Florida Solar panels questions

[Keith True]

Solar is a big plus when selling homes around here.In an ongoing development a mile from me 41 out of the 46 houses there have rooftop solar.10 years ago the guys that worked on solar figured if your light bill was under $100.it was not the thing to do.The solar salesmen didn't think that way though.They peddled lots of installations to folks that had no need,or the location for it.The panels of today make in the moonlight.Look at that meter in the cellar on a moonlit night,you will see it tipped over to the plus side.It ain't making much,but it's something.Direct sunlight makes more,and faster,but as long as it's light,juice is being produced.it's sad but three year old solar panels are now obsolete.In the tech world 10 years old is like the caveman days.I never set any up for myself because by bill was so low.It's no longer low,so we are designing a setup for me.

 

[ss55]

In Maine solar is being pushed hard. Lots of solar farms being built at taxpayer expense as far as I can tell. Then some salesman comes around telling how much you can save on your electric bill by signing up with them. Even pay you $50 or more to do it. I fell into the trap and the first 3 months my electric bill was $150 ($50 a month) more than it was before. As far as I am concerned it is a scam. A lot of unhappy people. I got out as fast as I could and will never go back . There are some people that are letting solar panels be in stalled on their roofs, and I haven't heard anyone bragging how much the are saving. Just my take on solar. I won't get into windmills. In my own personal unbiased opinion.

Home owners usually own their solar panels. On solar farms do the landowners actually buy all the solar panels or do they simply lease their land to the the solar panel company and retain the right to graze livestock under the panels? Similar to how land owners lease their ground to cell tower, pipeline, power line and wind turbine companies.

 

[showcrop]

Solar is a big plus when selling homes around here.In an ongoing development a mile from me 41 out of the 46 houses there have rooftop solar.10 years ago the guys that worked on solar figured if your light bill was under $100.it was not the thing to do.The solar salesmen didn't think that way though.They peddled lots of installations to folks that had no need,or the location for it.The panels of today make in the moonlight.Look at that meter in the cellar on a moonlit night,you will see it tipped over to the plus side.It ain't making much,but it's something.Direct sunlight makes more,and faster,but as long as it's light,juice is being produced.it's sad but three year old solar panels are now obsolete.In the tech world 10 years old is like the caveman days.I never set any up for myself because by bill was so low.It's no longer low,so we are designing a setup for me.

Part of my decision to have solar put on was when it dawned on me that it was starting to make homes more valuable and easier to sell. I find it funny, though, when I see a house with panels on both sides of the roof. Sure they will make power, but at a significantly higher cost and thus higher payback.

 

[showcrop]

While financing issues have been around forever, less and less people have any available cash to cover these loans. I’m going to guess a significant number of people on this site could pay cash for a $35k solar setup if they wanted to. Not so in the general public. Less cash on hand and larger house prices, coupled with more and more rules around taking a mortgage make real estate sales dicy at times.

I keep seeing that the middle class has been shrinking at a faster and faster rate for nearly the last twenty years. The lower class, and the ultra high class have been growing, especially over the last ten years.

 

[a49deere]

Part of my decision to have solar put on was when it dawned on me that it was starting to make homes more valuable and easier to sell. I find it funny, though, when I see a house with panels on both sides of the roof. Sure they will make power, but at a significantly higher cost and thus higher payback.

I'd run from a house for sale if I saw solar on the roof, unless it had a 50-yr new steel roof under them. old roof under these deletes' money saved by production when it's time to replace it!! JMHO

 

[Keith True]

I do NOT like solar arrays over asphalt shingles.But,I am a little biased because I don't like asphalt shingles.I have R&R'd a lot of solar setups for roofers.The guy I worked for would map out all the mounting points,and record that for replacement.Unplug everything,and remove the panels and brackets.Less than a days work.When the roofers were done we would go back and re-install everything.He always re-installed it all a couple of inches above,or below the original mounting positions.He didn't want the lags going into their original holes.It was not an expensive project.He used to tick off some of the salesmen because he wouldn't install over crap shingles.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I'd run from a house for sale if I saw solar on the roof, unless it had a 50-yr new steel roof under them. old roof under these deletes' money saved by production when it's time to replace it!! JMHO

My SIL is big into solar, EV's etc anything for a tax break. They are moving from SC back to NC it will be interesting to see how their solar powered house in a middle to lower middle income neighborhood sales.

 

[drsportster]

So far it seems it will not be good for me

 

[1948CaseVAI]

Do not put them on your roof!!! Most installations eventually leak and insurance customers in several states are discovering that their insurance is not valid for the structural repairs.

 

[buickanddeere]

Solar is a big plus when selling homes around here.In an ongoing development a mile from me 41 out of the 46 houses there have rooftop solar.10 years ago the guys that worked on solar figured if your light bill was under $100.it was not the thing to do.The solar salesmen didn't think that way though.They peddled lots of installations to folks that had no need,or the location for it.The panels of today make in the moonlight.Look at that meter in the cellar on a moonlit night,you will see it tipped over to the plus side.It ain't making much,but it's something.Direct sunlight makes more,and faster,but as long as it's light,juice is being produced.it's sad but three year old solar panels are now obsolete.In the tech world 10 years old is like the caveman days.I never set any up for myself because by bill was so low.It's no longer low,so we are designing a setup for me.

