Anyone here gone solar?

Badger_Prof

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We went with community solar. Large array at local airport. We get 50% of our electricity from that solar. Small upfront cost and then we pay for the power we get from the array. The rate for that power is about the same as our current “regular” rate but the rate is locked in for 20 years. Of the remaining 50% of our electric, almost 30% is from wind/solar combination. Just another option for those who do not want an array on their roof. Some may not like this idea but it is a good match for us.
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ChasingCoral

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We went with community solar. Large array at local airport. We get 50% of our electricity from that solar. Small upfront cost and then we pay for the power we get from the array. The rate for that power is about the same as our current “regular” rate but the rate is locked in for 20 years. Of the remaining 50% of our electric, almost 30% is from wind/solar combination. Just another option for those who do not want an array on their roof. Some may not like this idea but it is a good match for us.
Ditto. Community dollar for us too. We wanted to go solar but too many big shady trees in the wrong places for it. So we keep reaping the benefits of share to cool the house in the summer and get most our electricity from an array on an old landfill. The rest we buy from regional wind sources.
 

abr

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I had one guy take a look. The problem is the front of the house with the least amount of roof space due to 3 dormers is the side to put it on. I was worried about both the aesthetics and the time of payback as I am no longer a kid. My plan is the hope that cost will come down and efficiency will go up to make it more practical in the near future.
Payback for me is about 6 years. Good side or my roof orientation is you really have to look hard to see the panels. Bad side of my roof orientation is I get less direct sunlight on the panels. If better oriented, could produce more power. I looked at battery storage when I installed 2 years ago and it wasn't even close to making financial sense yet. Because of TOU rates, and our usage (mostly off peak, especially for charging PHEV), we don't have any electrical cost other than connection charges.
 

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A decent PVE company will be able to make various calculations for panel placement and the variety of net metering type options available if any (none in this part of the world). They can also plug batteries into a proposal to give you a price difference along with the tax credits and payback time.

In our case, there are no net-metering arrangements available due to a very large solar array elsewhere on the ranch which sucked up all the available units ages ago. We effectively have 2 programs left, one sells power back at 1/3 of the retail base rate, the other sells in back at about 1/4. Both require export from your battery system during peak usage hours (4 to 9 pm). So these really only work for part-year residents.

In our case, we sell nothing back and have fully charged batteries no later than 2 pm on partly cloudy days and earlier on clear days. The monthly savings on our bill averages over $250 USD per month.
 

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View out to the solar roof across the street. Wonder why not more places have these types of setup. And if they offer customers free/cheap charging, its a win/win for everyone.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Anyone here gone solar? AlaMoanaSolar
 


dbsb3233

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the spouse working for a company that has a 17 MW solar roof array so she ends up doing most of the charging there
That would be the more efficient use of solar for BEVs - charging during the daylight. Nighttime charging (which most people need to do, at home) requires time-shifting, that adds cost. Typically by relying on the power company to time-shift (which can be problematic with duck curve demand), or with storage (that's expensive).
 

dbsb3233

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View out to the solar roof across the street. Wonder why not more places have these types of setup. And if they offer customers free/cheap charging, its a win/win for everyone.
Well, probably not for everyone, since someone has to pay for the hefty purchase and installation expenses (and ongoing maintenance). And make up for tax subsidies. Whether that's a "win" depends on how it all compares to power company rates.
 

2Ponies

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I put up a 5 KW system about 4 years ago, and I drive a 2013 Leaf. I have very cheap electricity costs for California, the first 500KWh are only 9.3 cents. After that it goes up to 15. My system allows me to charge at home, run my whole house and never hit the second tier and those increased rates, some months I even have a credit for overproducing. And it keeps my energy cost at the 9.3 cent rate for everything. Think of it as prepaying your energy costs at a fixed rate.

If you plan to charge at home, you have to be careful not to put yourself into higher rates as you usage goes up, if your utility charges that way. Having solar to offset the added use could keep you out of the higher tiers, and keep your energy costs low, or just lower your total energy usage and costs.

Another thing to think about is public charging stations. Most of them out here charge around 30 cents a KWh, way more than the cost at home for the same KWh from your local utility. And if you go rooftop solar, your costs should be even lower than that of your local utility. Think about how much energy you will use with your new MME, assume 3 miles per KWH, and 12,000 miles a year. That would be 4000 KWh, about $1200 a year at public charging stations. If you produced enough solar at home ( I get about 7000 KWh a year) to cover your MME energy needs, and offset some of your household use, it may make sense. My payback time is about 8 years for my solar, because my energy is cheap. Have the solar sales people do an analysis of your payback time using your $/KWh, current usage, plus additional usage for your new MME. Long term it may make sense. And once your solar has paid for itself you are driving with $0 energy costs. It does not get any better that that!
 

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One thing most installers don't address when doing solar panel cost savings estimates is the increase in value to your home's resale value. (Assuming your panels are purchased and not leased.)
https://money.com/home-value-solar-panels/?amp=true

If you have a $30,000 total solar installation cost on a $400,000 house and deduct the current IRS 26% tax credit ($7800) and consider the average 4% additional money you will get back when you sell your house ($16,000) you are looking at an actual solar installation cost of $6,200. If you were to apply your $7500 IRS tax credit for the Mach toward your solar panel installation then the net cost of your solar panels is zero.

