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I’m getting solar panels after my new roof is installed but before the end of the year. 30% federal tax credit this year. It drops to 26% in 2020. I’m averaging 11.3 cents per kWh here in central Texas. Solar is about the same for the duration of the loan. But electricity goes up every year. My system will be a 7.26 kW system and provide about 90% - 95% of what I need. I’ll have net metering through Green Mountain Energy. Even in Texas with 100% renewable energy solar is a great idea. If you are renting I suggest Chariot Energy if you can choose. It’s about 9.3 cents per kWh. It doesn’t have net metering though.
I have always had low electric bills, $40 to $70 depending on the season. Eversource just changed the carrier fees and my bill rose to $168 mostly on the fees end. The thing is, my neighbor always spent $150 per month on electricity and they leased solar and said that their bill is now $9 per month. So I am going to be talking to a solar company 2 weeks from now. First, I wonder if solar will remove those fees or will it just be removing the electric part and bringing me back down maybe closer to $100 or do I get to pay $9 per month. I would lease it for that. I do wonder about fires and I read that microinverters are better to prevent fires. Boy, I have so much to learn, and I feel like I just want panels on one side because of the fire risk but I wonder if it will help at all.
interesting points ,if anyone else trying to find out install solar power system try Magonsi Solar System Expert ( search on google ) ? Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my work buddy got cool results with it.
Yes! Sheesh, all I did was research and ask questions to like 10 different solar companies and then called my utility provider to ask more questions. And you’re right, this video was valuable true information
About Snow: I have ~20m^2 of solar thermal on my roof and each winter there is a lot of snow the trick is the angle of the modules it has to be steep enough for the snow to slide off by itself if you get 1m + snow (happens sometimes) then you lose efficiency Best from Austria
As a former solar installer, I'd like to edit something: a solar electric system may or may not be upgradeable as easily as you say. You can't necessarily just add panels in the future, as that depends on how they're configured and the size of the inverter. Not much of an issue with micro-inverters, and not always an issue with central inverters, but it isn't correct to say that these systems are all modular and upgradeable. And WOW have prices dropped like crazy since I was putting them in! When I was installing solar (around 2006-2009), a standard 165 watt panel ran about $1500! There was a shortage of silicon at the time, and I'm glad panels are so cheap now.
Yes it's true the price is affordable these days. I ask friend of mine he use solar panels in his house he told me he bough for less than 2000 dollar. He use for everything except cooker.
How could there be a shortage of silicon? Silicon is the most abundant element on the face of the earth. Sand consists of silicon......and there's a lot of sand out there, obviously.
Pricing w/ my company in IL: $4.1 per watt $0.4 Adder for trenching or ground mount 30 year production warranties 25 year inverter warranty 12 year panel warranty 10 year roof Panels: Silfab 300 watt mono crystalline panels
Thank you. In Israel, we have a feed in taarif of $0.14 USD/kWh for residential PV electricity production, which is 85% of the regular electricity rate. This, coupled with easier regulation, enabled a steep increase in rooftop PV installation. It encourages people to install the largest PV system they can (and not only a smaller system that is sizeable to their electricity use). Besides the obvious advantage to the residents, it also greatly promotes a sustainable, resilient, decentralized national grid.
At home, Mangalore, we have 4 panel and charge batteries then use it in two ways. One to power DC lights and fans inside the house. We have DC line inside home along with AC wiring. Secondly, when state supply is cut, use inverter to power the other appliances.
If I can give my two cents on the subject I can say absolutely. I've been off grid for 28+ yes and never will I go back to grid power. There isn't any reason for you to stay on grid. Everything you have running can easily be run on solar. I do. When I started it cost 5 dollars a watt and today it's 50 cents a watt. All you need is the all in one inverter which does it all for you. 120 volt or 240 volt or grid tie or solar charge your batteries and hold up to 500 volts of pannels. Hence all in one. Just remember your batteries are your fuel tank for night time. You run straight off pannels during the day while also charging from the sun.
Another option to consider is off grid. Buy what you can, when you can and move systems. Start with your garage/garden shed to charge your tools. Move over to running a room or lights. A bit more clunky but a good way to budget it. I am running my office on solar panels and batteries (charged by solar).
I bought an ego electric lawn mower and weed wacker. I love them. My next car will be electric. I've been wanting an EV since General motors killed the EV1.
In Oz ... a good mate of mine is 100% off grid in a remote area, has no kids, and does so using deep cycle batteries, a slew of older cheaper solar panels purchased over decades (split via inverters also acquired over a long time), a wood stove/heater/water heater, a propane fridge/freezer/on-demand water heater, and a multi-fuel generator that is rarely used. Current "wisdom" in my area (Hobart, Tasmania) at my elevation and sun orientation would suggest solar hot water as the BEST first step into solar, then a modest 5kW set-up for $5k ... installed. $0.02 from the tiny island below Oz
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One more way to save money is to install them yourself. Where I live you can take a quick course for €90.- but then your diy install needs to be get checked by certified installer or a education of variable degrees to be a certified installer yourself. I looked up the costs for letting the SP installed by a company an it was more than €3500.- while a education costs are €2400.- to be certified installer. Plus I get 10% of for all the solar gear (panels, inverter, materials). All this can considerably be a good route to save money. BTW I live in the Netherlands so taxes are 21% we even have the luck to buy stuff in Germany or Belgium where the taxes are 19% to save money.
Watching this video was step one in my Solar process And for me it was a great roadmap on all the questions that I need to ask, so when I call my local utility I knew what to ask And the same for the solar installers, no this was not a step-by-step video on what to do but It was extremely helpful in my case, I felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start, I appreciate you guys taking the time to make the video it was extremely helpful to me!
I live in Ontario Canada and I have solar panels and batteries. I was given some used batteries and they are really really big lead acid batteries. They are also only 12 Volts. I am looking to change my batteries out to a 60V battery bank so that I can install more panels without buying more charge controllers. Charge controllers are quite a large expense with a 12V battery bank. By switching to a 60V battery bank I can add 5x as many panels without the need for any more charge controllers! I thought you did a good video here for a grid tied situation. As for my fellow rural people out there, cottagers too, I would say that it is very important to not only consider the cost of your monthly bill but also the cost of installing poles and wires to your place. Often that will cost as much as a nice solar system. And then you have no monthly bill to pay. I do backup my system with a gas generator but I have enough panels so that I only need to run the generator 4-5 times a year. (which is less often then my grid tied neighbours who get power outages from trees landing on the power lines in a storm) I did the labour part of my system so it has paid for itself in the first 3 years. When it comes to snow, I just have my panels set to a vertical angle so that snow does not collect and the rack holds them above the snow depth. The sun reflects off of the snow in the winter so vertical panels are pretty optimal at my 45 degree latitude
I found this video amazing, I know it's a little old but still very informative. I have just started working for a company called The Phoenix Works that supplies and installs solar panels and powerwalls, so I am learning about all of this and it's absolutely incredible! Thanks for the information!
I am a specialist in Renewable Energy analytics...mainly w/ the many different Interconnection/metering/tariff agreements in the USA. Your advice here is very good. Also I would recommend asking your utility company what your "after getting solar bill" will look like when you under produce or over produce in different months... and if net metering is even done at the utility... some do not offer it...like in Rural Coop areas and in small town Municipals. Devil is in the details!!
Thanks for the video guys. The cheapest is about £1.10 ($1.45) per watt installed in the UK if you get a 4kw system. Its not bad, but for me, still expensive enough that I am researching doing it myself and not feed into the grid. I'll need a hybrid inverter to accomplish this, but I calculate I can get started with a 2.4kW system for around £2.5k. I also will need a battery to make the best use of the power, but I am making a DIY Powerwall to cover that for cheap. This system shall cover about half of my electricity needs - about 14kWh per year (much less than average american house I know). I'd go bigger, but I have only enough south facing roof space for 8*300w panels. But I could always add West facing panels in the future to catch the afternoon sun.
Can you explain and provide help links. I live in the country and my house is all electric. I want to go solar but had a quote for 32 panels with install for $53,000. They did say I was eligible for 30% tax credit.
I have a 400 foot cabin out of Chico California. I am a single Man, and very conservative in my energy usage. I have a 3.1Kw system in the sun for almost all day. I have a smart meter. I switched off the NG.i went propane.my ng bill went up 20 times+. Now, pge is saying I will need to pay 400% more than projected last year. I would have gone batteries if I had known they we're going to steal 80-90% of my electricity I produce. Think before you leap in California or go batteries.
