Considering putting in solar panels......need your thoughts & advice!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Crashj007

Just be sure you can wash them somehow or they will lose efficiency.

Not true.

Normally photovoltaic panels will 'lose' about 3% of their production the first year then 1% each year after that.

I have a neighbor who went off-grid on solar power in the 1980s and he is still using them. They never 'die'.

[DCforever]

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

Let me add two things. How old is your roof? If you need a new roof replacement of the panels can be done but they will charge a take down and reset fee for that. Secondly, and in my mind the far more important one, have you consulted with your local fire department? Reason being, it adds an impediment to a firefighter in the event of a fire that necessitates venting of the roof. Just like if there is a problem that needs the gas shut off there is electricity in the lines and it needs discharge before venting. My former community while not forbidding solar were not in favor of it for this reason.

This is incorrect in my area. There is no charge to remove and replace panels. There is also no electricity left in lines after being disconnected.

[SalamanderSmile]

Forgive my interruption, I am merely researching solar and came upon this thread, and of course now I have a question. When the utility that is offering you the "net metering" gives you "back" your stored electricity do they also charge you all of the misc. fees (transmission/distribution/taxes/rider fees) that you would pay were you to actually buy those kwh from them? Or is it free to get your own generated excess returned?

In other words, when you generate an extra 5kw over the course of a month and get a credit do you just get a credit for the raw kw cost or would the credit be for how much the full retail charge of using the 5kw would be were someone to buy it from the utility?

Hope that makes sense.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by SalamanderSmile

Forgive my interruption, I am merely researching solar and came upon this thread, and of course now I have a question. When the utility that is offering you the "net metering" gives you "back" your stored electricity do they also charge you all of the misc. fees (transmission/distribution/taxes/rider fees) that you would pay were you to actually buy those kwh from them? Or is it free to get your own generated excess returned?

The utility companies have lobbied each state to setup the net-metering laws. I think that in some states you can get the same quantity of electric power back for free.

Here an electric bill is divided in two parts. One part is for the generation of the power, and it's taxes. The second part of for the transmission of that power, and it's taxes. When you send your power onto the grid, you are still liable for the taxes on your power, the transmission fees and the taxes on the transmission fees.

About a year ago I saw where one state [I think it was Arizona] that was trying to pass a law to tax off-grid homes on the power that they were making for themselves.

[DCforever]

Originally Posted by vision33r

If all of the stuff you posted is true, why don't everybody sign up? Because it's not 100% true.

It sounds like your mind is already made up, so why bother posting a question when you already have the answer.

This obviously a post to validate yourself, well the reason you don't see solar panels everywhere yet because the payoff doesn't payoff very quickly.

If people were smart . we would have a different president. I'm an electrical engineer and have spend 30+ years in the business. The OP statements are correct. Given that, how do you rate your own decision making?