this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2023
617 points (98.6% liked)

Technology

58303 readers
15 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Solar power and storage prices have dropped almost 90%::undefined

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Is that paying cash for the solar system or financing? Financing can devastate the ROI with interest rates today. I'm looking at as long as 12 year ROI with possibly as short as 7 year ROI if I consider the USA's federal tax incentives. My slightly southern latitude (a border state with Canada) also likely contributes to slightly higher generation results using the same equipment.

How are the government incentives in Canada? I'm super envious of your great hydro power, my neighbor.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Bruh I got quoted 50k in St. Louis last year, would take decades for roi

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

$50k is a pretty large installation, 18kw-22kw I'd guess for solar only (no battery storage). I'm hoping thats only a max of 100% replacement of electricity sourcing (meaning essentially no net grid consumption after you're installed). What's the price per KWh for electricity delivered to your door in St Louis? Its gotta be pretty crazy cheap if you're that large a consumer of electricity and you're paying in cash with no battery, and still looking at multiple decades of ROI with the US federal tax credit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don’t remember the kWh specs and price off hand but a decent portion of the cost was that I’m in a 1.5 story that faces S and have a lot of small roofs rather than one large roof so it’d be a bunch of panels that didn’t have full sun most of the day. Which is true of all hundred houses in my subdivision as well. Basically build of the house made this difficult or impossible

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Does that mean a substantial portion of the $50k quoted was setting up lots of panels is many small spaces, (because of the broken up nature of the roof) and that perhaps the system was oversized its electrical capacity because of the assumption that it would only be fractionally efficient because of the substandard angles and shading? I could see that. Certainly roof designs and even large mature trees can make solar unfeasible in those situations..

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Maybe, I was so mad I didn’t even get more quotes, I should really do so but I was expecting 10-20 at most and hearing 50 kinda put me off the prospect for a while. Decided to spend effort on other home improvement we could see instead

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That can’t be for a home. If it was it was predatory nonsense. It should be a 7 or 8 year ROI with a 20-30 year service life.

Maybe not all areas have much competition driving prices down? I’m in sunny hippie California where every other house has solar.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

1800sq ft home, my power bill is a few hundred in the summer, I feel there just isn’t any competition here there only 2-3 companies doing it and they’re all small

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It could be that those companies are evil, or perhaps their own prices are just very high because the industry isn’t scaled up in your area. Maybe they have a really hard time hiring equalities installers, and have to ship in parts from far away.

It was like that in California 20 years ago but it has changed enormously. When you drive down the street, how many houses have solar? It’s probably 3 in 10 here. I get nonstop Facebook ads and can name about 10 companies. With this comes lower prices. But there are still cheats out there. Never work with a “no money up front” company unless you only want to enjoy 10% of the benefit of the panels. For some it may be the only option but these companies are shysty as hell.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There almost 0 solar houses here, 1 in a hundred maybe. A few businesses have been doing it lately, I’ve seen 2 gas stations and several schools in the area do it. I’d like to get it done before my backwards ass state makes it illegal or something

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Ouch that sounds rough.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In Canada you can get a 40k loan from the federal govt that is 0% interest on a 10 year term for doing green upgrades to your home. My solar generates more in credits than than the cost of the loan over the year. The Greener Homes Program is a bit of a pain to jump through all the hoops but getting thousands off in grants and a 0% loan is worth it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

for doing green upgrades to your home.

Who is owning a home in Canada lol. You'll pay your landlord $3000 for 1000sqft or fuck off.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not all of us live in big cities where we would need to cry over high rent and house prices.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Even in the middle of nowhere a house is a million dollars.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They aren't.
I just moved last year.
But keep hyperbolizing, it only undermines the point you seem to want to hammer on.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

... I also have eyes, and family in real estate. A tiny house an hour from any town is 1 million. A crack shack that needs to be demolished and rebuilt is 750K.

Maybe you live in Alberta? The place no one wants to be?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nope in BC in a little city. The cost of houses here is rarely 1 Million. You seem to just want to be mad about things even if you need to exaggerate to be able to stomp your feet like a toddler over it. Since you have some anger over this so I'm gonna bid you a good day since talking to you is pointless when facts don't matter.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So because 1 city has affordable houses you talk for all of Canada? lmao.

Link me some realestate listings, please. I'd love to see these houses..

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Go have your tantrum elsewhere.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Show me listings.