Who out there has a home solar panel system and can give any pro's or con's?

Question

Who out there has a home solar panel system and can give any pro's or con's?

Answer 1

Here in Washington, it doesn't pay to do solar if you plan on payback being made by selling energy back to others.

Payback to Puget Sound Energy for example is limited to $2000.00 CREDIT not cash per year.

The State limits you to even less, so a fifty thousand dollar investment is going to take a long time to get any payback.

You ultimately do it because you want too and no other reasons.

Answer 2

It all comes down to $/Watt and the Return over your investment, comparing solar versus grid power. Solar is a very good choice when there is nothing else to power with. Wind power is also a very good choice, considering the sun only comes during the day, and wind only comes during windy days. So, there is no real way to evaluate solar until you take in consideration all the variables that affect it.

Answer 3

Pros

If your system is efficient enough and you have extra power you can charge the power company

Free power

cons

maintenance

if you live where it is cloudy or rainy or under trees it won't produce that much wattage.

Answer 4

We have two, one at a farm and one in town.  Pros are that we have no electric bill, and that we have power even when others do not because we live in a very rural area, Cons are that you have to maintain it and it takes more tweaking than just turning on a switch, and that it was very expensive as an intial investment.  For more info, check out some of the websites below

Answer 5

I don't, but my brother did for many years, he installed it in the 70"s when there were tax breaks given for them. It was finally removed after breaking down and not replaced because there were no tax breaks to replace it; a decision I disagreed with, even if oil was cheap. He paid very little to virtually nothing for heat for the entire time the panels were in operation. New technology should make them have much more longevity and therefore be more cost effective. Con's, up front cost, which is where tax breaks should come in.

Answer 6

You can learn about the return on your investment for solar panels and other green home improvement projects at http://www.greenandsave.com

Answer 7

Pros:

Clean

Adds to resale value of home

Silent

Unobtrusive

Cons:

High startup cost

Slow investment return

Maintenance

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