Article on some Solar-powered installs in the Seattle area

[ATCclears]

Going solar with a group makes switch cheaper | HeraldNet.com - Local news

Read More

 

[knuckle Head]

My question is, does the state of washington have so much extra $$$$ laying around they can give it to people for improving their property.

Not just picking on Washington state here, but geeze when is gooberment gonna quit giving people tac credits or cash that they do not have,

Now on the flip side if I was that lady and was going to install solar power system I would try and get the best deal I could and after all of the money I have given the fed's for them to whizzz away on crap, if I could get part of it back in a tax credit for upgrading my home I would do it too.

tired of paying in and not getting anything out of it and watching people sitting around the house all day get part of my pay check.

 

[mjbskwim]

So a buddy of mine has been a superintendent for some rather large projects in the Seattle and Portland areas (160Mil range)
Anyway,he has some rather smart electrical friends. They all seem to claim that solar is more of a gobment push than a more efficient power source.
The claims are in a homeowner or larger building,the amount of battery storage and the life of said batteries,and all other details,the electricity savings just aren't there.
It's not that free for the life of the equipment.(reads: never really pays off equipment )

Now for a RV/WAY off grid application,it does have some merits.

Tell me this is wrong so we all know that this is or isn't some lobbyist's money making scheme

 

[DieselScout]

My parents had solar installed a few months ago. They had to pay 6000 up front but will get a 1500 dollar tax break each year for the next 4 years from the state of Oregon. No batteries in their system, whatever they don't use backfeeds onto the grid and they get credit for it. So far no bill in August and they are on their way to no bill in September either and they are building a power credit with PGE for the winter months. The system will be no cost to them in 4 years and it is 100% warrantied for the next 20. After 20 the company will lease the panels to my parents, sell them to them or remove them. Pretty good deal!

 

[Thebastidge]

There are ways for our system to be improved by more point-sources of energy. It's not efficient to do it all at once by government mandate, that'll cost way more than if people simply respond to incventives where the physics dictates it will work.

But one of the biggest benefits is NOT cheaper energy, it's increased redundancy.

 

[8ball]

So a buddy of mine has been a superintendent for some rather large projects in the Seattle and Portland areas (160Mil range)
Anyway,he has some rather smart electrical friends. They all seem to claim that solar is more of a gobment push than a more efficient power source.
The claims are in a homeowner or larger building,the amount of battery storage and the life of said batteries,and all other details,the electricity savings just aren't there.
It's not that free for the life of the equipment.(reads: never really pays off equipment )

Now for a RV/WAY off grid application,it does have some merits.

Tell me this is wrong so we all know that this is or isn't some lobbyist's money making scheme

Your smart friend is misinformed. Solar is not perfect, but it does have a clear ROI in most places on the west coast.

Tax credits and utility buy backs are a logical economic mechanism to encourage alternate energy sources, and a tiny fraction of the billions in tax breaks given to the fossil fuel industries.

 

[fd15k]

Your smart friend is misinformed. Solar is not perfect, but it does have a clear ROI in most places on the west coast.

Tax credits and utility buy backs are a logical economic mechanism to encourage alternate energy sources, and a tiny fraction of the billions in tax breaks given to the fossil fuel industries.

Also localized sources of energy reduce the load on the grid and provide for better energy security.