ours comes entirely from a hydro. plant in Grand Falls , N.B.
1 Like
And their prices go up with everybody elseās, just as with gasoline. A bottleneck in Russia or a cartel in the mideast and prices go up in Houston.
Sorry for the slow response, but I wanted to pull some numbers and then got distracted. I got Solar about 8.5 years ago and the out of pocket cost was ~$28K. So far, Iāve saved over $25K in electricity, so it has almost paid for itself (though I know there is a time value of money factor as well). Given how electric rates doubled at the start of 2023, the savings should significantly increase. Even if there werenāt state and local incentives, it would still only take another 6 years to pay it down.
And the panels are warranted to last for 25 years, though I would expect them to continue functioning far longer, though at slightly lower rates. The panels I got are expected to be at ~100% at 25 years (it starts at 108%) and are warranted to deliver 87% at that point. So far, it has averaged roughly 14,700 kwh per year, a bit above the initial expected production (14,200).
While CT isnāt Northern Maine, it isnāt that far off in terms of latitude (41 vs 47 degrees). I didnāt find any easy to apply factors/approximations, but I did find one place where I could plug in address and get average percent factors. My house gets about 11% more than Northern Maine. Even if you bump the penalty to 20%, that doesnāt push the payback period too far back. Especially if electricity prices continue to go up.
Snow hasnāt been a problem here (it slides off the panels pretty quickly). But they are on the roof and we get far less snow than Maine. So designing with that in mind is an obvious requirement.
Itās also worth noting that panels have continued to improve since Iāve gotten them. At the time, I got a pretty decent type, at 20.4% efficiency. Now, I see a lot of panels in the 22-23% range, which is approximately the same as the 11% estimated difference between CT and Maine.
While solar can be less useful in some parts of the country and isnāt a 100% solution due to its intermittent nature, it is still a good thing to have. There is generally higher usage (due to AC) at times of year when there is more solar.
And I donāt think there is a meaningful increase in local temps due to it. Itās been shown that roof/attic actually decrease in temperature due to shading from solar panels. I know that isnāt an exact apple-to-apple comparison (itās more like comparing panels over a parking lot), but even if there is an increase, it should be pretty minimal. Iād much rather have a solar farm nearby than an oil refinery. In fact, solar farm seems like a pretty good neighbor in general- better than an apartment building of loud tenants.
5 Likes
If you live in rural Maine, that is not a very useful comparison. If a forest was cut down to bring sun to ugly solar panels next to my house, it would be difficult for me to celebrate the eco-win, whether eco stood for economy or ecology. Neighbors might or might not be welcome, but an apartment building would be very unlikely.
The rich people I work for sometimes have groups of stand alone solar panels on their property, and they are not a very appealing feature of their landscapes by my eye, usually some attempt is made to hide them from the common view.
When installed on roofs they donāt bother me at all. The next time I need to replace my roofing I may have some installed, but on the rest of my property I want plants harvesting light.
Nimby behavior is common, but when it isnāt your backyard it may be difficult to appreciate. The obscenely high rates or precip we are experiencing may be the result of petro based energy and we are lucky that is the consequence for us compared to what many are facing and will face. Extreme drought is very scary as are floodwaters from rising seas.
2 Likes
That is a very good point. Around here, land values are high enough that the only forests left are parks, preserves, etc. At least in the town I live and the ones that I am in regularly. If a parcel is to be developed, an apartment building or complex is often the most lucrative option. Though it often generates push back from neighbors- Iāve seen a lot of signs protesting one in particular which has been rejected twice and seems headed to court. I doubt that there would be as much anger about a solar farm. Though it wouldnāt make sense financially to put one here- there is much cheaper land half an hour away.
I would actually be happy about it, but Iām not an average homeowner. Itās a constant effort to keep trees from growing up in neighborās yards and shading my trees. Iāve had to reach out to a lot of different neighbors, as well as pay plenty of $ to tree-cutters. Having a neighbor which will keep the trees out on their own would be great. Also, I bet a lot less animals could live in a solar farm, than a semi-wooded area. Less habitat for fruit stealers would be appreciated as well.
I feel the same, but as long as you donāt have shading trees, there is often enough roof space to put enough panels to offset usage. Though roof orientation could impact that a bit. Whether solar, or growing things, Iām happy to see the sun getting used.
The solar panels let me quantify things and even before the heavy rain started in August, weāve been getting less sun this year. May was good, up 20% from last year (and +15% from year before). But in the 4 months since then, each has been down 10-20% vs 2022. July & August arenāt that bad, beating out 2021, even if they are under 2022. But June and September are both down 15-20% vs both 2022 and 2021.
One thing Iām seeing is that certain kinds of jujubes arenāt setting much fruit, while others are fine. For instance, I have 5 Autumn Beauty at a couple of locations and all of them are producing far less (in some cases none) than last year. Other varieties are giving bumper harvests- Honey Jar, and Bok Jo for example. It will be interesting to see if future years have a similar behavior. It could be that there is a minimum level of sunlight needed for fruitset, which varies by cultivar. Overall, I am getting plenty of fruit, 80lbs in the last week (more than last year in the same period), but I think a big reason for that is that the trees are older and more of them are coming into production.
3 Likes
I want that t-shirt which says āGrow food, not lawnsā. I live on the remnant of an 18th C Pa farm (we inhabit the farmhouse), which was destroyed by developers ~1987. Vegetable garden, 3K square feet. 1,2,3 little orchards, now 4 this spring. Most likely 5, by next season. All but two neighbors (except we ourselves) have lawncare services do their mowing and manicuring. Yes, my yard looks entirely unlike theirs. And to date, two friends have remarked on the ānever beforeā flavor of produce from my garden. Maybe because Iāve been caring for this soil since '88? Substack āThe Forgotten Side of Medicineā makes the claim that flavor is an indication of nutrient density.
4 Likes