4 ms·

Cleaning panels also needs to happen periodically. That cost can be in the thousands, especially if your roof is hard to access (e.g. high off the ground). The

Cleaning panels also needs to happen periodically. That cost can be in the thousands, especially if your roof is hard to access (e.g. high off the ground). There are so many ways a rooftop solar installation investment can turn against you. If regulations change, your net metering goes away. If electricity prices drop, your ROI goes negative. Rooftop solar is a fun enthusiast project, but it's a lousy use of solar panels. Community solar or utility solar projects are far better for homeowners. And for the environment. The only reason people do it is that there are artificial incentives; it's not actually efficient in reality.

david422 4y ago
I have rooftop solar - and eventually I will need a new roof - which will require taking the solar panels off and then mounting them back on again - labor costs. Additionally the inverter will fail at a certain point and that is not cheap. Given some ballpark estimates, I do feel like it could simply be a wash financially.
- 1123581321 4y ago
  How old’s your roof? Just wait until it’s time for new panels. You’ll want new panels after a couple decades and change for the significantly improved performance. Panel work will be routine for roofers in the 2030s and 2040s. If you installed them on an old roof, you made a mistake, and your municipality probably shouldn’t have approved the work in the first place. Your replacement inverter should only cost $1-3k in present money, depending on its size. You probably have a warranty on it for the first half of your panels’ life. You also don’t need to pay for an expensive extensive cleaning unless something goes really wrong or you live under an HOA that is hostile to solar. By far, the biggest factor in ROI is your generation relative to your initial installation cost minus tax credits and SRECs.
  - david422 4y ago
    12 year roof. Older than I would have liked.
    - 1123581321 4y ago
      Could be on the edge. Hopefully you have architectural shingles.
- antisthenes 4y ago
  It's usually recommended to install solar panels on a relatively new roof (< 5 years), so that both the roof and solar panel lifecycles align. Since the panels act as protection of sorts, it also extends the life of the roof, and you can easily have both installations serve you for ~30 years.

david422 4y ago

I have rooftop solar - and eventually I will need a new roof - which will require taking the solar panels off and then mounting them back on again - labor costs. Additionally the inverter will fail at a certain point and that is not cheap. Given some ballpark estimates, I do feel like it could simply be a wash financially.

1123581321 4y ago
How old’s your roof? Just wait until it’s time for new panels. You’ll want new panels after a couple decades and change for the significantly improved performance. Panel work will be routine for roofers in the 2030s and 2040s. If you installed them on an old roof, you made a mistake, and your municipality probably shouldn’t have approved the work in the first place. Your replacement inverter should only cost $1-3k in present money, depending on its size. You probably have a warranty on it for the first half of your panels’ life. You also don’t need to pay for an expensive extensive cleaning unless something goes really wrong or you live under an HOA that is hostile to solar. By far, the biggest factor in ROI is your generation relative to your initial installation cost minus tax credits and SRECs.
- david422 4y ago
  12 year roof. Older than I would have liked.
  - 1123581321 4y ago
    Could be on the edge. Hopefully you have architectural shingles.
antisthenes 4y ago
It's usually recommended to install solar panels on a relatively new roof (< 5 years), so that both the roof and solar panel lifecycles align. Since the panels act as protection of sorts, it also extends the life of the roof, and you can easily have both installations serve you for ~30 years.