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March 2021 Discobs


nj2va
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18 minutes ago, nj2va said:

Even though its below average temp wise today, man did my car feel warm when I got in.  Sun angle today is the same as early October.

Today’s going to be my highest solar power production since September 23!!

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1 hour ago, nw baltimore wx said:

Banter but how’s solar working out for you? Thought about it here.

I’ve been very pleased. Wish I had more roof area. I did the solar lease through solar city (now Tesla). Usually it produces all we need or nearly so from May-September more or less. 

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10 hours ago, losetoa6 said:

Being a electrical contractor for 20 years I've seen my fair share of Solar systems and even Installed the necessary wiring requirements occasionally.  By in large most customers have not been happy with solar . Many spent x amount of dollars upfront and aren't seeing return on investment or realize it will be decades before it pays for itself and maintenance will be needed before then ( panels replacements,  shingle roof replacement so co. Has to remove panels then reinstall) . The few that I've run into that are happy are mostly in it for the "saving the earth " idea not necessarily for saving $ which is fine . And I'm sure certain setups will save people $ and do for some people just hasn't been my general experience.  Similar with Geo thermal  . Many customers have ripped those systems out and installed standard hvac back in.  

My dad had solar installed 6 or so years ago, and also has a geothermal heat pump. He has 20 acres so his solar panels are in a field next to the house. He tracks everything and showed me the numbers on a spread sheet. I am totally jealous. All I have is a standard heat pump(and a wood burning insert). If it wasn't completely wooded here, I would have solar.

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46 minutes ago, losetoa6 said:

^  Yep. Definitely certain types of installations and situations can work out . I was Just mostly communicating my experience with the average residential homeowner that I have talked to. Probably on the order of 50 + so definitely not a small sample size . Either way good luck if you choose to get one Installed :D.

Not sure the times you worked on these, but certainly the older systems were less efficient and more costly.

I did the lease, so I’m essentially just paying for the power monthly. They guarantee any repairs to the panels or the roof. It’s working out well. I did a lot of math before I did it and it will save me money in almost any circumstance over using the grid 100%. 

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Our 15kW system averages 21 MWh annually.

This year has been the worst due to snow/ice covered panels.  If we just had fluffy snow for once it could be raked. 

If a system is properly planned, installed, and maintained the ROI is indeed favorable.  Not all installations meet that criteria.  And if a poor contractor is hired and the install causes problems things can get bad in a hurry.

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44 minutes ago, Stormfly said:

Our 15kW system averages 21 MWh annually.

This year has been the worst due to snow/ice covered panels.  If we just had fluffy snow for once it could be raked. 

If a system is properly planned, installed, and maintained the ROI is indeed favorable.  Not all installations meet that criteria.  And if a poor contractor is hired and the install causes problems things can get bad in a hurry.

We should probably take this to banter but one of my concerns of a solar system is compromising my roof.  @HighStakes put a new roof on my house a couple of years ago, and the last thing I want to do is punch holes in it.

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The mud is starting to tighten up a little bit. These dry breezy days are really helping. High sun angle isn't hurting either. Pre growing season (tilling and fertilizing time for potato planting) is looking fantastic this year. Perfect condition by next week for my ground. 

58 under blue skies. Still sunny at 5:18pm.

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