this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
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The government should use satellite imaging to locate all the rooftops and parking lots most suitable for photovoltaic panels and lease those spaces from the property owners to install them. The generated electricity would belong to the government to sell to the grid, but the property owners would be allowed to use the panels for backup power if they get disconnected from the grid because bad weather and whatnot. Anyone that declines the offer gets taxed on the imputed rent.
Nah. Solar as a govt project only makes sense as a solar farm. Much less expensive, easier to maintain, and doesn't piss off your voters.
Rooftop solar makes sense as a government project because it increases resilience and does something productive with all that otherwise wasted surface area. Also, as a homeowner, a government run rooftop solar program like what I suggested would piss me off a lot less than what we have now, what with the scammy private solar contractors and inscrutable "incentive" programs.
This. I haven't pulled the trigger on solar because I don't know which company to trust and I am not confident any of them will be around to repair or upgrade the equipment in a few years.
I've been putting off even requesting quotes for years, but this thread got me thinking about it again. I ended up finding a site called energysage.com that seemed trustworthy enough. They anonymize RFQs for solar installs and send them to contractors that they've vetted. I entered my info last night and got two quotes back today. Turns out rooftop solar probably isn't a good choice for my house. Payback would take 12.5 years, half of the equipment warranty. That's if I pay for it all upfront, much longer if I get a loan. The problem seems to be that there are two big maples in front of my neighbor's house that are shading a lot of the South facing part of my roof. Oh well!