I live in Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺. In January 2018 (our Summer)I paid $7000AUD (after state credits)for 6.67kwh panels and a Fronious 5Kwh inverter. I managed to get on a good plan for my power with Origin Energy. Daily Supply Charge: $1.24 Solar Supply Charge: $0.07 (Total of $1.31 per day) My all day Tarif is $0.2662 per KWh. FiT is $0.16 per KWh Where I live is blessed with lots of sunshine. Since installing in Mid January 2018 my system has produced 7.34 MWh. Almost 2MWh consumed directly.
i got 30 270watt panels for 6,000.00nz dollars panels are cheap and for storage lead is still the best vs price ive made a mix on grid off grid system for my setup part of my house is fully off grid but part is grid tied this way you can get away with less battery's its a lot like having the best of both setups, i also used my panels for the roof of my carport, this keeps them off the house and it looks far better
look up GTIL inverters on Ebay they are inverters with limiters built into them, this means you can charge your batterys and send some power to your grid or send power to your house with it still been grid tied with out sending any back into the grid, good for people like me where they only want to pay you 6 cents per kwh, stuff that lol
Working for a solar company I found out that you can get free to very cheap panels one way is you can see if they have repo panels or see if they have broken panels you can fix them up with epoxy but that's for short term and more for projects
[Ricky] Yes good point. So with cracked cells, that you epoxy, you'll lose quite a bit of output, because all the reflection/refraction that occurs in the cracks will degrade the amount of light hitting the cells. But there are overstock panels, b grade panels that work perfectly well. I was tempted to buy some LG 330W cells this way on ebay ;)
I Live in Hawaii, and use to install, a lot of the systems we installed were a fly by the hip style. Many of our customers had used batteries or used solar panels. Usually we would install their used items with an outback charge controller and a outback inverter, so they could upgrade the panels and batteries later on. If part shade was an issue we would string those panels on a separate little midnight charge controller so that it would affect the whole string. Things have certainly changed from that time. Looking forward to upgrading my panels this winter. Still rolling with the lead acid batteries, because I am waiting to see what happens with the battery technology, I dont think Lithium is the answer environmental wise. Excited to see where graphene will come into play. Great Video, and good info. My wife and I use about two kilowatts a day, except if I need to plug in a table saw. 😀
I have 29 panels on my two story house in the west valley, AZ and it equals to 115% of my electricity used, so APS not only sends me a -minus- bill each month, they now owe me $300.00 plus, my regular bill in summer would have been $600.00, nobody can say they lost money on solar, (I pay $168.00 permanent bill a month for the panels), that's a hell of a lot better than $600.00 !!
In Quebec we pay a fixed price of 40.64¢ per day + 5.91¢/kWh for the first 36 kWh consumed and 9.12¢/kWh for anything that exceeds 36 kWh in a month. We have very cheap electricity here because we have several dams producing it, we even sell some of it to the US because we don't consume it all. Plus it's nationalized not private sector so solar panels aren't worth it for the average citizen, not yet.
I'm in San Diego, my system is based on a 16 month avg. of electric use , my bill is ZERO and has been for 4 years. i'll see what time of use billing has on that.
Hi there guys thanks for the information Cost per a Kw/hrs in Ireland renges from €0.1998-0.1672 on a standard u it rate as we have 12 electricity providers in Ireland , on discounted rates are €0.1499-0.1328
When I estimate up to $25,000 for solar, I pay that much for an SUV or more for Pickups and luxury cars and the vehicle depreciates. My priority would be the cheaper vehicle and solar power.
solar depreciates/degrades also from the day its installed. Is a 15 year old solar installation an asset or a potential replacement cost or roofing complication? depends on your perspective
Warranties don't mean shit if the company goes under. Do you know any 25 year old solar companies? Neither do I. When warranty claims start going up, a business will often just declare bankruptcy and open up under a new name to avoid the liability. Corporations are not charities. They are there to squeeze every dime from you. Few manufactured products besides solar energy modules can be said to have 1) unusually long warranties, 2) brief histories and 3) rapidly advancing technologies. The oldest land-based photovoltaic systems are now turning 30 years old, but most of the current install base is less than five years old by companies less than 5 years old. And ten years from now, one can reasonably expect entirely new photovoltaic technologies to be sold by entirely new companies. And Ray Kurzweil predicts that in 12 years, most electricity in the country will be produced by solar anyway, so really, what is the point? And then there’s the question of how much all this is going to cost. Given that many of these solar installations are only a few years old, they’re likely to be working spectacularly well. How well will the brand new systems perform in 2043, when their warranties finally run out and the tech is three generations old?
@@awhodothey Respectfully, you may have been told that, but it is a lie. Millions have been spent on solar panels with a "30 year warranty" and those buyers are left holding the bag when the company goes out of business less than 5 years later. The list of bankrupt solar companies vastly outnumber the few that actually operate today. No one is foolish enough to insure such a risky endeavor for any reasonable price. Even when giant automakers go out of business, they are federally mandated to support the cars they made for the next 10 years, and that isn't with labor, that is just with parts. There is no such regulation for solar companies. Do you honestly think solar companies are holding themselves to an even higher standard than what Congress demands from General Motors? If so, then you're the type of gullible person who would buy a solar array.
@@awhodothey Consider a homeowner who pulls her electricity bill out of the mailbox one day and sees that it’s $200 higher than it should be. She checks her solar power system monitoring app, and finds that production has decreased significantly, suggesting that something is wrong. She digs through their drawer of old paperwork and finds the contact information for the contractor who installed her system. She calls the phone number, and it’s disconnected. She tries to check their website, but gets an error message. So now what? Well, if the installer used high quality components, then it is likely that the manufacturer’s warranty will cover the cost for new parts. However, labor is not covered. You will be able to get another contractor to replace the malfunctioning components, but you will be responsible for the cost of installation. Now what if the manufacturer is also out of business? What if the manufacturer required that it be installed by a certified installer and now can't verify the installer because they are out of business? Well, you're responsible for all of it. Some good that warranty did, huh? Happens every day and you can read many horror stories on reddit about this very thing happening to people. Of the 30 installers with the greatest installation volume in 2014, 13 are gone. And for every large installer that has failed over the last five years, hundreds of family businesses and fly-by-nights have closed up shop in that time. If you want to gamble with that kind of money, just go to Vegas. At least there you get free drinks.
Here in Bangladesh govt. gives you $150 one time. There is no month in month out benefit. We are also not allowed to install grid-tie inverters. You can get jail time if you install grid-tie inverter.
I am in the Phoenix, AZ metro and have APS as my electric provider. We just went solar with a 19.2 kW system and 9.8kWh LG Brightbox battery. So far we only have grid connection charges and taxes. Our rates in AZ are based on a On Peak/Off Peak system with On Peak being 3PM-8PM, M-F excluding holidays. If you are not on solar and go with the cheapest kWh charges, you would pay $0.087 on peak, $0.052 off peak. They have demand charges, where they average your highest use hour and charge $17.43 per kW used in that hour during the Summer or $12.24 during the Winter. This incentivizes using less energy during the high demand afternoon hours. On this plan, prior to solar, my 1600 sq. ft. home averaged about $280 in the summer and $160 in the winter. (120°F heat means your AC runs hard in July and August). Now that we went solar, we are on a plan that is $0.058 on peak, $0.048 off peak. Demand is billed as $20.25 per kW on peak in summer, $14.25 in the winter. Off peak we get the first 5 kW of highest use free then $6.50 per kW over in that highest average hour off peak. Now here is where the true benefit comes in. APS changed from a net credit of kW in equals kW out and now just buy each kWh at a rate of $0.129. It is pretty easy around here to bank a couple hundred bucks over the winter to pay for any grid draw in the Summer. As I said, July and August see around 10 to 11 hours of A/C run time to keep the house around 78 to 80 during the day and 72 to 74 at night. In January and February, the AC never runs.
Great video in Australia 6.6 kw system cost 4799 dollars for grid connect, I brought used panels and 2 ton electric fork battery and used wind generator for crappy weather new charge controller, new wire, massive new inverter to be of grid, all up 5 thousand dollars once you go solar you never go back.
Also people need to look at how many times the power went down, how many times they got hit with a spike, and how many times the rates when up during that time frame? These are the questions people tend to forget to ask when trying to take control of their own energy needs. Plus you always need to get a battery storage system for if the grid power does go out then with pure solar you will also have no power. Then you can also add on a fuel cell and have zero dollars to ever pay and only money to be made until the utility companies change the rules again. Just know if you make these things using three things, be it solar panels, battery storage, and a fuel cell as once this is done you will always have power no matter what.
It's like you guys are reading my mind. Storage batteries and their technology, solar panel advancements, solar panel price drop over time, snow coverage, hail damage, home owners insurance....these were all questions I had/have. I'm just getting started on my solar research.
Looking to install a 3.5 KW solar panel & grid system in middle of 2021. Electricity in Bangkok is quite expensive and we will be retiring in 2021. Bangkok registers about 2623 hours of sunshine during the year. I have been told that it is feasible to use the soalr system from 7AM-17.00PM then switch to grid system at night. This will help lessen the cost of electricity from grid. Return on investment is about 3-4 years. Appreciate your comment.
Also the property tax increases when you install a solar system getting a local building permit informs the tax collecting part of the government that your property is worth more
SunPower 327-AC-C panels. 13.08kWh system. Austin, Texas. Managed to get a deal at 2.915 per watt(before incentives). AFAIK it is freaking cheap for that type of the world best panels. 18MWh a predicted year output. At current price of 10 cents per watts, payback time is 10 to 14 years.
[CHRIS] So that is the two edged sword in Texas: Such low electricity rates, which means a longer ROI. Now if you could just mine cryptocurrency, you might be able to pay for your solar ;-)
I don't know how you do things, But I think I get something going with the home owner, Place the Eon the roof, So the amount of money they save on power, pay you back, Then it is there to keep
Great video, although optimisers can minimise the effects of shading when using a string inverter. I don’t install solar anymore, but I worked as an electrician primarily installing solar for the better part of ten years. Although if a micro-inverter fails it only takes out 1 panel’s production, accessing the faulty micro-inverter is much harder than replacing the inverter (which is often installed in a readily accessible place, often by the Switchboard. Strangely, despite the heavy physical work, extreme level of compliance paperwork, and relative danger of the job, solar installing is one of the lowest paid electrician jobs here in Tasmania?
Hi, thanks for a really great video! I love how you're taking to task all the myriad side questions about solar panels, that are essential for a good result in practice - and what the manuals won't necessarily tell you. I got my solar system in Norway for 2$ pr W, from my friend's installation Company. And there's a government rebate of 0,3$ pr W on top of the cheap price. The Down side in Norway is the low sun radiation :) There's ice on my panels right now, and often a bit of snow in the Winter. Usually, frost or snow cuts the little Production there is in the wintertime Down to nothing, or diminishingly little (too little to get voltage through the Circuit) The important thing I think, is to not touch the panels when there's snow or ice - don't damage them, it'll slide off much quicker than snow on a normal roof anyway. And roofs or solar panels in Cold areas will usually be installed With a steep tilt, because of the average angle to the sun, and because artic roofs are made to eject snow anyway.
