Rooftop solar means managing hundreds of small installations. You need every one of them to have small inverters instead of one big one. Each of those installations will be a custom job to fit it to the roof. You will likely need to upgrade your electrical service, as well, typically from 100A to 200A. The first few people in the neighborhood can do that, but as soon as everyone does it, the power company needs to upgrade the lines coming in.
Rooftp residential solar is the worst, most expensive way to do it.
Having enough land for solar is not a problem. With the amount we use on raising beef cattle, eating a few less burgers a week would open up plenty of land. Even without that, there’s plenty of dual-use ideas for covering parking lots, roads, irrigation canals, and even some types of farming.
DreadPotato@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
Unless the property owner is managing maintenance etc. it would be a herculean task to support and maintain hundreds or thousands of small installations spread out across the country instead of a handful of solar farms.
CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 11 months ago
Maintenace and repairs can be managed through the utility companies, which already do so for many pieces of hardware on their customers’ properties just fine. The government might also offer property owners a higher payment if they accept certain responsibilities.
DreadPotato@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
Maybe it’s different in the US, but where I live the utility company only services the main fuse that supplies the property. Everything else is done by electricians pair for by the owner.
CrimeDad@lemmy.crimedad.work 11 months ago
Where I live in New Jersey, the utility company not only owns and services the meters, it also leases, sells, and services various home appliances, like furnaces and water heaters.