Anybody Buying Yet? Where’s the Bottom?

[Nick87]

I almost pulled the trigger on solar. Made a lot of sense. I’ve checked it out 4-5 times throughout the years. I think a lot of the price gougers went out of business when the tax credit went away and the tariffs went into effect. I think a lot of the low overhead, American sourced companies are eager for buisness. Assuming a 4% annual increase on KW/h I’d have about 22 years of electricity for free assuming the studies showing 30 year life are accurate(which I believe they are). Lots of un-utilized roof square footage out there.

I've came close several times. Just not sure.

 

[PoleX]

I've came close several times. Just not sure.

I’m getting my roof done and roofs get beat to hell in Montana so if I was going to do it, now makes the most sense. The only reason I’m not is I could see us moving before it pays itself off. Otherwise I’d probably do it and trade my run around car in for an electric and speed up the return. I’d also do a metal roof if my HOA allowed.

 

[Nick87]

I’m getting my roof done and roofs get beat to hell in Montana so if I was going to do it, now makes the most sense. The only reason I’m not is I could see us moving before it pays itself off. Otherwise I’d probably do it and trade my run around car in for an electric and speed up the return. I’d also do a metal roof if my HOA allowed.

I cant stand the sight on the roof. Or the weight or well pretty much any of it. I've got plenty of room on the south side of the property though. Just a complete eye sore and I take a lot of pride in my house.

 

[SAJ-99]

I am not very well-versed on this, and this is a genuine question, but my understanding with solar has been that the generation isn’t necessarily a problem, it’s the upkeep/maintenance and replacement as panels wear out, get dirty, breakdown, etc. I assume that natural gas, nuclear, etc. all have a much higher upfront cost to construct and get running. But how does that compare to the ongoing maintenance cost for solar?

The LCOE is based on lifetime. I’m not sure you can exclude the building cost difference from the equation. Maintenance costs for solar continue to decline but they are generally pretty low at baseline. I’m not sure what they are for coal and nat gas but the 24/7/365 power plant is a myth. Everything has some maintenance and remediation costs. My big question is labor - I’ve seen estimates that are wildly high but I’ve also seen guys working for wind contractors at hotels and there are quite a lot of them. Any estimates will probably vary by source. Total, all-in cost really isn’t a question anymore.

The problem people have with renewables (particularly HT) is usually the footprint and connection cost. It takes more land and that land might be far away from grid. I can agree with all that and would prefer decentralized rooftop solar, but utility scale renewables w/batteries is happening regardless, mostly on private land.

 

[Nick87]

The LCOE is based on lifetime. I’m not sure you can exclude the building cost difference from the equation. Maintenance costs for solar continue to decline but they are generally pretty low at baseline. I’m not sure what they are for coal and nat gas but the 24/7/365 power plant is a myth. Everything has some maintenance and remediation costs. My big question is labor - I’ve seen estimates that are wildly high but I’ve also seen guys working for wind contractors at hotels and there are quite a lot of them. Any estimates will probably vary by source. Total, all-in cost really isn’t a question anymore.

The problem people have with renewables (particularly HT) is usually the footprint and connection cost. It takes more land and that land might be far away from grid. I can agree with all that and would prefer decentralized rooftop solar, but utility scale renewables w/batteries is happening regardless, mostly on private land.

My grandparents farm is about 1/4 mile from a substation. The offers they have received to lease it for solar is absolutely mind boggling, I mean insane. However nobody will offer to buy it for solar when asked. I find that telling. Thankfully my grandparents who are getting way up there in age do too.

 

[SAJ-99]

My grandparents farm is about 1/4 mile from a substation. The offers they have received to lease it for solar is absolutely mind boggling, I mean insane. However nobody will offer to buy it for solar when asked. I find that telling. Thankfully my grandparents who are getting way up there in age do too.

Somebody is taking the offer. When you think about it, what’s the difference between farming 500 acres of corn that will be used for Ethanol and 500 acres of solar panels that will generate electricity? Besides the cost of the tractor, combine and trucks, not much.

 

[jryoung]

My grandparents farm is about 1/4 mile from a substation. The offers they have received to lease it for solar is absolutely mind boggling, I mean insane. However nobody will offer to buy it for solar when asked. I find that telling. Thankfully my grandparents who are getting way up there in age do too.

Lower up front capital costs and no burden of taxes other than personal property. Margins rule.