The calculations vary based on home value, interest costs if the solar installation is financed, EVSE rebates, and other state and local "green" incentives, but if you look at a solar power system as a sunk cost asset, you will find that monthly electrical savings are actually a monthly budget bonus and not some 8 or 10 year offset for your purchase price.
 

dbsb3233

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One thing most installers don't address when doing solar panel cost savings estimates is the increase in value to your home's resale value. (Assuming your panels are purchased and not leased.)
That's sort of a double-edge sword though. Yes, you can probably get some of the initial cost back when you sell the house. But it also makes the house (relatively) harder to sell by being more expensive than the same house down the street (w/o solar). Many home buyers are stretched to their limits already, so an extra $10k can make the difference between someone buying that house vs the other.

Depends on the house and the market, of course, but there's a common saying that it's better to buy the cheapest house in an expensive neighborhood rather than the other way around.
 

Kamuelaflyer

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Well, probably not for everyone, since someone has to pay for the hefty purchase and installation expenses (and ongoing maintenance). And make up for tax subsidies. Whether that's a "win" depends on how it all compares to power company rates.
In the case of the locale where that picture was taken, the base electrical rates are stunningly high. Almost as high as mine.
 

engnrng

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One thing most installers don't address when doing solar panel cost savings estimates is the increase in value to your home's resale value. (Assuming your panels are purchased and not leased.)
https://money.com/home-value-solar-panels/?amp=true

If you have a $30,000 total solar installation cost on a $400,000 house and deduct the current IRS 26% tax credit ($7800) and consider the average 4% additional money you will get back when you sell your house ($16,000) you are looking at an actual solar installation cost of $6,200. If you were to apply your $7500 IRS tax credit for the Mach toward your solar panel installation then the net cost of your solar panels is zero.

The calculations vary based on home value, interest costs if the solar installation is financed, EVSE rebates, and other state and local "green" incentives, but if you look at a solar power system as a sunk cost asset, you will find that monthly electrical savings are actually a monthly budget bonus and not some 8 or 10 year offset for your purchase price.
Yes. The whole notion of years of payback followed by huge cost savings makes no sense, don't know where it came from. Anyone looking at an investment typically thinks about rate of return. Interest on a bond, dividends on a stock, appreciation of real estate, etc. For solar and cost-shifting batteries, the monthly cost savings can be used to calculate the rate of return. I have 10 kW peak power array and 35 kWh battery system that yields me over 6% TAX FREE rate of return. I repeat, this a tax free rate of return. I pay no taxes on the cost savings every month, it just goes straight to my budget bottom line. Worth it? Absolutely, from the first month! The other nice thing is that the 6% goes up a bit every year as electricity rates increase over time. By putting the Tesla PowerWalls on the system, not only do I have a backup in the case of a grid power loss, I also shift usage to the low cost 10pm to 8 am period when the cost per kWh is least. That is when I charge my electric vehicle as well. I have multiple powerwalls and keep 25% to 30% in reserve in case of an unplanned power outage. My batteries charge up from solar during the morning hours, dumping excess production to the grid all afternoon (high cost credits), then power my entire house from battery through the most expensive evening hours. Net $$ FROM the power company is around $1000 per year, even with my electric vehicle charging every few days.
 
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zhackwyatt

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That's sort of a double-edge sword though. Yes, you can probably get some of the initial cost back when you sell the house. But it also makes the house (relatively) harder to sell by being more expensive than the same house down the street (w/o solar). Many home buyers are stretched to their limits already, so an extra $10k can make the difference between someone buying that house vs the other.

Depends on the house and the market, of course, but there's a common saying that it's better to buy the cheapest house in an expensive neighborhood rather than the other way around.
Plus I had to add a rider to my house insurance to cover panel replacement.
 

VegStang

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The homes in my area sell within 10 days and are astronomically high already so I have some doubt as to how much additional value the panels really add other than making the home sell even easier. The less than $15k investment is earning more on the roof tax free than any cash investment we had, and more importantly helpful for emissions.
 

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I have had solar for the past 12 years - multiple houses. I dont think you recuperate 100% of the cost when you sell - but with most markets being up, its hard to tell if an identical house next door will sell for less than yours by the amount equal to your solar panel cost/value. It will be easier to sell though. Don't jump on my comments - just stating my experience. Every micro market is different.

Current home has solar - not ideal roof pitch and direction - we do run net positive contribution to the grid during the late spring and summer months and in fall and winter the production is not as high and we do consume some grid electricity. Overall in a 12 month period, solar saves us about 250 to 300 a month. Our payback is about 7 years (could have been less if the roof was in ideal situation for maximum output). Considered a battery but thought it is not cost effective especially for my roof design. If I buy a house again, will get solar for sure - dont regret it.

When we add Mach E to the garage and its charging, I do intend to switch to TOU billing - local utility offers two versions (apart from a separate meter which I am not sure at this point if I want to get).
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