Posted on 04/21/2014 8:02:43 AM PDT by rktman
Why should utilities be forced to buy this power at rates higher than they generate their own power?
Hook up your neighbors to your extra power and barter with them in turn.
I don’t know how much it costs a utility to generate a KWh,
but I know what they pay for the individual power put back on the grid is pennies on the dollar of what they charge.
I looked into this and it obviously wasn’t worth my effort to implement such a system.
Of course they sell power for less than they pay to generate it. They have to build the entire transmission/distribution system.
Disgusting.
Well Colorado says rain belongs to the state and if you capture it in a cistern you have to pay. In MD (I think) you are charged for rain that hits your roof (they calculate the sq. footage and rainfall) and are assessed a fee for the amount that goes into city drains.
A guy across the street from me did that about a year ago. Even changed his roofo=ing shingles to white (if you can believe that) before he spent 15k on solar panels. I did a little research and then caught him outside and started asking a few pointed questions about return on investment, maintenance etc. Boy did he get both evasive and defensive. Of course he is the consummate lib tree hugging pos. From what I can see, it takes a long time to recup costs.
recup = recoup
I had understood Oregon owned the rain falling on your property...
The death grip of gov. taxes fines and fees never eases.
Mineral rights? Your property deed may have them included but it didn’t say anything about wind or sun or rain rights!
From what I can see, it takes a long time to recoup costs.
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A couple of decades is what I read. To me the advantage is that if the grid goes down, you haven’t. But then they will want your place.
I have a small solar installation but it’s in no way tied to the grid. I use it to run some critical electronic equipment and that’s it.
But if Colorado’s rain causes damage to private property, will the state pay????
This is the best argument to NEVER grid tie. If you have excess to sell then your system is larger than your needs and your investment too large. Solar is one you can cheaply build a small system and expand as needed. I use all current generated in excess of getting batteries charged after overnight. I just keep hooking in household usage until the solar metering indicates a balance. I am adding a few panels this summer to shave more than the 10-15% savings currently enjoyed off the utility bill. Good european mfg panels are currently at about $120.00 per 100watt panel and much more efficient than the chinese knockoffs.
We mounted our 4.5kW Solar panels on the ground thus making a lean to for the outdoor equipment. When you discount the cost with the federal and AZ tax credits, my ROI is 15%.
> Well Colorado says rain belongs to the state and if you capture it in a cistern you have to pay.
Does that apply to sunlight shining on your property also?
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