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NH.Solar · 06-09-2020, 03:35 PM

The value of solar can't be looked at as a simple ROI based on net cost/utility savings.
First of all the utility savings is generally expressed as a simple projection of the current rate and as we all know utility costs generally creep up at a rate of ~3-5% per year ...a minor point, but with each rate increase the payback period for a solar installation will actually shorten.
Second, and here is the key for this frugal ol' yankee, the money you spend on a solar system is funds directed toward an asset that belongs to you, while the money spent on a monthly utility bill is purely an expense. It is similar in concept to the difference between paying rent and paying a mortgage for a place to live.
Third, and this is key to some and niente to others, solar power is far cleaner than the primarily fossil fueled power coming from the grid. Only an ostrich can ignore what is happening to our planet right now and with each solar system installation the degradation of our environment is eased. Maybe that sounds like penny wisdom, but dollars are made one cent at a time.
I find my own solar system to be very satisfying because it allows me to be a little looser with my luxury consumptions; I run the AC freely when it is hot knowing that the power for it is being harvested off my roof, I have my hot water heater set a little hotter than normal and take long soaks in the whirlpool without guilt ..and then get out and dry off with a towel off a heated towel rack. Best off all the Duramax hasn't moved much at all for the last six months because in December I bought a Chevy Volt. Maybe I should be a little disappointed in the car though, I did actually have to to put 5 gallons gas in it last month ...and I only drove about 600 miles ;-)
On a corporate level, if solar isn't a good investment, why is this NHEC installation on Moultonboro Neck Road? Its good, but it could have been done better if the installation had used bi-facial modules, but as in many things corporate and government dictated the lowest bid wins. We installed our first bi-facial module array in Meredith three years ago and have installed nothing but in ground mounts ever since. The backside of bi-facial modules pick up about a 20 - 25% boost in energy whenever there is snow on the ground, and in NH that gain simply can't be ignored.
Lastly, during the last year we have enjoyed a huge growth in the fully off-grid installations we have been doing. We are right now working on a full off grid on unpowered Gansy Island, our second this year. In both cases the "camps" have full 200 amp main panels and AC will be used whenever its needed. If there isn't enough power coming either from the solar array or from the battery bank, the inverter will simply start up the generator for assistance. Because they are both (well used) second homes I doubt that either will use more than 5-10 gallons of fuel between ice out and ice in. During the short days of winter and once the ice has set up so the camps can again be used, the generator will come much more into play. But even then it should only have to run for an hour or two a day to fully re-charge the batteries.
We also have two large scale off grid installations already scheduled for this summer for folks that have bought beautiful but well off grid properties and want to build large full featured houses. In both cases we are installing systems for $50-60K that will give then systems that will fully power a 200 amp panel and only need to call on the generator for assistance during the dark months of November through late January. During the rest of the year their power will all be coming from the sun. One installation is in Tilton and the quote the client received from Eversource to just to run power line out to his property was $47K. The other is in Stueben Maine which is just north of Bar Harbor and will be a combination work/vacation job (I've already booked a house for a week in lovely Southeast harbor). The client is from Florida and found NH Solar through this NH Business Review article. The advances in energy storage during the last few years have been astonishing, and this one factor has now made solar the far least expensive way to power a home ...even in New Hampshire and northeast Maine.

06-09-2020, 03:35 PM	#3
NH.Solar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Jackson Pond, New Hampton Posts: 210 Thanks: 37 Thanked 128 Times in 69 Posts	The value of solar can't be looked at as a simple ROI based on net cost/utility savings. First of all the utility savings is generally expressed as a simple projection of the current rate and as we all know utility costs generally creep up at a rate of ~3-5% per year ...a minor point, but with each rate increase the payback period for a solar installation will actually shorten. Second, and here is the key for this frugal ol' yankee, the money you spend on a solar system is funds directed toward an asset that belongs to you, while the money spent on a monthly utility bill is purely an expense. It is similar in concept to the difference between paying rent and paying a mortgage for a place to live. Third, and this is key to some and niente to others, solar power is far cleaner than the primarily fossil fueled power coming from the grid. Only an ostrich can ignore what is happening to our planet right now and with each solar system installation the degradation of our environment is eased. Maybe that sounds like penny wisdom, but dollars are made one cent at a time. I find my own solar system to be very satisfying because it allows me to be a little looser with my luxury consumptions; I run the AC freely when it is hot knowing that the power for it is being harvested off my roof, I have my hot water heater set a little hotter than normal and take long soaks in the whirlpool without guilt ..and then get out and dry off with a towel off a heated towel rack. Best off all the Duramax hasn't moved much at all for the last six months because in December I bought a Chevy Volt. Maybe I should be a little disappointed in the car though, I did actually have to to put 5 gallons gas in it last month ...and I only drove about 600 miles ;-) On a corporate level, if solar isn't a good investment, why is this NHEC installation on Moultonboro Neck Road? Its good, but it could have been done better if the installation had used bi-facial modules, but as in many things corporate and government dictated the lowest bid wins. We installed our first bi-facial module array in Meredith three years ago and have installed nothing but in ground mounts ever since. The backside of bi-facial modules pick up about a 20 - 25% boost in energy whenever there is snow on the ground, and in NH that gain simply can't be ignored. Lastly, during the last year we have enjoyed a huge growth in the fully off-grid installations we have been doing. We are right now working on a full off grid on unpowered Gansy Island, our second this year. In both cases the "camps" have full 200 amp main panels and AC will be used whenever its needed. If there isn't enough power coming either from the solar array or from the battery bank, the inverter will simply start up the generator for assistance. Because they are both (well used) second homes I doubt that either will use more than 5-10 gallons of fuel between ice out and ice in. During the short days of winter and once the ice has set up so the camps can again be used, the generator will come much more into play. But even then it should only have to run for an hour or two a day to fully re-charge the batteries. We also have two large scale off grid installations already scheduled for this summer for folks that have bought beautiful but well off grid properties and want to build large full featured houses. In both cases we are installing systems for $50-60K that will give then systems that will fully power a 200 amp panel and only need to call on the generator for assistance during the dark months of November through late January. During the rest of the year their power will all be coming from the sun. One installation is in Tilton and the quote the client received from Eversource to just to run power line out to his property was $47K. The other is in Stueben Maine which is just north of Bar Harbor and will be a combination work/vacation job (I've already booked a house for a week in lovely Southeast harbor). The client is from Florida and found NH Solar through this NH Business Review article. The advances in energy storage during the last few years have been astonishing, and this one factor has now made solar the far least expensive way to power a home ...even in New Hampshire and northeast Maine. __________________ Peter NH Solar Last edited by NH.Solar; 06-10-2020 at 03:09 PM.