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Re: Post on the General BB from 2002: Solar Panels 1 Saabers Like This Post! Posted by JerseySaab [Email] (#666) [Profile/Gallery] (more from JerseySaab) on Fri, 17 May 2019 06:58:21 In Reply to: Re: Post on the General BB from 2002: Solar Panels, neil dale [Profile/Gallery] , Thu, 16 May 2019 21:52:52 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
We don't get near as much sunlight in NJ as you do! In a severe winter those panels are going to be covered with snow much of the time and we get plenty of cloudy and rainy days all year long!
A rough calculation shows that to payback a $30K investment (which involves taking out a loan and paying it back over several years time, plus interest) could easily take 10-15 years! I may not live that long! Not to mention that we'd have to cover up the expensive color-coordinated roof we paid for a few years back in order to install ugly and even more expensive solar panels! The idea that such a move will make the house worth more is highly questionable! Then there's having to cut down shade trees to get whatever sunlight is available out this way, further devaluing the property!
(Edited to better answer question of "utility"...)
Spending $50K-$90K on an electric car that has less usability than a $12K Mitsubishi to save on gas makes no sense to me either! In a cheap Mitsu or Hyundai I can drive for hundreds of miles, refuel in minutes, and not worry about where I'm going to do it! No special planning required, can take a long trip at the drop of a hat! Same with my Saab 9000 that I paid the princely sum of $1500 for! (Will your electric car's battery still be good in 20-25 years? I won't be around to see it, but will the car be worth anything to anyone who is?)
Now, if you want to argue that a Tesla is a fun toy for the well-heeled who want to spend $90K to scream "WEEEEEE!" I can go along with that. But for most of us who don't have that kind of scratch burning a hole in their pockets for entertainment, a conventional vehicle is far and away much more practical. I'm certainly sticking with Saab and internal combustion!
BTW, solar cells do deteriorate over time! If you have a battery storage system for night-time that will deteriorate as well! Will that company still be around to make good on that guarantee in 10, 15, 25 years?
->Posting last edited on Fri, 17 May 2019 10:17:09.
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