SOLAR POWER

leases don't make sense for residences afaik

Solar Tariffs Seem Certain To Hurt U.S. Installation Market

http://www.revisionenergy.com/maine-nh-solar-financing-loans.php

thinking of doing this

Does anyone have any thoughts about solar roadways?

(Is there a separate thread where it's being discussed?)

fuckin Nevada, it blows my mind

thanks to WmC for the link

http://www.vox.com/2016/1/20/10793732/nevada-solar-industry-explained

not sure what can be done at this point, the brazen bait-and-switch move here is just insane

yeah this is ridiculous and will bite them in the ass

they're not the only states where investor-owned utilities are trying to roll back net-energy-metering - distributed generation systems are basically a death knell for the traditional utility distribution system model

awful

but no fear, the Republican Party is almost dead

PUC is caving on the retroactive issue, hopefully:

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/nevada-puc-to-reconsider-grandfathering-rooftop-solar-customers-into-new-ne

there's no way this entire debacle doesn't get reversed at some pt imo - either because of lawsuits or political pressure

boo

I haven't posted or even been on ILX for a long time but this seems like a good time to decloak.

Naturally net-metering is important but providing parity payment is unsustainable and although the way it was handled in Nevada was utterly boneheaded it probably had to go in time. My understanding was that NV provided no-sunset for parity net metering payments and rather than closing the scheme for new installs pulled the rug from under existing owners. In a market with so many PPAs and people having bought into sola under assumptions of payback over time that was plain wrong.

Over here in Australia we've had all kinds of incentive scheme from Carbo based credits, generous (66c/kWh) and less generous gross metering, and net metering. Currently every new customer gets the carbon credit (Renewable Energy Target) up front and a net metering create of ~5c/kWh for the avoided wholesale cost of electricity. There is no credit for the avoided transmission and distribution costs and the benefit that that solar offers the network is not compensated for - that said the extra costs that solar customers (and those with big A/Cs and pools) impose not he network are not fairly distributed either.

All of this is leading to much more generous pricing and compensation models. We've had a regulatory process (called Power of Choice) which is leading to more cost reflective network pricing (Residential Demand Charges and or Time of Use) which will penalise A/C use and reduce the self-consumption benefit of solar (without storage). Further off It something I've been working on if the Local Generation Network Credit which is a proposed mechanism for compensating distributed generator owners for the value they do offer the network. It will go some way to recognise that solar on a residential zone sub at 2pm is not very useful but at 4pm it is very useful. There's a good description of the way it works in other jurisdictions in the briefing paper for one of the workshops I've been involved in.

https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/LNCVNM_towards_an_LNC_methodology.pdf

The TL;DR on this: this shit is complicated

thanks, gonna dig into that when I have time.

I am sympathetic to the "costs of distribution" argument in terms of reforming net metering, but as you note the retroactive penalty was where the PUC really fucked up in NV.

CA PUC smarter than NV PUC:

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Solar-companies-and-customers-win-big-in-6790872.php

great news

congress looking into some pre-emptive legislation forbidding retroactive net metering changes:

http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/us-senators-move-to-preserve-solar-net-metering-through-energy-bill-amendment_100023050/#axzz3z6VXCpq9

Hope that passes, good on them. Murkowski being in charge is of course disgusting and counterproductive.

Ah but when everyone has a telsa powerwall the grid will no longer be of any concern!

incorrect, those batteries don't store enough power to run a house, the stored power is used for peak shaving and load reduction

they also quietly discontinued the larger model last week:

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Tesla-Discontinues-10kWh-Powerwall-Home-Battery

cuz guess what? they are just too expensive.

sad lol

someone really needs to crack this battery storage issue

i'm probably going to do a solar lease. I know this doesn't give me the tax benefits purchase would do, but I already owe the IRS money so on a monthly basis leasing saves me more. I'm guessing that CA already worked out the issues that are plaguing NV and ruining the industry for them over there.

recent CA PUC ruling preserving net metering is posted upthread

oddly I JUST NOW got a CREDO email saying that they are challenging that. Fuckers.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/08/utilities-net-metering-decision/

so not gonna happen

good range of comments on that article

Galatians! lol

the key is to convert solar power to heated magma to be used later!

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/12/the-solar-industry-has-paid-off-its-carbon-debts/510308/

Well that's neat

more trade war details for anyone who is interested

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/suniva-solarworld-file-new-trade-remedy-proposals#gs.96pEz6E

as I mentioned in the Global Warming thread, one of the big problems with all of this is that four years isn't a long enough window to actually build cell factories if the tariffs that make them cost-effective disappear after that point.

Circa 1980 I bought a Casio solar-powered calculator, just the kind that does basic arithmetic operations. It has only just now bit the dust, after providing me with 37 years of faithful service and not a single battery required, let alone daily recharging. It was perfection of its kind. Of course, with mobile phones now performing the same functions, I will never be able to replace it.

Ha! I have such a Casio, bought at about the same time, and it's still working fine.

