Solar Power Will Kill Coal Sooner Than You Think

[DPG21920]

Side note: I always found that so funny about satellite dishes. Like if there's a tree in front of your roof you can't have it. I'm like, you have no problem pinging signals from outer space through whatever is in the atmosphere but a tree is the deal breaker ?

I mean, I get it and I know there is more to it than that, but just a funny thought.

[DMC]

That's a good point. But there are ways around that which they tried with rebates, etc...I equate it to 4K TV. Just not enough content to go to one even though people know it's better.

If you approach the average homeowner and say "I'll lower your 10 year cost of living by 30% if you pay me 50K now" a large number of those people are going to A) not trust you'll even be around in 10 years to back your guarantee and B) not trust they will be around in 10 years to justify it. People want short term gains. Solar is going to have to offer payment plans that mirror electric bills that eventually wane off to just service costs. For that to happen, someone like Tesla will have to invest in the technology like Time Warner did with cable and set out to install it under contract.

[boutons_deux]

Side note: I always found that so funny about satellite dishes.

I was amazed in Iceland to see that satellite dishes were tilted almost perpendicular to the ground, pointed at the horizon.

[DMC]

Side note: I always found that so funny about satellite dishes. Like if there's a tree in front of your roof you can't have it. I'm like, you have no problem pinging signals from outer space through whatever is in the atmosphere but a tree is the deal breaker ?

I mean, I get it and I know there is more to it than that, but just a funny thought.

Same with rubber tires. People think they are safe in a car because the tires are rubber, lightning won't get them, but it has no problem making it that mile or more through the air, somehow that inch of rubber is going to be the deal breaker. In reality is just not the easiest path to ground.

[RandomGuy]

I'm all for solar power. Who wants to give up their land to allow the city to build solar array farms so they can shut down the coal burning power plants? Or do you mean individuals putting solar panels on roofs with a large battery bank somewhere in the back of the property?

I have no problem with solar power, none. I just don't think it's ready for prime time.

Both are going to, and are, happening.

As for giving up land, the farmers and ranchers giving up land for wind seem to be pretty happy with their rent checks. I imagine if land has to be purchased or rented, the price will be fair, certainly as fair as mineral royalties for coal.

I am personally pricing out a rooftop/battery system.

[RandomGuy]

If you approach the average homeowner and say "I'll lower your 10 year cost of living by 30% if you pay me 50K now" a large number of those people are going to A) not trust you'll even be around in 10 years to back your guarantee and B) not trust they will be around in 10 years to justify it. People want short term gains. Solar is going to have to offer payment plans that mirror electric bills that eventually wane off to just service costs. For that to happen, someone like Tesla will have to invest in the technology like Time Warner did with cable and set out to install it under contract.

Payment plan is exactly what I am looking at. "we will build it and finance it, you simply make payments"

They balance the size of the system versus your utility bills. I may overbuild a bit, as wife and I are thinking of spending money on an electric vehicle for her commute.

[DMC]

Both are going to, and are, happening.

As for giving up land, the farmers and ranchers giving up land for wind seem to be pretty happy with their rent checks. I imagine if land has to be purchased or rented, the price will be fair, certainly as fair as mineral royalties for coal.

I am personally pricing out a rooftop/battery system.

Share the price here if you don't mind.

Some farmers have given up land for solar as well, to the tune of about 25K per year per 50 acres. That's great, but when you have mineral rights you're sitting on money you can just cash in basically. Solar requires that the company who made the contract with you actually remain economically viable, and outside of a few key players, solar companies rely largely on financial assistance from "we must move to solar" people. Solar will have to be profitable. Of course they said the same for recycling and now most cities have a recycling program in effect in residential and commercial areas. Sometimes profit comes from savings in other areas.

Like I said, I am all for solar, but the sun doesn't shine all day every day. It would need to be a supplement in many areas that don't get enough sunlight to maintain battery banks to meet demand. There are also those extended periods where there's simply not enough sunlight to maintain a charge, in just about any location. You have to be switchable to a grid or at least have alternative energy available. That's why solutions like Solar and Wind can work together but they both want the same real estate.

[DMC]

Payment plan is exactly what I am looking at. "we will build it and finance it, you simply make payments"

They balance the size of the system versus your utility bills. I may overbuild a bit, as wife and I are thinking of spending money on an electric vehicle for her commute.

You probably agree it feels like a risk since your neighbors probably aren't doing it, and what happens when that company says "see ya" and fails to replace damaged or faulty components yet you are stuck with a bill that was sold to a collector?

Probably not a real issue, but for the average working family, those are decisions that can produce both excitement and anxiety. Once you get over the feeling of having outsmarted the big electric company system, you are now faced with the prospect of having a solar home. If you ever have to move, you have to leave it. Does the solar payment stay with the home?

