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Is rooftop solar worth it?
Sacramento Bee ^ | SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 | JEREMY B. WHITE

Posted on 09/27/2016 10:23:34 AM PDT by artichokegrower

Rooftop solar panels, as the men who came knocking described them, seemed to Faye Moore like a good deal.

The solicitors who visited 75-year-old Moore’s Pomona home told her they could help finance solar panels that would slash her energy bill. So she signed on.

Her energy bills have indeed plummeted from the hundreds she was paying a month. But the thousands of additional dollars she’ll owe annually in property taxes to pay off her new $33,000 system far outstrips those savings.

“I think I’ve been had,” Moore said.

(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...


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To: Boogieman

Betcha those panels won’t last 20 years either...

_________________________________________

Actually most are guaranteed for a minimum of 25 years, may of them are guaranteed for 30 years.


61 posted on 09/27/2016 12:15:23 PM PDT by JAKraig (my religion is at least as good as yours)
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To: George from New England

Do not use Fronius inverters, they claim 10 year warranty. 3 years out, not honoring warranty.

Bad — Fronius


62 posted on 09/27/2016 12:15:39 PM PDT by George from New England (escaped CT in 2006, now living north of Tampa)
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To: Presbyterian Reporter

As far as residential property tax, if solar panels add to the appraised value of the house, then tax assessment should reflect that. Trouble is, they don’t, not that I’m aware. People perceive them as unattractive, and something technical that is likely to break, with associated maintenance costs.

So, if the appraised value isn’t increased by installing solar panels, they should not be taxed because there is no value added to tax as far as the real estate itself.


63 posted on 09/27/2016 12:16:01 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: artichokegrower
All I know about solar power is that Solyndra built a beautiful facility on I-880 in Fremont CA, which Seagate now owns for 30 cents on the dollar.

-PJ

64 posted on 09/27/2016 12:16:06 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: artichokegrower

One more way to create leaks in roof.


65 posted on 09/27/2016 12:18:45 PM PDT by jetson
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To: JAKraig

The lower cost Chinese manufacturers haven’t lasted long enough for such a warranty to have any meaning. Even some domestic manufacturers have gone out of business, so there’s no one to honor their warranty.


66 posted on 09/27/2016 12:19:16 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: V_TWIN

Batteries and the panels are expendable. Lead acid batteries are very sensitive to cycling outside of a limited voltage range. Panels degrade over time.


67 posted on 09/27/2016 12:19:36 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: Boogieman

“That all being said, properly maintained battery packs in fleet carts tend to last about 4-6 years while private owners tend to get about 6-10 years out of their battery packs.”

http://www.islegolfcars.com/blog/item/how-long-do-batteries-last

That site is talking about batteries being used in actual carts, not with solar panels, but I imagine the maximum lifetime won’t exceed 10 years either way.

________________________________________________________

Proper management of a solar power battery should provide at least 10 years of service but with proper care can last 30 years. The trick here is to oversize to begin with. Never use more than 25% of your storage and your batter will hardly know it was used. There are still a few maintenance tricks to keep sulfides down but it can be done.

I personally believe you should only get a battery that was designed for very heavy use, I only recommend tow motor or lift truck batteries. They are huge, unwieldy but can last a lot of years with good management.


68 posted on 09/27/2016 12:22:13 PM PDT by JAKraig (my religion is at least as good as yours)
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To: Political Junkie Too

#64 And Solar Ovonics built a plant in Greenville, Mi to build “solar shingles” that were going to take over the world.

The plant is now being used by DieCastal to manufacture Vehicle wheels.


69 posted on 09/27/2016 12:28:38 PM PDT by VRWCarea51 (The Original 1998 Version)
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To: V_TWIN
No, didn't think you were being snarky at all...

He has 12 6v golf cart batteries rated at a lifespan of 10 years, and he uses a trickle charger to keep them charged, and also a device called a battery desulfator which extends the life of the battery to 30 years. (I have to take his word, I understand the concept, but have never had experience with them)

I like the way this guy did it, he designed the system with redundancy, and even has a faraday cage around his charge controllers (in the event of an EMP).

It isn't super pretty, but looks very functional, well thought out, and under $5000.

(If you are interested, here is the youtube link: DIY Solar Panel System)

70 posted on 09/27/2016 12:33:46 PM PDT by rlmorel (Orwell described Liberals when he wrote of those who "repudiate morality while laying claim to it.")
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To: resistance

When batteries are better so I can truly be off the grid and still run my 220v shop tools I’ll be all over solar.

__________________________________________________________

I have 3, 48V 1125A (rated at 20 hours, that is 3.2MW) that connect to my inverter that produces 16KW of 240V. It is here now. I can run my shop tools for weeks with no other input and no sun.

In reality I would never run more than two weeks without charging, it just takes too much life out of the battery. Your battery will be one of your most expensive components you definitely want to take care of it. If there were prolonged bad weather and the grid was down I would start cutting loads pretty dramatically. The naturalgas/propane generator is pretty expensive to run but I would run that before I went down more than 20% of my battery storage.


71 posted on 09/27/2016 12:35:05 PM PDT by JAKraig (my religion is at least as good as yours)
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To: artichokegrower

Bookmark


72 posted on 09/27/2016 12:35:23 PM PDT by thesearethetimes... (Had I brought Christ with me, the outcome would have been different. Dr.Eric Cunningham)
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To: Go_Raiders

I understand that solution you describe completely and have looked into it, but I am mainly interested in a backup if the grid goes down.

I am thinking of building a wheeled approach that can be unplugged and moved instead of a fixed approach on top of my roof.

The vendors that I have talked to are only interested in installing a system that sells back to the grid, and I think that is great, but not what I am interested in.


73 posted on 09/27/2016 12:37:49 PM PDT by rlmorel (Orwell described Liberals when he wrote of those who "repudiate morality while laying claim to it.")
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To: George from New England

Very good! I may take you up on that...


74 posted on 09/27/2016 12:39:05 PM PDT by rlmorel (Orwell described Liberals when he wrote of those who "repudiate morality while laying claim to it.")
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To: CGASMIA68

Are fire districts OK with roof mounted solar panels?
How about homeowner’s insurance company? Not so much for roof integrity, but in case of fire.


75 posted on 09/27/2016 12:39:42 PM PDT by Roccus (When you talk to a politician...ANY politician...always say, "Remember Ceausescu")
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To: Kipp

Yup, the only way to have solar is at ground level, where you can get at the things to clean and service them. These guys ruin almost all the roofs they install panels on. Then they go out of business.


76 posted on 09/27/2016 12:43:58 PM PDT by refermech
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To: Go_Raiders

The most likely way to lose money on a solar panel lease is to have the subsidies disappear.
Subsidies are very unfair to other rate payers and can be removed at any time as happened in Nevada.

You probably don’t have to worry about ‘fairness’ from politicians in California though LOL!


77 posted on 09/27/2016 12:48:07 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: Nailbiter

ping


78 posted on 09/27/2016 12:51:28 PM PDT by IncPen (I just found out that PIAPS is a reference to the "Pig In A Pants Suit". Ha! #NeverHillary)
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To: JAKraig

Forklift battery?


79 posted on 09/27/2016 12:54:50 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: RegulatorCountry

The lower cost Chinese manufacturers haven’t lasted long enough for such a warranty to have any meaning. Even some domestic manufacturers have gone out of business, so there’s no one to honor their warranty.

________________________________________________________

You are correct, that is why I bought all American products, cells made in Georgia. The company as been around a very long time and are still competitive.


80 posted on 09/27/2016 12:56:50 PM PDT by JAKraig (my religion is at least as good as yours)
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