“This is really about the dark side of bad corporate behavior. None of this is a problem with solar panels, just the company these people leased from.”
Exactly. Solar is a technology that needs care and maintenance. It will never compete financially with utility power, but that’s not its purpose. Its purpose is to provide power when the utilities go out or are not available.
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I’m not sure I fully agree with your statements. Certainly this story is about corporate dishonesty and greed but, Solar can work and pay for itself albeit over time.
I purchased solar because in my old age I wanted to continue to have air-conditioning and refrigeration after grid disrupting storms. My system allow me to completely disconnect from the grid and continue life normally using my solar cells, batteries and even a generator if the other two don’t do the job. I am however still connected to the grid and send my solar produced electricity to the grid that I don’t use and get it back in the hours after sundown. I don’t want to use my batteries unless I have to, they have a finite life using them to power my home and recharging them every day. Batteries are not cheap and I have a lot of them so that I can go weeks (if not using central air) without sunshine or grid. If I don’t use my batteries they will last decades using them every day I would be lucky to get one decade.
My electric bill is normally about $23.00 which is the base hookup charge. My solar provides all I need until they are covered with snow or it’s raining. It took about 7-1/2 years for my solar to pay for itself, partially because I looked for a long time to get what I wanted at the best possible price and then installing the system myself. Perhaps not everyone could do that. The panels are heavy and you need some familiarity with how a roof is constructed and basic electricity. It helps to have YouTube as your friend. I saved about 1/2 the normal cost doing it myself. I like the independence. Once while disconnecting from the grid to do some work I forgot to turn the grid back on and ran on the batteries in the middle of July for a couple days before I realized I was still disconnected, I couldn’t tell the difference.
Perhaps solar isn’t for everyone but I like it for me.
I drive back and forth from Kentucky to Florida frequently and notice the many acres of fields full of solar panels along Highway I-75, amazing, millions of dollars worth of cells. Perhaps that saves some coal, gas or oil, I don’t know but it seems silly to me for them to do that but someone there must think it saves them money. In the same way my house may look silly but it saves me money.
“Solar can work and pay for itself albeit over time.”
Over time is when the solar fails long before it pays off. I’ve never seen a solar system and all its associated costs pay off. Not once. Not calling you a liar by any means, but without knowing all the facts and figures I’m not convinced your solar system paid off.
As far as all those solar fields, they were mandated by law. Along with those mandates, the taxpayers were fleeced to pay for them. Energy companies HATE them. They detract from the business at hand and cause investments to be taken away from known working energy production systems. I worked with Duke Energy, Xcel Energy, and State legislatures on all that crap. It is all a fleecing in one way or another.
“I purchased solar because in my old age I wanted to continue to have air-conditioning ... “
You sound 99% like me. In Florida I have done the same.
Batteries so I can operate off-grid, but day-in-day-out, remain grid-tied.
Can you private email or post here more specifics on your installation ?
I have metal roof, so that’s the 1% difference.
Thanks.