Comment on U.S. residential solar on the brink of collapse

scytale@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• ggtdbz@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  Wait wait wait — lease?

  Are you telling me the closest thing humanity has ever made to a true install-once-reap-indefinitely energy machine is a subscription where you are? Solar panel company?!

  Solar has been a major, major life changer for me (I’m not in the US). Probably the most expensive thing that isn’t a car that my family has ever bought, but it’s turned my life completely around. I had never had 24 hour electricity at my own house before throwing a bunch of acid batteries and panels onto my roof and it feels like a decadent luxury. Plus I can tell the electricity mob to go get fucked, at least between February and November. Worth every excruciating penny.

  I know it might be expensive and maybe not easy to get the best deal but I’d think owning your own solar is more important than owning your own home. Although now that I say it this way, I’m thinking maybe you’re renting and that’s why you need to rent the panels too. Different places are different etc.

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  • Infinite@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    My favorite solar scam is the Power Purchase Agreement:

    • company installs solar, you pay $0
    • typically sized to generate 100-150% of your consumption
    • company bills you ~80% of your actual or previous average use
    • price is on contract and has scheduled increases
    • after 15-20 years, negotiate a new contract, maybe buy the system, or have it removed

    What if solar gets 20x better? Fusion gets solved? Too bad, contract pricing.

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  • jaybone@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I think the idea is you eventually pay it off.

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• sturlabragason@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  What timeline are you from

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  • sturlabragason@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

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