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Originally Posted by AZjeff
Can't think of anyone I've talked to who got residential solar that is unhappy with it. Maybe reverse sour grapes, don't admit the mistake?
Lots of nay-saying around solar power.
Originally Posted by PandaBear
You have some uncertainty that you have to decide on.
1) Net metering? How long would it last? What happen if you get 2c credit but you need to pay 10c to buy back? Will you go battery storage? Will you only use your solar to charge your EV during day time? The way I understand, that's just not how it works. You only get the 2c credit for overproduction, the rest is yours.
2) What if solar panel cost (install + panel) drop significantly? Will you regret you bought too early or pay too much? Well, obviously so, but they have been trending pretty linear so far. Electric cars might suddenly develop 1200mi ranges, but I don't regret my gas burner.
3) What if electric bill didn't go up as you expected? Because utility scale solar is actually cheaper than your roof top solar? I can almost guarantee t he bill won't go DOWN, and my bill will be lower by an amount larger than my payment, unless the advertisement and anecdotal stories from others with solar are wildly incorrect.
4) What about other issues? If you want to sell but nobody wants to pay extra for it? What if insurance cost suddenly go up because everyone with solar got hail damage? If noone wants to pay when I sell? Well, that would suck, but one can argue that about most home improvement projects, to be fair. If insurance goes up, yeah, that would suck. But what if something like "The Green New Deal" passes and electric suddenly shot up? I mean, we CAN "what if" it a lot...Solar has been out a while, so has hail, so...
I think if you are comfortable with the risk they are fine, heck they are a more rational investment than a maxed out 50k SUV over a smaller 25k car.
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