[DPG21920]

You probably agree it feels like a risk since your neighbors probably aren't doing it, and what happens when that company says "see ya" and fails to replace damaged or faulty components yet you are stuck with a bill that was sold to a collector?

Probably not a real issue, but for the average working family, those are decisions that can produce both excitement and anxiety. Once you get over the feeling of having outsmarted the big electric company system, you are now faced with the prospect of having a solar home. If you ever have to move, you have to leave it. Does the solar payment stay with the home?

Still lots of questions. That is why I like the Tesla shingle model. Just like today if you buy a new comp shingle roof. You are paying the bill whether you do it in cash or finance it. Selling your home does not change that you had the work done.

By doing it that way it's no different than today's model - it's just making your home more attractive when you sell etc.

[TeyshaBlue]

I have a large house with a South facing roof so I had that working for me. They wanted to carry the paper @3% for 20 years. The battery backup would set me back another 5 grand. I asked to pay up front for the system but they wouldn't budge on the pricing. That's when I told them to take a walk and get back with me if they change their minds. And bouton's had the company name right....SolarCity.

[TeyshaBlue]

I never got to the point where I looked at the impact to my homeowner's insurance premium.

[DMC]

I have a large house with a South facing roof so I had that working for me. They wanted to carry the paper @3% for 20 years. The battery backup would set me back another 5 grand. I asked to pay up front for the system but they wouldn't budge on the pricing. That's when I told them to take a walk and get back with me if they change their minds. And bouton's had the company name right....SolarCity.

Did they keep your REC?

[TeyshaBlue]

REC?

[Thread]

I have a large house with a South facing roof so I had that working for me. They wanted to carry the paper @3% for 20 years. The battery backup would set me back another 5 grand. I asked to pay up front for the system but they wouldn't budge on the pricing. That's when I told them to take a walk and get back with me if they change their minds. And bouton's had the company name right....SolarCity.

Good information, TB. I was wondering how that worked.

[TeyshaBlue]

They also snag your tax credit which was a problem for me. Kept trying to explain that I could use some of it but somehow I had to pay them for it. It was surreal.

[boutons_deux]

rural electric coop. like BEC

[TeyshaBlue]

DEC...Drunk Electric Co-op.

[Thread]

They also snag your tax credit which was a problem for me. Kept trying to explain that I could use some of it but somehow I had to pay them for it. It was surreal.

That's like [money from home]. No one wants to part with it.

[RandomGuy]

Share the price here if you don't mind.

Some farmers have given up land for solar as well, to the tune of about 25K per year per 50 acres. That's great, but when you have mineral rights you're sitting on money you can just cash in basically. Solar requires that the company who made the contract with you actually remain economically viable, and outside of a few key players, solar companies rely largely on financial assistance from "we must move to solar" people. Solar will have to be profitable. Of course they said the same for recycling and now most cities have a recycling program in effect in residential and commercial areas. Sometimes profit comes from savings in other areas.

Like I said, I am all for solar, but the sun doesn't shine all day every day. It would need to be a supplement in many areas that don't get enough sunlight to maintain battery banks to meet demand. There are also those extended periods where there's simply not enough sunlight to maintain a charge, in just about any location. You have to be switchable to a grid or at least have alternative energy available. That's why solutions like Solar and Wind can work together but they both want the same real estate.

Price was $38,000 for an installation that would provide enough power for the house. Financing terms were for 8 years at 7% apr.

I would likely augment that with a tesla power wall or two.

Haven't pulled the trigger on that, since we have other short term financial goals that come first.

[DMC]

Price was $38,000 for an installation that would provide enough power for the house. Financing terms were for 8 years at 7% apr.

I would likely augment that with a tesla power wall or two.

Haven't pulled the trigger on that, since we have other short term financial goals that come first.

That last one is a doozie. It gets most of us. If we were talking about basic electricity from a utility standpoint, nothing else comes first. Since it's an alternative source of an existing feed, we can just consider it an investment for financial reasons, long term. Until that choice is removed or made less of a venture, we'll continue to balk at it. Not saying you will balk at it, but you need more of a reason to pull the trigger than "it's better for the Earth".

[pgardn]

3 new roofs due to hail damage.

Help me out here...

[boutons_deux]

Price was $38,000

How many Kw?

[TeyshaBlue]

Price was $38,000 for an installation that would provide enough power for the house. Financing terms were for 8 years at 7% apr.

I would likely augment that with a tesla power wall or two.

Haven't pulled the trigger on that, since we have other short term financial goals that come first.

38 grand at 7% for 8 years? That's ridiculous.

[TeyshaBlue]

I was being offered 50 grand for 20 years at 3 points.

[DarrinS]

Hard to justify the cost, since my CPS bill is lower than both my cable and cell phone bills.