If you're after NetZero you want to optimize to flatten your costs annually so it zeros out but if your goal down the line is to go off grid you'll want to plan for more panels down the line at a much steep angle that is not optimal for NetZero so the snow and ice fall off quicker and you garnish more solar energy production in Winter rather than Summer. An EV that you can draw a low amount of power over over time can really get you though off grid when the snow is deep and the sky is cloudy for days on end.
You guys are great , I am taking class at our community collage .There is a lot to know about the sun position at a given time and angle etc. to have a system which will give maximum power and you touched on many points also .Thanks again,from Orange county
If you decide to go with Solar go with a solar pole mount using a solar time tracker pole mount panels will last longer because they stay cooler and the solar time tracker will increase your power 40%
The average inverter lasts 11 years. Why doesn’t anyone ever calculate the $4,000 cost to replace an inverter when calculating payback periods? Also, my roof is 6 years old and will likely need to be replaced in 12 years. Why isn’t there any mention of removing and reinstalling panels, which is likely about $5,000? When I add these two expenses to the initial install expense (after rebates) I am looking at about 18 years to payback in Illinois. And that even considers a nearly perfectly angled roof with no shade.
I have a home in Costa Rica, will be grid connected with micro inverters and after shopping around will pay $1.80 per kilowatt landed for your stats. Great Vid, thanks
I would have figured the ROI would be about the same no matter how large of a system you needed. Not the same across types of systems (grid-tie vs battery), but when compared to itself. Lets assume that a grid-tie system costs about $2/watt, installed, and assuming you get the full 5 hours of peak solar time per day. And that you pay about 1 cent per kWh from the grid... If you burn through 50kWh per day on average, that's 10,000 watts of solar you'd need installed, or a $20,000 system to be net zero at the end of the year. So, 50,000kWh per day would equate to about $5 per day. ROI would be 4,000 days, or about 11 years. Now lets assume you use 100kWh per day. You'd need 20,000 watts of solar panels installed at a cost of $40,000 ($2/watt). You paid more up front, but you're still saving more. You save $10/day, so it would take the same 4,000 days or 11 years to see an ROI. Now, if you use 50kWh per day but only install enough to cover 50% of your power needs (5,000 watts of panels), you'd spend $10,000 to install them. Same thing... $10,000 install cost / savings of $2.50 per day = 4,000 days = about 11 years. The only wrench I see is the cost of batteries or other forms of energy storage if you decide to go off-grid, but even it too should scale roughly the same way.
I am not sure if you have heard about Professor Don Sadaway of MIT and his new found battery but it is definitely worth taking a look at. CBC News: The National (A UA-cam Channel) - Titled “The battery that could make mass solar and wind power viable” did an interview with the gentleman and I believe that his battery is going to change the world. Once that technology becomes better and is able to be scaled down and become even cheaper it will most likely become a very viable option for single family dwellings.
Thanks for the tip, will check it out. - it is a pleasure to see how many people from all over the globe are having a indepth, polite, and nuanced discusssion here. Let me add what I heard from an expert in material research (Dr. Eicke Weber Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, a speech he gave in March 2017): since the 1980s there is a reliable trend for PV, every time installed panels (kW) double globally, the prices for the kWh drop by 20 %. That trend has nothing to do with passing of time, only with what is sold (and the incentive it gives to R &D). That explains the price drop in the last 8 years or so. The phenomen is normal in industrial production and is measured in that way (with double output what price reduction can be expected). - the price decrease will be different per article of course. Now waiting for the battery prices and TECHNOLOGY to move in a major way, that is the next frontier. And will mean the breakthrough
Tesla solar roof is outrageously expensive, and, I read that they are a year waiting list. So, if you ordered today, you would have to wait a year before you could install. fy
Wow. Excellent vid. You guys really cut through the fluff to the major core points I have questions about. I could search for hours trying to find what you condensed into a 20 minute video.
This was great info for someone who wants to add solar to an existing home. We are in the process of building a small 1100 sq ft home in central AZ. There are no past bills to compare. We don't have any trees that will block the sun to our mono roof which is south facing with a 4:12 pitch. We discovered it is going cost way too much to bring natural gas to the property. So we thought just to add more panels to off set an all electric home. Then we were going to do an on demand hot water heater. Are those on demand electric hot water heaters compatible with solar PV's? All of this gets overwhelming. We have gotten several quotes but still don't know how many panels to start with. But thought of getting 1/2 of what we need to start then add more panels later.
+Christopher Cooper [Ricky] that’s awesome! So check the comments one of our commenters also went sun power and loved them. They’re top tier panels and you pay a little more but they’re so good. How’s the warranty on your system?
VERY enlightening. I didnt know how LITTLE I understood until I watched this. Thank you guys so much. I am still interested in Solar, but now i feel better informed. I live in Cincinnati Ohio. My utility bill is like a puzzle. I dont have any place that tells me how much per kwh. I have total charges for "elctric delivery", "generation" etc. In my city I have very very inexpensive natural gas, so I would not save anything on my furnace..... I never thought of that... but my AC is the big user in the summer. Thank you guys. Now I have a headache, but I will persist.
Solar reduces monthly electric bills and a great saving especially when running air conditioners. However, it presumes your roof will last as long as the solar installation. The cost of roof replacement that has solar panels is not covered.
I was told by my installer Tesla power wall is 40% less than other companies per kWh. Panels are 20% a year decrease. So by next year it becomes doable.
Another way of looking at the cost is in the short run its cheaper to not change the oil in your car but in the long run its not. Problem is at some point its to late. We are still auguring if the oil needs changing over the sound of a knocking engine.
@@vice23456 well if you don't change the oil in your engine at where is the bearings and the Rings and at some point you need to have the engine rebuilt or a connecting rod can let loose and ruin the whole engine. We are everyday eating the planet by burning 200 million barrels of oil. I use Google to figure out what 200 million barrels of oil would equal in heat and it's the same as a thousand nuclear bombs. So we are basically hitting the planet with a thousand blasts a day. Like a canoe that's getting close to a waterfall at some point you can't paddle your way back out.
I live in Colorado that has snow but also has crazy amounts of sunshine per year. The few days of snow are more than made up by the brilliant sunshine we get, even in the winter.
I work in the finance industry in the solar/renewable industry. The $4/W seems quite high but maybe that’s b/c your other costs (installation costs etc.) are spread over a smaller capacity system. I think the market right now has construction costs at like just over $1 to $1.5 for installation (all in costs) per W in developed countries. I think in developing countries you get under $1/W where labour is cheap like in India. These metrics are based upon my observation for utility scale systems so may not be comparable with your distributed solar system that you are addressing. Keep up the good work, happy to chat directly if you are interested to chat about utility scale systems.
We offer 0% for 5 year, up to 5.99 for 20 year. Do NOT ever go with a solar lease. NEVER!! Living here in Central California, Solar is a must if you plan on staying in your home for at least the next 10 years.
Best places for panels are in the yard because if on roof your warrentee will go bad. Just fyi guys holy cow. I only have to pay .10 USD every kw used. Also I get .9 USD for buy back per kw. Service fee is a pay no matter what bill too. Mine is $15 :(
Awesome! Great info in your video... But wish you talked more about off grid systems & DIY. You can do a lot with them & keeps the power company out of the loop..... ( As long as you do not feed power to the grid ) lithium batteries off grid inverter with auto transfer switch is the way to go as you will have power if the grid goes down unlike most systems. Making solar a hobby is one of the best things i have ever done. Only hobby that's saved me money... lol! & Bonus! Feels good going green even more than expected. probably one of the better things I've done in my life.
I used to work for an energy consulting firm and we used to do these calculations to help clients determine if solar is worth the investment. The first recommendation we give is to first reduce your load as much as possible to reduce your demand. Mainly convert to LED lights, turn off unused lighting, and manage the thermostat with better set backs and efficient temperatures. These are the highest payback items. There are other things to recommend to depending on each person's situation, but if you can reduce your load then you'll need the smallest investment in solar, giving the fastest payback. Do you know what the NEMA laws are now? Is net metering still the same in CA where each kwh used is credited equally for each kwh produced? I think it's a state law, not by utility. I know the utilities are trying to change it to time of day.
One of the co-ops in California wants $10 PER kwh you can generate. so if you have 10KW on your roof, you are looking at a "Convenience fee" of $100 a month, even if you use no electricity at all. I'm looking at the batteries from a crashed Tesla S at $4k. a bit over 15KWH of batteries....Then a nice inverter for 15KWH. The house currently pulls about 30kwh per month.. possibly 35kwh. However, 8 outages last year, 2 over 5 days have convinced me that batteries and alternator are needed. (It would have been $1000 just for propane to run ONE of the longer outages.)
Ny net meter is just that. A net usage meter. Here in RI there is no different rate for selling back power to the Utility Company. When my system produces more than it needs the meter runs in reverse lowering the total number used. That’s true Net Metering. Just finished my 4th season, I’m averaging a 49% savings overall. Did the payback period make it all worthwhile? All depends how you look at it money wise. I’m 70 now and most likely won’t live long enough to pay back the $15,500 the system stands me. Over the first 4 years I averaged about a $1000 a year savings. I’ll be about 82 by the time I get my money back assuming Electric doesn’t increase drastically. But I still feel it was the right thing for me to do and believe it will increase the value of the house so somebody is going to profit from it.
