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We need both! rooftop solar alone is not going to solve our energy needs. If projects like this don't get built, the realistic alternative in the US these days
by igor47 1y ago
We need both! rooftop solar alone is not going to solve our energy needs. If projects like this don't get built, the realistic alternative in the US these days is burning coal, which is both expensive and destructive to the ecology and to health.
- aeonfox 1y agoAbout 3/4 of my rooftop solar goes back into the grid. A neighborhood grid-scale battery could sop that up while the market is cheap and dispatch it when the sun is down. Even if I had a battery, it would quickly saturate. Rooftop solar can deliver far more than most households can use. And let's not forget parking lots and commercial real estate. With enough incentive these places can become mini power plants of their own, and provide a nice little passive income for the land owner.
- jopsen 1y agoWhenever I look at rooftop solar (Denmark) 2/3 of the cost is easily installation. Add to that the risk that I'll have to replace the roof early. Rooftop seems expensive, if not done as part of a roof replacement. And even then it's expensive. If we had deserts that would be a great place to put up solar.
- aeonfox 1y agoYeah, there's probably a huge asterisk around the predominant roofing materials, latitude, and availability of tradespeople in a particular area. Certainly with the latter, there is downward pressure with greater demand enabling more people to take on installation work. > If we had deserts that would be a great place to put up solar. I guess the EU at least has some large projects in North Africa which is trying to combat desertification. Looks like a win-win, but I don't know much about it.