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Somewhat off-topic. I'm all for solar, but there are some nasty practices out there with the "free" installs (lease). To maximize energy-harvesting potential, m

Somewhat off-topic. I'm all for solar, but there are some nasty practices out there with the "free" installs (lease). To maximize energy-harvesting potential, many "free" solar installers don't seem to care at all about ruining the look of nice houses, for example stuff like this [1], reducing the value of the home and increasing the time to sell. There are many horror stories about unexpected liens on homes [2] preventing a sale and/or refinancing. I'll jump on solar as soon as they make affordable panels that resemble shingles (they exist, I know [3], but expensive) [1] http://www.greensunnj.com/resource/1430381659000/Bad_Princeton_1 http://www.greensunnj.com/resource/1430381659000/Bad_Princet... [2] http://watchdog.org/212170/surprise-solar-liens/ http://watchdog.org/212170/surprise-solar-liens/ [3] http://cleantechnica.com/2015/02/08/solar-shingles-renewable-energy-solution-curb-appeal/ http://cleantechnica.com/2015/02/08/solar-shingles-renewable...

SmallBets 11y ago
Exactly. This stumbling block is as much about the solar lease/ppa model as net metering, because math about cost of botg grid and solar are assumed 100% unchanged for 20 years. Rooftop owners that buy their systems outright are still im good shape, with a different payback period. Leases have been pushed bc theyre more lucrative for installers and homeowners have avoided the upfront cost of buying. Leases were a gateway financial model to expand rooftop solar but I think we'll see a shift to system ownership, which will reduce the impact of net metering. And it will be further reduced as storage tech ramps up.
- notlisted 11y ago
  Once home batteries like Tesla's Powerwall become mainstream we may see another up-tick in self-financed systems, especially since those may have an effect on the price of electricity for people without them [1]. This is a lovely article on the latest developments and side-effects [2] [1] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-24/batteries-pose-sales-challenge-for-power-companies-moody-s-says http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-24/batteries-... [2] http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/14/energy-storage-about-to-get-big-and-cheap/ http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/14/energy-storage-about-to-get-...

SmallBets 11y ago

Exactly. This stumbling block is as much about the solar lease/ppa model as net metering, because math about cost of botg grid and solar are assumed 100% unchanged for 20 years. Rooftop owners that buy their systems outright are still im good shape, with a different payback period. Leases have been pushed bc theyre more lucrative for installers and homeowners have avoided the upfront cost of buying. Leases were a gateway financial model to expand rooftop solar but I think we'll see a shift to system ownership, which will reduce the impact of net metering. And it will be further reduced as storage tech ramps up.

notlisted 11y ago
Once home batteries like Tesla's Powerwall become mainstream we may see another up-tick in self-financed systems, especially since those may have an effect on the price of electricity for people without them [1]. This is a lovely article on the latest developments and side-effects [2] [1] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-24/batteries-pose-sales-challenge-for-power-companies-moody-s-says http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-24/batteries-... [2] http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/14/energy-storage-about-to-get-big-and-cheap/ http://rameznaam.com/2015/04/14/energy-storage-about-to-get-...