Good information and thanks for sharing. You might want to add Deed Restrictions and HOA's, most will not allow front facing solar panels. In warmer climates it's the opposite, consumption peaks are in the summer. I'm still waiting until the solar panels go down in price and efficiency to go up, _I'd need 70 panels for Net $0._ Ideally, I'd love panels to look like a metal roof that can be cut. Solid-state batteries are coming.
D Jaquith 70 panels at what power.? 70 panels at 200 watt=14,000 kWh system......70 panels at 350 kWh=24,500 kWh. Residential solar is allowed 10khw in most states. In ‘09 when I bought my panels (205 Watts) were $849. Each. They have dropped immensely since then. Panels alone. Factor in inverter and labor and those panels were $1250 each then.
I'm aware of the math, calculate a net $0 electrical bill consuming an average 2,500 kWh per month. So unless you want to reply about something other than our consumption, I'll try to reply.
You can place a solar system anywhere on YOUR property you desire. Most people place them on they’re room in a southerly direction. Difficult to understand your remake, please say again. And AGAIN, how many panels do you need and at what power rating?.?.?
Can you please do un updated video on going off grid. What would the cost look like now for an off grid system and what would be good long term battery options?
[Ricky] I was looking into some of these panels, a lot are rated to withstand hail damage.. .but yeah its something thats a real threat for people. Here in San Diego, not so much
Great video, thanks. I’d like to point out that for battery storage just because it may have a 10 year warranty doesn’t mean it just dies after that. It could last another 10 years but like all rechargeable batteries it will lose capacity over time. So another question to ask is, which maybe difficult to get an answer, what to expect regarding storage charge degradation. The more charge/discharge cycles the battery goes thru the more quickly it will degrade, but this will take years. For Tesla Powerwalls I’d like to find out if the app that comes with the system whether you can control the degree to which the Powerwall can be charged. Typically on their EVs it is recommended that the batteries only be charged to 80% (controllable with their app) with occasional full charges for a once in a while long distance driving. A routine partial charge extends the useful life of the batteries. So can this be done with a solar panel/storage system?
I had one salesguy try to sell me a setup that would cost $12K. However, the savings was such that I'd never recoup the cost of the installation. The savings I would have generated would only at best match what I pay normally, so I'd never start recouping the cost. In other words, at that time, it was cheaper for me to stay on the grid. And I have a single family home with plenty of south facing roof and no trees.
And when I put the solar panels in the shadows and put it to the north it still makes power but it does make more in the winter maybe because of the snow shines when the sun is out even when behind clouds and in the shadow of the house and trees facing north so I left them their on their own system. But as long as my batteries are full by 11 a clock in the morning.
Who do you think pays for the subsidies you get for solar? On a full cost basis solar is the most expensive electricity you can buy. What is saved in your monthly bill is paid in taxes for a net increase in your energy cost.
solar is great while it is working when my inverter tripped off when I turned it back on the backup battery did not charge. the Company that installed it ceased trading soon after my system was installed. I have contacted many installers but none knew of my inverter Kstarhybride 4000 now I have only solar power when the sun is available so now I believe I will have to have a new inverter yours was an informative video
Solar only works when the sun is out. Vertical axis windmills work more than this if positioned on the peak of a roof via vertical updraft from a roof of a house. And there now are fans without blades.
A third of California gets covered with snow. That shows how insignificant a third of California is to people who live in California. And it's the most beautiful parts of California. Like Tahoe, Yosemite, Shasta, Mendocino, Shasta Lake, Shasta Caves, Fort Bragg and many more beautiful places.
Went solar take fair warning if your Electric Company has a power surge and your home is not protected by a power surge protector or even you do have one it can frie your surge protector box and 22 Microinverters on our solar panels which will not be covered under warranty.Our system has been down since August 2,2021 till now of September 2,2021 not sure when our solar system will be back up.
Great discussion guys. Please start off by mentioning to kick off your plan by installing a sun water heating system . This could reduce your electricity requirement by about 50 percent.
I have a gas water heater so there’s no electricity savings from water heating for me. However I could save a little on natural gas, and also use some of that heat on the roof for something productive and reduce the heat entering my living area and reduce cooling costs.
[Ricky] Oh wow really, are there any caps, are the returns limited for a few years? That's good to know, sounds like its a little lower than in the US but close and that's awesome!
Excellent thoughts here. Thanks! Hmmm... 30KWh per day to charge an EV sounds rather high. I have 19-mile-each-way commute - higher than average - and our Prius Prime only takes somewhere around 9KWh per day. And yes, I do drive it virtually entirely on electricity. It gets about 4 1/2 miles per KWh. A Nissan LEAF gets a little better than that, and Teslas just under 4 miles/KWh since they are much larger and higher-performance and -range EVs. So, you can use those sorts of numbers to perform your estimates.
[Ricky] Great point Gary! Yeah I didn't think about usage but rather what a full charge would be. But you're totally right, you'd only charge what you used, and thanks for sharing those numbers. So your commute is roughly 40 miles, about 9kWh and based on rate of $0.10-$0.20 total cost would be between $0.90 - $1.89. My most fuel efficient car is my Honda Civic which would get about 28MPG so on your same commute It would be 40/28*$3.00/gallon = ~ $4.30. That's quite the savings! Very cool! Really appreciate your real world data.
I was surprised to learn you get certificates as S-Rex or S-Track to sell on the Flat Exchange. I’ve had 10 Solar Panels installed in 2017. I don’t get a 30% savings check from IRS or any S-Rex certificates in NC. I get low bills under $100 but Duke Energy Co. says my panels don’t put out enuf energy to receive a check from them!? I paid already for the solar system but the ECS company who installed them went out of. business so I have no warranty. No other solar company will work on my panels now if they didn’t install them when it became disconnected at the outside of the attic. I paid an Electrician for a 5 minute repair. You explained the benefits very well but the way nothing was explained to me or figuring out how much I put out with my panels only shows what I’ve known for 50 years, women are not treated the same as men in anything.
I appreciate the way you provide the information without a heavy skew from personal beliefs. I work to get solar technology in use by low and middle income families in the US. It is basically crowd funding to put solar equipment in use to help the elderly and veterans of my area and contributors have fractional ownership of the company that owns the equipment. Would you have any interest in helping with this effort? If we can get a good start by this October we have a chance to receive up to $500,000.00 in grant funding for this project from the US Department of Energy through the Solar in your Community Challenge. This is structured to be a nationally scaled consumer co-op and could potentially change the way the energy industry operates, we appreciate any consideration of cooperation from all US citizens.
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Thank you. This video gave me ideas on financing while doing our DIY installation.
MrJulian8579 h
I’m getting solar panels after my new roof is installed but before the end of the year. 30% federal tax credit this year. It drops to 26% in 2020.
I’m averaging 11.3 cents per kWh here in central Texas. Solar is about the same for the duration of the loan. But electricity goes up every year. My system will be a 7.26 kW system and provide about 90% - 95% of what I need. I’ll have net metering through Green Mountain Energy.
Even in Texas with 100% renewable energy solar is a great idea.
If you are renting I suggest Chariot Energy if you can choose. It’s about 9.3 cents per kWh. It doesn’t have net metering though.
I have always had low electric bills, $40 to $70 depending on the season. Eversource just changed the carrier fees and my bill rose to $168 mostly on the fees end. The thing is, my neighbor always spent $150 per month on electricity and they leased solar and said that their bill is now $9 per month. So I am going to be talking to a solar company 2 weeks from now. First, I wonder if solar will remove those fees or will it just be removing the electric part and bringing me back down maybe closer to $100 or do I get to pay $9 per month. I would lease it for that. I do wonder about fires and I read that microinverters are better to prevent fires. Boy, I have so much to learn, and I feel like I just want panels on one side because of the fire risk but I wonder if it will help at all.
I had to do tons of research before choosing to go solar and everything they said in this video is spot on. Very helpful and honest!!
interesting points ,if anyone else trying to find out install solar power system try Magonsi Solar System Expert ( search on google ) ? Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my work buddy got cool results with it.
Thanks for providing this info. I realize its 4 years since this was made but it’s still a good place to start! & God bless you! 😀
Yes! Sheesh, all I did was research and ask questions to like 10 different solar companies and then called my utility provider to ask more questions. And you’re right, this video was valuable true information
About Snow:
I have ~20m^2 of solar thermal on my roof and each winter there is a lot of snow
the trick is the angle of the modules
it has to be steep enough for the snow to slide off by itself
if you get 1m + snow (happens sometimes) then you lose efficiency
Best from Austria
As a former solar installer, I'd like to edit something: a solar electric system may or may not be upgradeable as easily as you say. You can't necessarily just add panels in the future, as that depends on how they're configured and the size of the inverter. Not much of an issue with micro-inverters, and not always an issue with central inverters, but it isn't correct to say that these systems are all modular and upgradeable.
And WOW have prices dropped like crazy since I was putting them in! When I was installing solar (around 2006-2009), a standard 165 watt panel ran about $1500! There was a shortage of silicon at the time, and I'm glad panels are so cheap now.
Thanks for commenting. Yah with microinverters as we recommend it’s modular but there are limits of course.
Yes it's true the price is affordable these days. I ask friend of mine he use solar panels in his house he told me he bough for less than 2000 dollar. He use for everything except cooker.
So roughly how much does each panel cost now with the single inverter vs the mini inverters vs the mix of the 2?
How could there be a shortage of silicon? Silicon is the most abundant element on the face of the earth. Sand consists of silicon......and there's a lot of sand out there, obviously.
@@dr.jamesolack8504 There was a shortage of processed PV-grade silicon. Sand is everywhere, sure, but sand is not useful as an input to a PV factory.
