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Solar Panels 'Take 100 Years to Pay Back Installation Costs'Solar Panels Take 100 Years to Break Even, Say Surveyors.
SOLAR PANELS are one of the least cost-effective ways of combating climate change and will take 100 years to pay back their installation costs, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) warned yesterday.
In a new guide on energy efficiency, Rics said that roof panels for heating water and generating power are unlikely to save enough from bills to make them financially viable in a householder's lifetime.
there are many calculators that prove that wrong. It also depends drastically on how much you pay for electric. Here on Long Island we pay more than double what most of the country pays, so you make back the installation much faster. There are still excellent federal & state rebates available too.
Probably true in the northern parts of the UK where the weather is cloudy and you're up above latitude 55 N. In my part of the world (200 days of sun and 41 N), even without rebates of any kind, the math tells me I'd break even in about 35-40 years. Of course, our electric rate is around $0.06 a kwh.
Yeah, I am seeing more and more bad "science" such as this from all sides.
While I am no real fan of PV Solar Generated Electric (Solar Thermal Heat and Electric does far more for much less money and technology), Solar PV is certainly the way to go for remote locations.
Even the article's claim of Max Life of 30 years is false, as there are older systems than that, still working. Typical design factors are for 25 to 30 years, but that is targeted minimum.
Typical real world "payback" is 8 to 16 years for PV with average homeowners in the present US models.
I have heard that in Scotland they chant to the SKY DEAMON because they see the sun so seldom. That far north and with constant cloudiness of course solar does not make economic sense. But I’ll bet windmills do.
Husband and I are currently having a solar water-heating system installed. We live in the sunny southern US. Based upon our current energy usage and anticipated savings, I have estimated it will take about 10 years for the system to pay for itself. We priced PV for the rest of our energy use and it was no where near cost effective. We don't understand why solar is so ridiculously expensive.
Husband and I are currently having a solar water-heating system installed. We live in the sunny southern US. Based upon our current energy usage and anticipated savings, I have estimated it will take about 10 years for the system to pay for itself. We priced PV for the rest of our energy use and it was no where near cost effective. We don't understand why solar is so ridiculously expensive.
Because the panels are expensive and in short supply, and, depending on where you live, the installers are rare. In one of the towns nearby, there is 1 large installer, and they have about a 3 month wait list.
Our calcs for solar hot water (for domestic and radiant floor), using our state tax credit, work out to be about a 5 year pay-off. That's with us doing the work.
Solar Panels 'Take 100 Years to Pay Back Installation Costs'Solar Panels Take 100 Years to Break Even, Say Surveyors.
SOLAR PANELS are one of the least cost-effective ways of combating climate change and will take 100 years to pay back their installation costs, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) warned yesterday.
In a new guide on energy efficiency, Rics said that roof panels for heating water and generating power are unlikely to save enough from bills to make them financially viable in a householder's lifetime.
Go to the Tennessee thread and look at "Going off grid in East Tennessee". This couple is building their own home, in ground, and have no outside electricity. He installed the solar panels himself. They are using panels and a windmill. She has been logging everything they have done to build this house and are still working on it. The thread is about 41 pages so far but when I started reading it last week I couldn't stop till I was caught up to date.
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