installation. MVEC offers rebates for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and efficient appliances, and bill credits for letting it adjust a Nest thermostat on summer afternoons (its solar page and rebates). We found no MVEC home battery, EV charger or solar rebate.
- Brownsville PUB: uses “buy all, sell all”: a production meter and a two-way meter (BPUB lists $100 for the two), and BPUB buys power you send back at its Fuel and Purchase Energy Charge rate, which is only part of the full price you pay. BPUB also reviews solar proposals for free and offers GoGreen efficiency rebates (BPUB solar page).
- AEP Texas areas: AEP connects your system (agreement and permission to operate within about 30 days of a complete application), but your retail provider decides what exports earn, and some plans pay nothing. AEP Texas’s 2026 SMART Source solar incentive is paid to participating contractors while funding lasts; check the program page for amounts.
- Oncor areas: also a wires company with retail choice; ask Oncor about interconnection and your provider about buyback.
Backup power in the Rio Grande Valley
Day to day, Valley outages are short: in 2024 the main utilities’ customers lost between about 1¼ and 2½ hours a year on normal days. The long ones come with hurricanes and tropical storms, when heat and humidity make cooling a safety issue, and with rare hard freezes; FEMA rates both cold waves and hurricanes “very high” here. AEP Texas named Valley customers among those to prepare as Tropical Storm Bertha approached in July 2026.
- Short outages: a portable power station for Wi-Fi, phones, fans, a CPAP and lights.
- Essentials for a day or more: a home battery, ideally with solar to recharge.
- Air conditioning through a long outage: a standby generator on natural gas or propane; see generator installation.
Compare them in our backup power guide and size them with the battery backup calculator and generator sizing tool. Run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away, with carbon monoxide alarms inside (CPSC).
Solar in the Rio Grande Valley
Our rough estimates for a kW of panels used entirely at home: about $150 a year at MVEC’s average price, $185 at BPUB’s, and up to about $245 at the competitive-area average. Because none of the Valley’s utilities pays full retail for exports (and retail providers’ buyback plans vary), the best value comes from a system sized to what you use as it is produced, with afternoon air conditioning helping. Check your own roof with the solar potential tool and solar savings calculator, then read how solar installation works and what solar costs.
In Brownsville and the rest of Cameron County, a home insured for wind and hail through TWIA needs TDI windstorm inspection and certification for roof work, including rooftop solar. Ask your installer how they handle it, and tell your insurer.
Home batteries in the Rio Grande Valley
Where excess solar earns little or nothing, as with MVEC’s no-carryover rule, a battery lets you use your own midday power at night instead of giving it away, and it keeps essentials running after a storm. We found no battery program at MVEC, BPUB or AEP Texas. Any battery tied to your panel needs a licensed electrician, a permit and your utility’s approval. See home batteries, battery costs and battery installation.
EV charging in the Rio Grande Valley
McAllen has 43 public charging ports and Brownsville 48, most of Brownsville’s DC fast. At home, our estimate at about 30 kWh per 100 miles: roughly $3.10 per 100 miles at MVEC’s average price, $3.80 at BPUB’s and $5 at the competitive-area average, before charging losses. We found no home charger rebate from the Valley’s utilities. Use the EV charging cost calculator with your rate, and see EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in McAllen: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- McAllen: Building Permits & Inspections publishes separate solar and generator permit applications and takes permits through its online portal.
- Brownsville: the Building Permits and Inspections division takes solar permits online, with a required-documents list and contractor registration; it lists AEP Texas, BPUB and MVEC for utility approval.
- Outside city limits: Hidalgo County Planning issues development permits; in Cameron County, the county’s Department of Transportation handles residential permits (county page).
- Who does the work: a TDLR-licensed electrician; a licensed professional for gas lines. Your installer should pull permits and handle utility approval.
- HOAs: under the Texas Property Code, an HOA generally cannot ban solar panels or a permanent standby generator, but can set placement and screening rules.
Cities we cover
- McAllen
- Brownsville
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Rio Grande Valley energy questions
Does Magic Valley Electric Cooperative pay for extra solar?
No. MVEC nets your solar against your use within each billing cycle, but it does not buy back excess power or carry it to the next month. If you make more than you use in a month, the extra earns nothing, so size the system to your use or add a battery. Contact MVEC before you install.
How does Brownsville PUB handle home solar?
BPUB uses a “buy all, sell all” setup with two meters, which it lists at $100 together. Power you send to the grid is bought at BPUB’s Fuel and Purchase Energy Charge rate, below the full price you pay. BPUB reviews solar proposals for free; approval, a City of Brownsville permit and inspection come before BPUB connects you.
Who is my electric company in McAllen?
It depends on the address. EIA lists AEP Texas, Magic Valley Electric Cooperative and Oncor in Hidalgo County. With AEP Texas or Oncor wires, you choose a retail provider who sends the bill; with MVEC, the co-op sells you power directly. Your bill or meter number tells you which applies.
Do I need a windstorm inspection for solar in the Valley?
In Cameron County, including Brownsville, if your home is insured through TWIA: the county is in TDI’s windstorm catastrophe area, and roof work such as rooftop solar must be inspected and certified. Hidalgo County, including McAllen, is not in that area. Your insurer can confirm what your policy needs.
Sources
EIA-861, 2024 data (service territories; prices = residential revenue ÷ sales; delivery charges; reliability); Magic Valley Electric Cooperative solar, rebate and MyResponse pages; Brownsville PUB solar page; AEP Texas solar, SMART Source and news pages; Cities of McAllen and Brownsville permit pages; Hidalgo and Cameron County pages; Texas Department of Insurance windstorm program; NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC Station Locator; Texas Property Code 202.010 and 202.019; CPSC. All read October 2026. Estimates are ours and labelled.