Pricing w/ my company in IL:
$4.1 per watt
$0.4 Adder for trenching or ground mount
30 year production warranties
25 year inverter warranty
12 year panel warranty
10 year roof
Panels: Silfab 300 watt mono crystalline panels
Thank you. In Israel, we have a feed in taarif of $0.14 USD/kWh for residential PV electricity production, which is 85% of the regular electricity rate. This, coupled with easier regulation, enabled a steep increase in rooftop PV installation. It encourages people to install the largest PV system they can (and not only a smaller system that is sizeable to their electricity use). Besides the obvious advantage to the residents, it also greatly promotes a sustainable, resilient, decentralized national grid.
At home, Mangalore, we have 4 panel and charge batteries then use it in two ways.
One to power DC lights and fans inside the house. We have DC line inside home along with AC wiring.
Secondly, when state supply is cut, use inverter to power the other appliances.
If I can give my two cents on the subject I can say absolutely. I've been off grid for 28+ yes and never will I go back to grid power. There isn't any reason for you to stay on grid. Everything you have running can easily be run on solar. I do. When I started it cost 5 dollars a watt and today it's 50 cents a watt. All you need is the all in one inverter which does it all for you. 120 volt or 240 volt or grid tie or solar charge your batteries and hold up to 500 volts of pannels. Hence all in one. Just remember your batteries are your fuel tank for night time. You run straight off pannels during the day while also charging from the sun.
Another option to consider is off grid. Buy what you can, when you can and move systems. Start with your garage/garden shed to charge your tools. Move over to running a room or lights. A bit more clunky but a good way to budget it. I am running my office on solar panels and batteries (charged by solar).
I bought an ego electric lawn mower and weed wacker. I love them. My next car will be electric. I've been wanting an EV since General motors killed the EV1.
In Oz ... a good mate of mine is 100% off grid in a remote area, has no kids, and does so using deep cycle batteries, a slew of older cheaper solar panels purchased over decades (split via inverters also acquired over a long time), a wood stove/heater/water heater, a propane fridge/freezer/on-demand water heater, and a multi-fuel generator that is rarely used. Current "wisdom" in my area (Hobart, Tasmania) at my elevation and sun orientation would suggest solar hot water as the BEST first step into solar, then a modest 5kW set-up for $5k ... installed. $0.02 from the tiny island below Oz
One more way to save money is to install them yourself. Where I live you can take a quick course for €90.- but then your diy install needs to be get checked by certified installer or a education of variable degrees to be a certified installer yourself. I looked up the costs for letting the SP installed by a company an it was more than €3500.- while a education costs are €2400.- to be certified installer. Plus I get 10% of for all the solar gear (panels, inverter, materials).
All this can considerably be a good route to save money. BTW I live in the Netherlands so taxes are 21% we even have the luck to buy stuff in Germany or Belgium where the taxes are 19% to save money.
$3-4/Watt 😲...I am so glad I waited until now to get solar panels!!
Looking to get some as well. Which company did you end up going with any why?
Watching this video was step one in my Solar process And for me it was a great roadmap on all the questions that I need to ask, so when I call my local utility I knew what to ask And the same for the solar installers, no this was not a step-by-step video on what to do but It was extremely helpful in my case, I felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start, I appreciate you guys taking the time to make the video it was extremely helpful to me!
So glad to hear it!
I live in Ontario Canada and I have solar panels and batteries. I was given some used batteries and they are really really big lead acid batteries. They are also only 12 Volts. I am looking to change my batteries out to a 60V battery bank so that I can install more panels without buying more charge controllers. Charge controllers are quite a large expense with a 12V battery bank. By switching to a 60V battery bank I can add 5x as many panels without the need for any more charge controllers!
I thought you did a good video here for a grid tied situation.
As for my fellow rural people out there, cottagers too, I would say that it is very important to not only consider the cost of your monthly bill but also the cost of installing poles and wires to your place. Often that will cost as much as a nice solar system. And then you have no monthly bill to pay.
I do backup my system with a gas generator but I have enough panels so that I only need to run the generator 4-5 times a year. (which is less often then my grid tied neighbours who get power outages from trees landing on the power lines in a storm)
I did the labour part of my system so it has paid for itself in the first 3 years.
When it comes to snow, I just have my panels set to a vertical angle so that snow does not collect and the rack holds them above the snow depth. The sun reflects off of the snow in the winter so vertical panels are pretty optimal at my 45 degree latitude
I found this video amazing, I know it's a little old but still very informative. I have just started working for a company called The Phoenix Works that supplies and installs solar panels and powerwalls, so I am learning about all of this and it's absolutely incredible! Thanks for the information!
Snow: most nations that get a lot have high pitched roof to shed the snow. That also helps with panel angles, as they are typically in high latitudes.
I am a specialist in Renewable Energy analytics...mainly w/ the many different Interconnection/metering/tariff agreements in the USA. Your advice here is very good. Also I would recommend asking your utility company what your "after getting solar bill" will look like when you under produce or over produce in different months... and if net metering is even done at the utility... some do not offer it...like in Rural Coop areas and in small town Municipals. Devil is in the details!!
Thanks for the video guys. The cheapest is about £1.10 ($1.45) per watt installed in the UK if you get a 4kw system. Its not bad, but for me, still expensive enough that I am researching doing it myself and not feed into the grid. I'll need a hybrid inverter to accomplish this, but I calculate I can get started with a 2.4kW system for around £2.5k. I also will need a battery to make the best use of the power, but I am making a DIY Powerwall to cover that for cheap. This system shall cover about half of my electricity needs - about 14kWh per year (much less than average american house I know). I'd go bigger, but I have only enough south facing roof space for 8*300w panels. But I could always add West facing panels in the future to catch the afternoon sun.
DIY I'm off grid for 18 months with no problems. Love it:) Biggest cost for my system was batteries. Every thing else can be bought on sell.
That’s awesome! Hope to be there with you in the coming years
Can you explain and provide help links. I live in the country and my house is all electric. I want to go solar but had a quote for 32 panels with install for $53,000. They did say I was eligible for 30% tax credit.
I have a 400 foot cabin out of Chico California. I am a single Man, and very conservative in my energy usage. I have a 3.1Kw system in the sun for almost all day. I have a smart meter. I switched off the NG.i went propane.my ng bill went up 20 times+.
Now, pge is saying I will need to pay 400% more than projected last year. I would have gone batteries if I had known they we're going to steal 80-90% of my electricity I produce.
Think before you leap in California or go batteries.
Thanks for sharing!
I live in Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺. In January 2018 (our Summer)I paid $7000AUD (after state credits)for 6.67kwh panels and a Fronious 5Kwh inverter. I managed to get on a good plan for my power with Origin Energy.
Daily Supply Charge: $1.24
Solar Supply Charge: $0.07
(Total of $1.31 per day)
My all day Tarif is $0.2662 per KWh.
FiT is $0.16 per KWh
Where I live is blessed with lots of sunshine. Since installing in Mid January 2018 my system has produced 7.34 MWh. Almost 2MWh consumed directly.
i got 30 270watt panels for 6,000.00nz dollars panels are cheap and for storage lead is still the best vs price ive made a mix on grid off grid system for my setup part of my house is fully off grid but part is grid tied this way you can get away with less battery's its a lot like having the best of both setups, i also used my panels for the roof of my carport, this keeps them off the house and it looks far better
[Ricky] Brilliant! I really like that idea, something I'll probably consider myself.
look up GTIL inverters on Ebay they are inverters with limiters built into them, this means you can charge your batterys and send some power to your grid or send power to your house with it still been grid tied with out sending any back into the grid, good for people like me where they only want to pay you 6 cents per kwh, stuff that lol
Working for a solar company I found out that you can get free to very cheap panels one way is you can see if they have repo panels or see if they have broken panels you can fix them up with epoxy but that's for short term and more for projects
[Ricky] Yes good point. So with cracked cells, that you epoxy, you'll lose quite a bit of output, because all the reflection/refraction that occurs in the cracks will degrade the amount of light hitting the cells. But there are overstock panels, b grade panels that work perfectly well. I was tempted to buy some LG 330W cells this way on ebay ;)
Two Bit da Vinci I think I lost about 16% in a pinch and for free it's still a win
Like they say start out slow since in the future prices might go down but will also look into that that is for the heads up.
I Live in Hawaii, and use to install, a lot of the systems we installed were a fly by the hip style. Many of our customers had used batteries or used solar panels.
Usually we would install their used items with an outback charge controller and a outback inverter, so they could upgrade the panels and batteries later on.
If part shade was an issue we would string those panels on a separate little midnight charge controller so that it would affect the whole string.
Things have certainly changed from that time.
Looking forward to upgrading my panels this winter. Still rolling with the lead acid batteries, because I am waiting to see what happens with the battery technology, I dont think Lithium is the answer environmental wise. Excited to see where graphene will come into play.
Great Video, and good info.
My wife and I use about two kilowatts a day, except if I need to plug in a table saw. 😀
I have 29 panels on my two story house in the west valley, AZ and it equals to 115% of my electricity used, so APS not only sends me a -minus- bill each month, they now owe me $300.00 plus, my regular bill in summer would have been $600.00, nobody can say they lost money on solar, (I pay $168.00 permanent bill a month for the panels), that's a hell of a lot better than $600.00 !!
Just signed a contract for a 10kW system. Super excited!! We have two EVs.
Wow that’s awesome!
In Quebec we pay a fixed price of 40.64¢
per day + 5.91¢/kWh for the first 36 kWh consumed and 9.12¢/kWh
for anything that exceeds 36 kWh in a month. We have very cheap electricity here because we have several dams producing it, we even sell some of it to the US because we don't consume it all. Plus it's nationalized not private sector so solar panels aren't worth it for the average citizen, not yet.
