Yes, I agree. I was only pointing out that you probably can’t drive your electric bill to zero with solar panels because of the daily connect charge. It is actually a pretty good percentage of our electric bill.

Have you been watching news? Lots of people gotten taken by solar scams. Not to mention roof damage/leakage after installation of system then can’t get work. I think long and hard and tread very lightly. Who even chose research make sure Google company for complaints.

I've had solar for 20 years on my 3000 sq ft home with a 5 ton AC unut. My power bill has always been less than $70.00 The older panels wore out. Thery were the fist ones on market. The new ones I'm having installed product 3 to 4 times the wattage. and, so having the newer ones should last me the rest of my life. They are 92 % effient for 25 years. I'm paying cash for mine of the amount of approx.25k, but then I get a 30% tax reduction good for 5 years. My system is approx. 10kw and one of of the best panels made ( Enphase). The power rates are ridiculous increasing ever year. My retirement income is doing the opposite. I'm a retired electronic enginner and was trained years ago on solar. So I say, if you are 70 or less GO FOR IT. Above that age. ? ?

The sun is converting 2 1/2 million tons of hydrogen to energy every second and it doesn’t cost anything. It’s sure be nice to use a little of it!

Joe

Call Elisa at Castaways Energy 407.985.2689 or email elisa@castawaysenergy.com I took the loan and my electric bill savings more than pays the loan payment with only the solar panels as collateral.

How old was your first system?

My bill is about $170/month. You are saving $100/month - at $25,000; that’s a 21 year payback.

I just don’t think any system will last 20 years. Your roof doesn’t last 20 years.

Just guessing.... not a house in Florida?

Way to good to be true. Wonder who he might work for?

We’re just over a year into having solar panels placed on our new house. With the tax break and current electricity rates, we should break even in 15-20 years. Just noticed water stain on ceiling in room under the panels. Opened ticket with solar company to come check it out, hopefully they take care of it.

Totally agree, as long as it’s cost effective to convert that so called free energy to energy that’s actually useable.

Why are you generating $3,500 per year in electrical power, when your second link says that the average monthly electric bill in Florida is $128, which is only $1,536 per year? Your initial investment of $35,000, if applied to paying for your electric bill, would be enough money to pay for your entire electricity usage for 23 years, or longer if the money was invested with interest. How can you justify an initial investment of $35,000?

Wow. It's probably something simple that a roofer could repair in 10 minutes, but the roofer won't touch the solar panels. Does the solar system warranty say anything about roof leaks? If the solar contractor doesn't fix it, you may need to file a homeowner's insurance claim. A leak like that can cause an expensive mold situation. Good luck.

Remember those panels will have to come down when you replace the roof. Not sure what the added expense will be but you should look into that.

The deciding factor in avoiding solar panels.

That is why it should only be installed on a metal roof or a tesla roof.

About $4,000

How long do you think your roof would last if you put a cover over it? Like, solar panels?

In guess you will need to tell your insurance company about the solar panels, no idea of the impact, but I would do this first so that I am not surprised.

In my opinion, the solar panels will shorten the life of the roof because of more dirt accumulation under and around the panels. The panels do not cover the entire roof anyway. And, what do you do when you have a roof leak? (see Post No. 49). I doubt that a solar company will be very responsive when you have a roof leak, and I do not think a roofer will be interested in removing solar panels to repair a leak. A roofer can usually repair a simple leak by replacing a few shingles, but if the leaking area is covered by solar panels, it presents a whole different problem.

Enphase
 

As a retired engineer, you should know that Enphase does not make panels, they make micro-inverters.

I've taken my 2012 solar investment and added batteries in 2022 ish. Can now run through the night of an outage and keep the food from spoiling. No generator, just hybrid inverter.

Been hearing that some h/o insurance companies are canceling coverage completely for folks with panels on house. I have metal roof and no insurance coverage on panels.

After ten years I can attest to this fact: Solar panel drippings cause corrosion on otherwise perfect metal roof. I have the Galvalume sheets. Only place with rust is along the drip edge of the aluminum framed panels. If a contractor had told me back at install to paint that drip area, this could all have been avoided.

Daily connect charge is for the 'grid as your battery'. You push into grid in the daytime and pull back at night. Cheap battery at about $1 a day. Real batteries can run over $10k.

You have a classic problem of Aluminum in contact with steel, these 2 metals do not play nice together. I doubt that any amount of paint would have stopped the problem. I always try to use stainless steel hardware if it is going to be in contact with aluminum. I would suggest try calling Eastwood (yes automotive products) and see if any of their excellent rust preventative solutions will help with your situation.
Hope this helps.

I did that Ospho treatment, twice, sanded and painted with that Elastomeric white paint. Two coats and seem 95% better.

As many of the US energy companies do. Example:

Solar Energy - Duke Energy

FACT CHECK: True,

when solar first started, NYPSC mandated that Niagara Mohawk, which had the lowest cost of electric generation in the Northeast, accept power from solar generation. The cost to upgrade the mechanical systems to electronic systems to accept the irregular flow from solar, was not yet accepted into the rate base for the mandated return, and the company went bankrupt. . .

So be careful what you wish for.

Weather based electrical generation is inherently unstable as weather is inherently random and unstable. The solar based infrastructure requires electronic switching devices to manage the instability (think passing clouds) along with the steady legacy generation. Electricity can't be easily stored on very large scales. . .

The UK found out one day when the sky was overcast and the wind didn't blow at all anywhere. . they had to fire up back up coal plants at a very large incremental cost to maintain adequate power supplies to the grid. It might be sustainable, but instability might be more expensive than legacy stable, such as nuclear power.

your small implementation is not the same as at massive scale. . . scaling can be exponentially more difficult and expensive. .

former utility finance guy

Still scratching my head why we are not generating more electricity from nuclear power

Three unfortunate events had a profound impact on public opinion, a history of cost overruns hasn't helped, and lingering, perhaps unwarranted, concerns about nuclear waste storage has also been problematic. We are, fortunately, starting to see some progress in Georgia.