Mine was dropped once too often.

waiting for the penny to drop on Monday w/r/t tariffs or cell quotas

this speech does not bode well:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-will-no-longer-be-taken-advantage-of-on-trade-trumps-sharp-rebuke-to-china-20171110-gzj60v.html

idk that reads like his usual empty bluster

and nothing specific about the solar tariff issue

I know, I'm just paranoid.

The ITC recommended like four different options, nobody has any idea what's going to happen and it's the uncertainty that's wearing on me

60 more days of misery, uncertainly, market disruption, and fear. This is the worst.

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2017/11/13/the-clock-ticks-itc-turns-section-201-over-to-president-trump/

pv magazine staff has found no sources that can tell us more about this confidential report, and ITC staff has stated that a public version will be released at an unspecified later date. {...}

In other words, President Trump can do just about anything. There are precious few limitations, but these include that initial trade action can last four years (and be extended to up to eight years), and that tariffs are limited to 50% of the price of products “above the rate existing before the proclamation of action”.

This last detail may be more complex than it first appears. While all the commissioners who recommended import duties would have the tariff values calculated on the cost when solar products enter the nation, SolarWorld and Suniva have asked for duties equal to 50% of the prices during timeframes covering previous years when solar cells and modules were much more expensive.

Neither SolarWorld nor Suniva has done much to mitigate these proposals, which we at pv magazine feel are dangerous and unreasonable.

"uncertainty"

dumbfucks

both of those companies can burn in hell, forever

so selfish and stupid

yeah it's rather remarkable

Other solar groups have stepped up to support the cause using social and advertising campaigns. A coalition of manufacturers, U.S. Made Solar, has been running TV advertisements during shows that President Trump watches regularly, such as Fox & Friends.

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solar-industry-makes-last-ditch-lobbying-against-solar-tariffs#gs.rMpfhZI

we'll know within two weeks, probably. good article.

30% tariff, could have been worse, hopefully Solar World and Suniva die now

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/breaking-trump-admin-issues-a-30-solar-tariff#gs.8mgzsVs

well looks like Solar World found a way out

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/sunpower-acquires-solarworld-americas#gs.E0HOHd0

Anyone here have experience getting solar at home? I've been intrigued for years, but the numbers seem completely unappetizing. When I put our address into the supposedly close to accurate free google solar calculator, for example (https://www.google.com/get/sunroof), it claims savings of $6000 over *20 years*. $300 a year for two decades seems a pretty paltry reward for putting five-figures into the system, even with (dwindling) tax write-offs and rebates. And yeah, floating somewhere in there is environmental impact, but on that front it seems much more efficient/easy to just find ways to use less power, or if you're feeling generous just donating that huge amount of upfront install cost to a food pantry or something, where every dollar given gets exponential returns.

I dunno. Am I looking at this all wrong?

fwiw that amount sounds just about right for installed cost on 5-6 KW

I just got his formal pitch, if you're curious, but it includes:

Panel degradation rate: 3% in year 1; 0.26% years 2-25 - 90% efficient @ yr 25

ah that's really interesting! thanks. I did not know that more degradation was assumed in year 1.

After saying my roof isn't great for solar I'm now starting to thing I should jump on this. The Roof is bad because it is flat and mainly taken up by my roof deck, but havingng Saturday up their a lot the shading on the exposed parts isn't actually as bad as I thought and now you can get a 400W standard size panel(SunPower), I could actually get some useful production out of it. There's an outside chance I could squeeze 6 on the eastern end of the roof and 2 on the western end, really its probably 4 and 2 but that could still be 2.4kW. Panels would probably have to be flat rather than on tilt frames or the homeowners association would flip and the shading means I'd have to have micro inverters (Enphase) or optimisers (SolarEdge) to get the best out of a system.

I've had the Enphase option priced out and it comes in at AU$3.74/W which makes me wince, especially as we won't qualify for the current VIC government rebate which would bring that down. I've got a mate going through the same process and his (much bigger) system is quoted out at $1.22/W or AU$1.08/W if he gets the rebate. Thats on a SolarEdge System with optimisers and and Longi 350W Mono PERC panels.

Not that it's really about payback but It would take me about 10 years to breakeven on that

26% solar tax credit extended for 2 years as part of the COVID bill, definitely a good thing

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/12/solar-investment-tax-credit-extended-at-26-for-two-additional-years/

even better news

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/07/28/solar-investment-tax-credit-to-be-extended-10-years-at-30/

Dunno if I mentioned it, but we did end up getting solar and have been very happy with it so far.

what inverter type, do you know?

also, Josh, note this key provision:

"The tax credit applies to residential adopters of solar technology. If the bill is passed, the 30% credit will be retroactively applied to anyone who installed their system since the beginning of 2022."

We had it done in 2020, so already got whatever rebates and whatnot we were expecting.

As for inverter type, I believe we have a Solar Edge Single Phase Inverter with HD-Wave.