Wow that’s awesome! We pay 22 cents for the first 380kwh and 47 over that!
Great video! In the Chicagoland area, I'm getting quotes between $2.69-$3.25 per Watt installed in July 2018.
Thanks great information, thanks for sharing, and those sound like good prices
I'm in San Diego, my system is based on a 16 month avg. of electric use , my bill is ZERO and has been for 4 years. i'll see what time of use billing has on that.
Hi there guys thanks for the information
Cost per a Kw/hrs in Ireland renges from €0.1998-0.1672 on a standard u it rate as we have 12 electricity providers in Ireland , on discounted rates are €0.1499-0.1328
When I estimate up to $25,000 for solar, I pay that much for an SUV or more for Pickups and luxury cars and the vehicle depreciates. My priority would be the cheaper vehicle and solar power.
solar depreciates/degrades also from the day its installed. Is a 15 year old solar installation an asset or a potential replacement cost or roofing complication? depends on your perspective
It another video. The warranty was for the panels to achieve 80% of rated output out to 25 years.
Warranties don't mean shit if the company goes under. Do you know any 25 year old solar companies? Neither do I. When warranty claims start going up, a business will often just declare bankruptcy and open up under a new name to avoid the liability. Corporations are not charities. They are there to squeeze every dime from you.
Few manufactured products besides solar energy modules can be said to have 1) unusually long warranties, 2) brief histories and 3) rapidly advancing technologies. The oldest land-based photovoltaic systems are now turning 30 years old, but most of the current install base is less than five years old by companies less than 5 years old. And ten years from now, one can reasonably expect entirely new photovoltaic technologies to be sold by entirely new companies. And Ray Kurzweil predicts that in 12 years, most electricity in the country will be produced by solar anyway, so really, what is the point?
And then there’s the question of how much all this is going to cost. Given that many of these solar installations are only a few years old, they’re likely to be working spectacularly well. How well will the brand new systems perform in 2043, when their warranties finally run out and the tech is three generations old?
@@awhodothey Respectfully, you may have been told that, but it is a lie. Millions have been spent on solar panels with a "30 year warranty" and those buyers are left holding the bag when the company goes out of business less than 5 years later.
The list of bankrupt solar companies vastly outnumber the few that actually operate today. No one is foolish enough to insure such a risky endeavor for any reasonable price.
Even when giant automakers go out of business, they are federally mandated to support the cars they made for the next 10 years, and that isn't with labor, that is just with parts. There is no such regulation for solar companies. Do you honestly think solar companies are holding themselves to an even higher standard than what Congress demands from General Motors? If so, then you're the type of gullible person who would buy a solar array.
@@awhodothey Consider a homeowner who pulls her electricity bill out of the mailbox one day and sees that it’s $200 higher than it should be. She checks her solar power system monitoring app, and finds that production has decreased significantly, suggesting that something is wrong.
She digs through their drawer of old paperwork and finds the contact information for the contractor who installed her system. She calls the phone number, and it’s disconnected. She tries to check their website, but gets an error message.
So now what? Well, if the installer used high quality components, then it is likely that the manufacturer’s warranty will cover the cost for new parts. However, labor is not covered. You will be able to get another contractor to replace the malfunctioning components, but you will be responsible for the cost of installation.
Now what if the manufacturer is also out of business? What if the manufacturer required that it be installed by a certified installer and now can't verify the installer because they are out of business? Well, you're responsible for all of it. Some good that warranty did, huh? Happens every day and you can read many horror stories on reddit about this very thing happening to people.
Of the 30 installers with the greatest installation volume in 2014, 13 are gone. And for every large installer that has failed over the last five years, hundreds of family businesses and fly-by-nights have closed up shop in that time. If you want to gamble with that kind of money, just go to Vegas. At least there you get free drinks.
Here in Bangladesh govt. gives you $150 one time. There is no month in month out benefit. We are also not allowed to install grid-tie inverters. You can get jail time if you install grid-tie inverter.
Tarek Dinaji - jail time, really? Why?
thank you. very close to purchasing a system through sunrun. So many questions, this video has helped a lot... I live in las vegas.
[CHRIS] Just remember these companies are in business to make a profit. The goal is to make sure it isn't too much of a profit!
I am in the Phoenix, AZ metro and have APS as my electric provider. We just went solar with a 19.2 kW system and 9.8kWh LG Brightbox battery. So far we only have grid connection charges and taxes. Our rates in AZ are based on a On Peak/Off Peak system with On Peak being 3PM-8PM, M-F excluding holidays. If you are not on solar and go with the cheapest kWh charges, you would pay $0.087 on peak, $0.052 off peak. They have demand charges, where they average your highest use hour and charge $17.43 per kW used in that hour during the Summer or $12.24 during the Winter. This incentivizes using less energy during the high demand afternoon hours. On this plan, prior to solar, my 1600 sq. ft. home averaged about $280 in the summer and $160 in the winter. (120°F heat means your AC runs hard in July and August).
Now that we went solar, we are on a plan that is $0.058 on peak, $0.048 off peak. Demand is billed as $20.25 per kW on peak in summer, $14.25 in the winter. Off peak we get the first 5 kW of highest use free then $6.50 per kW over in that highest average hour off peak.
Now here is where the true benefit comes in. APS changed from a net credit of kW in equals kW out and now just buy each kWh at a rate of $0.129. It is pretty easy around here to bank a couple hundred bucks over the winter to pay for any grid draw in the Summer. As I said, July and August see around 10 to 11 hours of A/C run time to keep the house around 78 to 80 during the day and 72 to 74 at night. In January and February, the AC never runs.
Great video in Australia 6.6 kw system cost 4799 dollars for grid connect, I brought used panels and 2 ton electric fork battery and used wind generator for crappy weather new charge controller, new wire, massive new inverter to be of grid, all up 5 thousand dollars once you go solar you never go back.
Also people need to look at how many times the power went down, how many times they got hit with a spike, and how many times the rates when up during that time frame? These are the questions people tend to forget to ask when trying to take control of their own energy needs. Plus you always need to get a battery storage system for if the grid power does go out then with pure solar you will also have no power. Then you can also add on a fuel cell and have zero dollars to ever pay and only money to be made until the utility companies change the rules again. Just know if you make these things using three things, be it solar panels, battery storage, and a fuel cell as once this is done you will always have power no matter what.
Edward Mitchell what is a fuel cell?
Wow
It's like you guys are reading my mind. Storage batteries and their technology, solar panel advancements, solar panel price drop over time, snow coverage, hail damage, home owners insurance....these were all questions I had/have. I'm just getting started on my solar research.
Texas uses a simple net metering monthly rate what you produce they will pay what they charge you
Good to know, thanks for sharing.
Great advice for someone who is researching solar as an option.
[CHRIS] Glad it could be helpful!
Looking to install a 3.5 KW solar panel & grid system in middle of 2021. Electricity in Bangkok is quite expensive and we will be retiring in 2021. Bangkok registers about 2623 hours of sunshine during the year. I have been told that it is feasible to use the soalr system from 7AM-17.00PM then switch to grid system at night. This will help lessen the cost of electricity from grid. Return on investment is about 3-4 years. Appreciate your comment.
Also the property tax increases when you install a solar system
getting a local building permit informs the tax collecting part of the government that your property is worth more
SunPower 327-AC-C panels. 13.08kWh system. Austin, Texas. Managed to get a deal at 2.915 per watt(before incentives). AFAIK it is freaking cheap for that type of the world best panels. 18MWh a predicted year output. At current price of 10 cents per watts, payback time is 10 to 14 years.
[CHRIS] So that is the two edged sword in Texas: Such low electricity rates, which means a longer ROI. Now if you could just mine cryptocurrency, you might be able to pay for your solar ;-)
In direct conversion, my company is delivering systems with $2,50 per kW installed here in Brazil.
I don't know how you do things, But I think I get something going with the home owner, Place the Eon the roof, So the amount of money they save on power, pay you back, Then it is there to keep
Great video, although optimisers can minimise the effects of shading when using a string inverter. I don’t install solar anymore, but I worked as an electrician primarily installing solar for the better part of ten years. Although if a micro-inverter fails it only takes out 1 panel’s production, accessing the faulty micro-inverter is much harder than replacing the inverter (which is often installed in a readily accessible place, often by the Switchboard.
Strangely, despite the heavy physical work, extreme level of compliance paperwork, and relative danger of the job, solar installing is one of the lowest paid electrician jobs here in Tasmania?
Hi, thanks for a really great video! I love how you're taking to task all the myriad side questions about solar panels, that are essential for a good result in practice - and what the manuals won't necessarily tell you. I got my solar system in Norway for 2$ pr W, from my friend's installation Company. And there's a government rebate of 0,3$ pr W on top of the cheap price. The Down side in Norway is the low sun radiation :) There's ice on my panels right now, and often a bit of snow in the Winter. Usually, frost or snow cuts the little Production there is in the wintertime Down to nothing, or diminishingly little (too little to get voltage through the Circuit) The important thing I think, is to not touch the panels when there's snow or ice - don't damage them, it'll slide off much quicker than snow on a normal roof anyway. And roofs or solar panels in Cold areas will usually be installed With a steep tilt, because of the average angle to the sun, and because artic roofs are made to eject snow anyway.
If you're after NetZero you want to optimize to flatten your costs annually so it zeros out but if your goal down the line is to go off grid you'll want to plan for more panels down the line at a much steep angle that is not optimal for NetZero so the snow and ice fall off quicker and you garnish more solar energy production in Winter rather than Summer.