If moonlight is generating electricity and the meter is positive . There is nothing drawing power in your house except a 7W light bulb .

 

[Russ from MN]

In Maine solar is being pushed hard. Lots of solar farms being built at taxpayer expense as far as I can tell. Then some salesman comes around telling how much you can save on your electric bill by signing up with them. Even pay you $50 or more to do it. I fell into the trap and the first 3 months my electric bill was $150 ($50 a month) more than it was before. As far as I am concerned it is a scam. A lot of unhappy people. I got out as fast as I could and will never go back . There are some people that are letting solar panels be in stalled on their roofs, and I haven't heard anyone bragging how much the are saving. Just my take on solar. I won't get into windmills. In my own personal unbiased opinion.

Maine is too far north for solar to be profitable! it belongs in AZ or FL!

 

[Keith True]

Not the main meter,but that little 2 inch one that monitors what is being produced by the panels.Usually in the cellar by the inverter.It has nothing to do with the main house meter,the two-way one used by the solar setup.

 

[showcrop]

I'd run from a house for sale if I saw solar on the roof, unless it had a 50-yr new steel roof under them. old roof under these deletes' money saved by production when it's time to replace it!! JMHO

That would be expensive roofers making $5,300/hr

 

[tom upton]

I'd run from a house for sale if I saw solar on the roof, unless it had a 50-yr new steel roof under them. old roof under these deletes' money saved by production when it's time to replace it!! JMHO

Its been my experience that the panels actually protect the roof! I installed on the biggest section of a steel roof that was was allready 45 years old. I did rescrew and paint the entire roof prior to panel install. Now some 13 years later the exposed part of roof is rusting some but the area were panels are looks like the day I painted it.

 

[WNYBill]

Without subsides wind and solar is impracticable! The consumer ends up paying higher rates and taxes pay the subsides. The rebates, paybacks , subsides or whatever you want to call them, are nothing but welfare from your neighbors. Try to find out how much the local solar farms are really making. You will get blocked at every inquiry. Local college has a class investigating why NYS electric rates are so high. They will not investigate solar farms because it doesn't fit the narrative.

 

[moresmoke]

Without subsides wind and solar is impracticable! The consumer ends up paying higher rates and taxes pay the subsides. The rebates, paybacks , subsides or whatever you want to call them, are nothing but welfare from your neighbors. Try to find out how much the local solar farms are really making. You will get blocked at every inquiry. Local college has a class investigating why NYS electric rates are so high. They will not investigate solar farms because it doesn't fit the narrative.

This discussion is about point of use electric generation, not supplying wholesale power into the grid. The previous comments about not producing more than you need if only compensated at wholesale rates is why. Two different profitability factors completely.

My cost for electricity is $0.05-$0.08/kwh, I have a hard time making simple efficiency upgrades pencil. If you are somewhere that rates are approaching $0.50/kwh, on location solar or wind can definitely pay off.

 

[scootergmc]

Without subsides wind and solar is impracticable! The consumer ends up paying higher rates and taxes pay the subsides. The rebates, paybacks , subsides or whatever you want to call them, are nothing but welfare from your neighbors. Try to find out how much the local solar farms are really making. You will get blocked at every inquiry. Local college has a class investigating why NYS electric rates are so high. They will not investigate solar farms because it doesn't fit the narrative.

Not necessarily. If they got rid of all the incentives and subsidies the prices would drop substantially and we'd have a better idea of the individual capabilities, the true free market cost, and its relevance in the energy marketplace.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Have had 30 panels feeding the power grid for 3 years.Cost me about $30,000 with subsidies and payback is about 14 years. they are supposed to last 25 years . SWI .

We nave 30 as well,,, on our tenth year and figure they're paid for. After tax incentives ours only cost us about $11,500. We did NOT put them on the roof, but in the yard. We've replaced our roof twice since; the first one was poor craftsmanship which we got a partial refund used to redo with a different guy. Having had those panels on the roof would have been horrible under the circumstances. Our local electric CO. has screwed people that have gone to partial solar by jacking the price structure around but they're still paying off. One thing I've been doing in the winter is use electric space heaters inside on sunny days. It saves on LP usage. gm

 

[showcrop]

Without subsides wind and solar is impracticable! The consumer ends up paying higher rates and taxes pay the subsides. The rebates, paybacks , subsides or whatever you want to call them, are nothing but welfare from your neighbors. Try to find out how much the local solar farms are really making. You will get blocked at every inquiry. Local college has a class investigating why NYS electric rates are so high. They will not investigate solar farms because it doesn't fit the narrative.

Thanks for chipping in for my panels!!! $203.00 credit for June!

 

[WNYBill]

Not necessarily. If they got rid of all the incentives and subsidies the prices would drop substantially and we'd have a better idea of the individual capabilities, the true free market cost, and its relevance in the energy marketplace.

That is what I am saying...get rid of the incentives and investigate the actual costs. Last winter the solar farms in WNY were covered with snow for weeks. My friend in Alabama has a 10% reduction in generation if he doesn't wash the pine pollen of his panels daily. My biggest complaint is that the solar farms won't tell you how much incentive they got and how much electricity they produced. And, the consumer gets to pay for the incentives and the electricity. Makes me suspicious when somebody hedges their answers or plays "Catch 22" with me.