Solar isn't magical

robstrom said:

Not related to any post, just hopefully a bit of reality.
Everyone has their reason to 'do' solar.
1. Free power: after you spend a fortune to get it.
2. Green: Well, green 'here'. Bout the same as 'recycling'.Ask the 6 year old mining it in the congo how they feel about it.That doesn't include the environmental cost of getting it to you. Green, it's a dead end.
3. Build n forget. Yah no.
Bigger you go, more time you spend monitoring/ checking/ sourcing parts...
There is no set n forget.
4. Grid tie/ get money back: At best break even, if your provider pays 1:1. Not likely.
Power goes out, you're as dark n cold as all your neighbours.
5. Gov rebates/ subsidies:
It's borrowed money, for you to pay back later in taxes.
I LOVE my solar build, in my minimalist low use survival situation, it's the only way.
My gas gen right here, wood stove too.
My rant, sorry.
Businesswise, solar is a waste of money w/o gov money propping it up.
Freedom always has a price.

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time2roll said:

1) Fortune? Five year payback is 20% return. One of my best investments.
2a) Recycling? Should last 40+ years, what else lasts that long?
2b) Congo? OK nobody likes child labor. Congo needs better laws and enforcement. If there was any better opportunity this would go away. Bad situation either way.
3) Build and forget is exactly my system. I have done perfectly NOTHING since the install.
4) refer to #1. My system was not designed for extremely rare outages. No loss here.
5) Borrowed? No, your future tax liability is not dependent on current solar programs.

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time2roll said:

1) Fortune? Five year payback is 20% return. One of my best investments.
2a) Recycling? Should last 40+ years, what else lasts that long?
2b) Congo? OK nobody likes child labor. Congo needs better laws and enforcement. If there was any better opportunity this would go away. Bad situation either way.
3) Build and forget is exactly my system. I have done perfectly NOTHING since the install.
4) refer to #1. My system was not designed for extremely rare outages. No loss here.
5) Borrowed? No, your future tax liability is not dependent on current solar programs.

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timselectric said:

My money, was my only driving factor in my decision to go solar.
I want to keep more of it, for my retirement.

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Shimmy said:

Solar is not magical, but you are ignoring the impact of every other source of power and the benefits of distributed generation. The greenest solution is like the old recycling mantra: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Minimizing energy use is the first pillar, demand management the second, and solar comes in third (with batteries fourth).

I'm adding more solar and a battery, which will exceed my annual consumption needs. I am doing this not to be "green," but because I don't want to deal with power outages anymore. I acknowledge that it is entirely selfish, consumerist, and un-economical.

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robstrom said:

As a californian, power is only one of the issue you're dealing with.

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robstrom said:

Not related to any post, just hopefully a bit of reality.
Everyone has their reason to 'do' solar.
1. Free power: after you spend a fortune to get it.
2. Green: Well, green 'here'. Bout the same as 'recycling'.Ask the 6 year old mining it in the congo how they feel about it.That doesn't include the environmental cost of getting it to you. Green, it's a dead end.
3. Build n forget. Yah no.
Bigger you go, more time you spend monitoring/ checking/ sourcing parts...
There is no set n forget.
4. Grid tie/ get money back: At best break even, if your provider pays 1:1. Not likely.
Power goes out, you're as dark n cold as all your neighbours.
5. Gov rebates/ subsidies:
It's borrowed money, for you to pay back later in taxes.
I LOVE my solar build, in my minimalist low use survival situation, it's the only way.
My gas gen right here, wood stove too.
My rant, sorry.
Businesswise, solar is a waste of money w/o gov money propping it up.
Freedom always has a price.

Click to expand...

Bobert said:

Sometimes solar is looked at through rise colored glasses But in some circumstances solar is a no-brainer. If you rv for month at a time and prefer nature settings. In the north east it’s $40 to $100 or more crowded with full hookups or $30 or less for state parks in some of the most beautiful areas imaginable. We camp on some property we own sometimes for over a month at a time. It doesn’t take to many years at $50 compared to $0 to pay back even a fairly elaborate solar setup. I sure many other no-brainer examples abound.

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robstrom said:

Exactly. In your specific circumstance, its that or running the gen. Lets make a law nationwide, then. It works for you.
Your numbers work

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time2roll said:

1) Fortune? Five year payback is 20% return. One of my best investments.
2a) Recycling? Should last 40+ years, what else lasts that long?
2b) Congo? OK nobody likes child labor. Congo needs better laws and enforcement. If there was any better opportunity this would go away. Bad situation either way.
3) Build and forget is exactly my system. I have done perfectly NOTHING since the install.
4) refer to #1. My system was not designed for extremely rare outages. No loss here.
5) Borrowed? No, your future tax liability is not dependent on current solar programs.

Click to expand...