An EV that you can draw a low amount of power over over time can really get you though off grid when the snow is deep and the sky is cloudy for days on end.
You guys are great , I am taking class at our community collage .There is a lot to know about the sun position at a given time and angle etc. to have a system which will give maximum power and you touched on many points also .Thanks again,from Orange county
If you decide to go with Solar go with a solar pole mount using a solar time tracker pole mount panels will last longer because they stay cooler and the solar time tracker will increase your power 40%
The average inverter lasts 11 years. Why doesn’t anyone ever calculate the $4,000 cost to replace an inverter when calculating payback periods? Also, my roof is 6 years old and will likely need to be replaced in 12 years. Why isn’t there any mention of removing and reinstalling panels, which is likely about $5,000? When I add these two expenses to the initial install expense (after rebates) I am looking at about 18 years to payback in Illinois. And that even considers a nearly perfectly angled roof with no shade.
Great video, I’ll post some info about my system soon.
Solar power can now be used to charge a ev directly it's called a Zappi makes sense.
DC to DC?
UK system doubt it's in USA
I have a home in Costa Rica, will be grid connected with micro inverters and after shopping around will pay $1.80 per kilowatt landed for your stats. Great Vid, thanks
+rwrsmart 88 [Ricky] that’s awesome! We’re thinking of doing a family vacation to Costa Rica this January
In Pakistan Grid tie high quality system inclusive of installation is at max 1 dollar a watt
I would have figured the ROI would be about the same no matter how large of a system you needed. Not the same across types of systems (grid-tie vs battery), but when compared to itself.
Lets assume that a grid-tie system costs about $2/watt, installed, and assuming you get the full 5 hours of peak solar time per day. And that you pay about 1 cent per kWh from the grid...
If you burn through 50kWh per day on average, that's 10,000 watts of solar you'd need installed, or a $20,000 system to be net zero at the end of the year.
So, 50,000kWh per day would equate to about $5 per day. ROI would be 4,000 days, or about 11 years.
Now lets assume you use 100kWh per day. You'd need 20,000 watts of solar panels installed at a cost of $40,000 ($2/watt). You paid more up front, but you're still saving more.
You save $10/day, so it would take the same 4,000 days or 11 years to see an ROI.
Now, if you use 50kWh per day but only install enough to cover 50% of your power needs (5,000 watts of panels), you'd spend $10,000 to install them. Same thing... $10,000 install cost / savings of $2.50 per day = 4,000 days = about 11 years.
The only wrench I see is the cost of batteries or other forms of energy storage if you decide to go off-grid, but even it too should scale roughly the same way.
I am not sure if you have heard about Professor Don Sadaway of MIT and his new found battery but it is definitely worth taking a look at.
CBC News: The National (A UA-cam Channel) - Titled “The battery that could make mass solar and wind power viable” did an interview with the gentleman and I believe that his battery is going to change the world.
Once that technology becomes better and is able to be scaled down and become even cheaper it will most likely become a very viable option for single family dwellings.
Thanks for the tip, will check it out. - it is a pleasure to see how many people from all over the globe are having a indepth, polite, and nuanced discusssion here. Let me add what I heard from an expert in material research (Dr. Eicke Weber Fraunhofer Institute, Germany, a speech he gave in March 2017): since the 1980s there is a reliable trend for PV, every time installed panels (kW) double globally, the prices for the kWh drop by 20 %.
That trend has nothing to do with passing of time, only with what is sold (and the incentive it gives to R &D). That explains the price drop in the last 8 years or so.
The phenomen is normal in industrial production and is measured in that way (with double output what price reduction can be expected). - the price decrease will be different per article of course.
Now waiting for the battery prices and TECHNOLOGY to move in a major way, that is the next frontier. And will mean the breakthrough
Can you please make a video about the TESLA Solar Roof options, prices, output, financing. Thanks
+Lilo Leist [CHRIS] We have some Tesla-centric videos coming very soon, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long!
Tesla solar roof is outrageously expensive, and, I read that they are a year waiting list. So, if you ordered today, you would have to wait a year before you could install. fy
Tesla’s solar roof was a failure,,, not going to work.... too heavy..
Save your money on Tesla Roof, way too expensive. There are tons of videos and info. on UA-cam and on Google.
Lilo Leist
Tesla - Solar.
Is the best way to go.! Hands down 👍🏼.
Also you can add wind turbines.
Upstate NY 200+ inches of snow per year - column mounted tracking systems can dump the snow by going vertical
Wow. Excellent vid. You guys really cut through the fluff to the major core points I have questions about. I could search for hours trying to find what you condensed into a 20 minute video.
Thank you for the info ! Great video , still going to do more research but this was the best resource so far
This was great info for someone who wants to add solar to an existing home. We are in the process of building a small 1100 sq ft home in central AZ. There are no past bills to compare. We don't have any trees that will block the sun to our mono roof which is south facing with a 4:12 pitch.
We discovered it is going cost way too much to bring natural gas to the property. So we thought just to add more panels to off set an all electric home.
Then we were going to do an on demand hot water heater. Are those on demand electric hot water heaters compatible with solar PV's? All of this gets overwhelming.
We have gotten several quotes but still don't know how many panels to start with. But thought of getting 1/2 of what we need to start then add more panels later.
I just did solar ... 6kw system for $24,000 through sunpower- ×22 panels and micro inverters from sunflower also
Has anyone else used sunpower for solar?
+Christopher Cooper [Ricky] that’s awesome! So check the comments one of our commenters also went sun power and loved them. They’re top tier panels and you pay a little more but they’re so good. How’s the warranty on your system?
Two Bit da Vinci TECH great, 25 year warranty on everything
$24k for 6kW !!!???? is that with a battery installation or something? seems very high. Doesnt seem viable at US power prices.
It is high. I paid under $10k for my system which has a rated output of 3.2kw. It was installed two years ago.
VERY enlightening. I didnt know how LITTLE I understood until I watched this. Thank you guys so much. I am still interested in Solar, but now i feel better informed. I live in Cincinnati Ohio. My utility bill is like a puzzle. I dont have any place that tells me how much per kwh. I have total charges for "elctric delivery", "generation" etc. In my city I have very very inexpensive natural gas, so I would not save anything on my furnace..... I never thought of that... but my AC is the big user in the summer. Thank you guys. Now I have a headache, but I will persist.
I totally hear you John... we have lots of videos on solar for you to take a look at! Keep on commenting cheers!
Solar reduces monthly electric bills and a great saving especially when running air conditioners. However, it presumes your roof will last as long as the solar installation. The cost of roof replacement that has solar panels is not covered.
For us the payback period was shortened by us buying an electric car. Without the car the payback period was too long.
I was told by my installer Tesla power wall is 40% less than other companies per kWh. Panels are 20% a year decrease. So by next year it becomes doable.
Another way of looking at the cost is in the short run its cheaper to not change the oil in your car but in the long run its not. Problem is at some point its to late. We are still auguring if the oil needs changing over the sound of a knocking engine.
Hey Steve why wouldn't it be a good outcome in the long run?
@@vice23456 well if you don't change the oil in your engine at where is the bearings and the Rings and at some point you need to have the engine rebuilt or a connecting rod can let loose and ruin the whole engine. We are everyday eating the planet by burning 200 million barrels of oil. I use Google to figure out what 200 million barrels of oil would equal in heat and it's the same as a thousand nuclear bombs. So we are basically hitting the planet with a thousand blasts a day. Like a canoe that's getting close to a waterfall at some point you can't paddle your way back out.
I live in Colorado that has snow but also has crazy amounts of sunshine per year. The few days of snow are more than made up by the brilliant sunshine we get, even in the winter.
[Ricky] Yah that's what we figured! Very cool, what kind of EV do you drive? Leaf? What do you think about Leaf 2?
Im in Puerto Rico. At the moment de do not have incentives. Cost per watt for solar would be around $3.5-4.50 per watt
I work in the finance industry in the solar/renewable industry. The $4/W seems quite high but maybe that’s b/c your other costs (installation costs etc.) are spread over a smaller capacity system. I think the market right now has construction costs at like just over $1 to $1.5 for installation (all in costs) per W in developed countries. I think in developing countries you get under $1/W where labour is cheap like in India. These metrics are based upon my observation for utility scale systems so may not be comparable with your distributed solar system that you are addressing. Keep up the good work, happy to chat directly if you are interested to chat about utility scale systems.
We offer 0% for 5 year, up to 5.99 for 20 year. Do NOT ever go with a solar lease. NEVER!! Living here in Central California, Solar is a must if you plan on staying in your home for at least the next 10 years.
Best places for panels are in the yard because if on roof your warrentee will go bad. Just fyi guys holy cow. I only have to pay .10 USD every kw used. Also I get .9 USD for buy back per kw. Service fee is a pay no matter what bill too. Mine is $15 :(
In India it's 117000INR for 3kw system for on grid + installation & 205000inr for 3kw off grid + installation which is 15k inr per kilowatt
Awesome! Great info in your video... But wish you talked more about off grid systems & DIY. You can do a lot with them & keeps the power company out of the loop..... ( As long as you do not feed power to the grid ) lithium batteries off grid inverter with auto transfer switch is the way to go as you will have power if the grid goes down unlike most systems. Making solar a hobby is one of the best things i have ever done. Only hobby that's saved me money... lol! & Bonus! Feels good going green even more than expected. probably one of the better things I've done in my life.
subbed because of this comment. This is exactly what I''m thinking
My thoughts exactly too ! Forget the grid . What good is it to invest in solar if you don’t have power when the grid goes down 👎
I used to work for an energy consulting firm and we used to do these calculations to help clients determine if solar is worth the investment.
The first recommendation we give is to first reduce your load as much as possible to reduce your demand. Mainly convert to LED lights, turn off unused lighting, and manage the thermostat with better set backs and efficient temperatures. These are the highest payback items.
There are other things to recommend to depending on each person's situation, but if you can reduce your load then you'll need the smallest investment in solar, giving the fastest payback.
Do you know what the NEMA laws are now? Is net metering still the same in CA where each kwh used is credited equally for each kwh produced? I think it's a state law, not by utility. I know the utilities are trying to change it to time of day.
A new concept I need to learn more on time. Question as basic cost, new features, give me more time.
One of the co-ops in California wants $10 PER kwh you can generate. so if you have 10KW on your roof, you are looking at a "Convenience fee" of $100 a month, even if you use no electricity at all. I'm looking at the batteries from a crashed Tesla S at $4k. a bit over 15KWH of batteries....Then a nice inverter for 15KWH. The house currently pulls about 30kwh per month.. possibly 35kwh. However, 8 outages last year, 2 over 5 days have convinced me that batteries and alternator are needed. (It would have been $1000 just for propane to run ONE of the longer outages.)
Ny net meter is just that. A net usage meter. Here in RI there is no different rate for selling back power to the Utility Company. When my system produces more than it needs the meter runs in reverse lowering the total number used. That’s true Net Metering. Just finished my 4th season, I’m averaging a 49% savings overall. Did the payback period make it all worthwhile? All depends how you look at it money wise. I’m 70 now and most likely won’t live long enough to pay back the $15,500 the system stands me. Over the first 4 years I averaged about a $1000 a year savings. I’ll be about 82 by the time I get my money back assuming Electric doesn’t increase drastically. But I still feel it was the right thing for me to do and believe it will increase the value of the house so somebody is going to profit from it.
Good information and thanks for sharing. You might want to add Deed Restrictions and HOA's, most will not allow front facing solar panels. In warmer climates it's the opposite, consumption peaks are in the summer.
I'm still waiting until the solar panels go down in price and efficiency to go up, _I'd need 70 panels for Net $0._ Ideally, I'd love panels to look like a metal roof that can be cut. Solid-state batteries are coming.
D Jaquith 70 panels at what power.? 70 panels at 200 watt=14,000 kWh system......70 panels at 350 kWh=24,500 kWh. Residential solar is allowed 10khw in most states.
In ‘09 when I bought my panels (205 Watts) were $849. Each. They have dropped immensely since then. Panels alone. Factor in inverter and labor and those panels were $1250 each then.
I'm aware of the math, calculate a net $0 electrical bill consuming an average 2,500 kWh per month. So unless you want to reply about something other than our consumption, I'll try to reply.
Also HOA’s can not stop you installing panels (regardless the direction) for that matter deed restrictions are NOT a factor.
The Federal Law doesn't allow anyone to put solar panels anywhere you want. Please post the Federal Law you're referring to here. Thanks.
You can place a solar system anywhere on YOUR property you desire. Most people place them on they’re room in a southerly direction. Difficult to understand your remake, please say again. And AGAIN, how many panels do you need and at what power rating?.?.?
Can you please do un updated video on going off grid. What would the cost look like now for an off grid system and what would be good long term battery options?
In the Netherlands, you can get a refund on your VAT tax (Kinda like sales tax but in the 20% range).
The hail damage comment was priceless.
[Ricky] I was looking into some of these panels, a lot are rated to withstand hail damage.. .but yeah its something thats a real threat for people. Here in San Diego, not so much
Great video, thanks. I’d like to point out that for battery storage just because it may have a 10 year warranty doesn’t mean it just dies after that. It could last another 10 years but like all rechargeable batteries it will lose capacity over time. So another question to ask is, which maybe difficult to get an answer, what to expect regarding storage charge degradation. The more charge/discharge cycles the battery goes thru the more quickly it will degrade, but this will take years. For Tesla Powerwalls I’d like to find out if the app that comes with the system whether you can control the degree to which the Powerwall can be charged. Typically on their EVs it is recommended that the batteries only be charged to 80% (controllable with their app) with occasional full charges for a once in a while long distance driving. A routine partial charge extends the useful life of the batteries. So can this be done with a solar panel/storage system?
Good job guys, lots of great information. I live in Iowa and I'm interested in having solar panels installed on my house.
Check out DroneQuote at least for comparison! Www.dronequote.com/twobit
I had one salesguy try to sell me a setup that would cost $12K. However, the savings was such that I'd never recoup the cost of the installation. The savings I would have generated would only at best match what I pay normally, so I'd never start recouping the cost. In other words, at that time, it was cheaper for me to stay on the grid. And I have a single family home with plenty of south facing roof and no trees.
And when I put the solar panels in the shadows and put it to the north it still makes power but it does make more in the winter maybe because of the snow shines when the sun is out even when behind clouds and in the shadow of the house and trees facing north so I left them their on their own system. But as long as my batteries are full by 11 a clock in the morning.
Who do you think pays for the subsidies you get for solar? On a full cost basis solar is the most expensive electricity you can buy. What is saved in your monthly bill is paid in taxes for a net increase in your energy cost.
solar is great while it is working when my inverter tripped off when I turned it back on the backup battery did not charge. the Company that installed it ceased trading soon after my system was installed. I have contacted many installers but none knew of my inverter Kstarhybride 4000 now I have only solar power when the sun is available so now I believe I will have to have a new inverter yours was an informative video
When are you guys going to update this video. I'd like to know what I can get now 3 years later
We have a plan for a "having solar 7 years later" planned... before years end!
In Colombia the government have just created a tax credit of 50%
In central Florida just signed up for a 7.2kw with microinverters for $20,600 before the 30% tax credit, $2.86 per watt.
Solar only works when the sun is out. Vertical axis windmills work more than this if positioned on the peak of a roof via vertical updraft from a roof of a house. And there now are fans without blades.
A third of California gets covered with snow. That shows how insignificant a third of California is to people who live in California. And it's the most beautiful parts of California. Like Tahoe, Yosemite, Shasta, Mendocino, Shasta Lake, Shasta Caves, Fort Bragg and many more beautiful places.
Went solar take fair warning if your Electric Company has a power surge and your home is not protected by a power surge protector or even you do have one it can frie your surge protector box and 22 Microinverters on our solar panels which will not be covered under warranty.Our system has been down since August 2,2021 till now of September 2,2021 not sure when our solar system will be back up.
Great discussion guys. Please start off by mentioning to kick off your plan by installing a sun water heating system . This could reduce your electricity requirement by about 50 percent.
I have a gas water heater so there’s no electricity savings from water heating for me. However I could save a little on natural gas, and also use some of that heat on the roof for something productive and reduce the heat entering my living area and reduce cooling costs.
@@TwoBitDaVinci would switching to an electric hot water heater make sense financially? Have you considered this?
Thanx for the Info, In the Netherlands you get 21% back from your tax returns
[Ricky] Oh wow really, are there any caps, are the returns limited for a few years? That's good to know, sounds like its a little lower than in the US but close and that's awesome!
$1.64 to $2.80 per watt in Tampa FL
NPR here👍 I like TECO because they keep manatees warm in winter❤
Yea getting snow off a the level town home, i have a meeting tonight i will comment back of how the snow is removed
Excellent thoughts here. Thanks!
Hmmm... 30KWh per day to charge an EV sounds rather high. I have 19-mile-each-way commute - higher than average - and our Prius Prime only takes somewhere around 9KWh per day. And yes, I do drive it virtually entirely on electricity.
It gets about 4 1/2 miles per KWh. A Nissan LEAF gets a little better than that, and Teslas just under 4 miles/KWh since they are much larger and higher-performance and -range EVs. So, you can use those sorts of numbers to perform your estimates.
[Ricky] Great point Gary! Yeah I didn't think about usage but rather what a full charge would be. But you're totally right, you'd only charge what you used, and thanks for sharing those numbers.
So your commute is roughly 40 miles, about 9kWh and based on rate of $0.10-$0.20
total cost would be between $0.90 - $1.89.
My most fuel efficient car is my Honda Civic which would get about 28MPG
so on your same commute It would be 40/28*$3.00/gallon = ~ $4.30. That's quite the savings! Very cool!
Really appreciate your real world data.
I was surprised to learn you get certificates as S-Rex or S-Track to sell on the Flat Exchange. I’ve had 10 Solar Panels installed in 2017. I don’t get a 30% savings check from IRS or any S-Rex certificates in NC. I get low bills under $100 but Duke Energy Co. says my panels don’t put out enuf energy to receive a check from them!? I paid already for the solar system but the ECS company who installed them went out of. business so I have no warranty. No other solar company will work on my panels now if they didn’t install them when it became disconnected at the outside of the attic. I paid an Electrician for a 5 minute repair. You explained the benefits very well but the way nothing was explained to me or figuring out how much I put out with my panels only shows what I’ve known for 50 years, women are not treated the same as men in anything.
I appreciate the way you provide the information without a heavy skew from personal beliefs. I work to get solar technology in use by low and middle income families in the US. It is basically crowd funding to put solar equipment in use to help the elderly and veterans of my area and contributors have fractional ownership of the company that owns the equipment. Would you have any interest in helping with this effort? If we can get a good start by this October we have a chance to receive up to $500,000.00 in grant funding for this project from the US Department of Energy through the Solar in your Community Challenge. This is structured to be a nationally scaled consumer co-op and could potentially change the way the energy industry operates, we appreciate any consideration of cooperation from all US citizens.
[CHRIS] We aren't able to assist with your effort, but feel free to share or embed any of our videos on Solar:
ua-cam.com/video/cS8d1jc3Lvs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/yaeWYgb7S2o/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/mBsG4laZyEA/v-deo.html