Christ -
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christ
Everyone is always waiting for the price to drop in 10 years... the problem with that is the company making them can't build operating capital if everyone "waits" and noone "buys."
It's kinda like saying "I almost donated those old shirts, but I threw them away instead."
To us, it's a simple choice most of the time, because we aren't as consumer-driven in our lives as most people tend to be... at least that's how I see it. Either way, the price will never come down, and the company will never thrive if everyone just waits on the sidelines... conversely, some companies might be better placed to benefit their initial customers with such things as cheaper upgrades on new technology, or free service calls, etc. To "sweeten up the deal" for the people who are getting the 1st runs (which obviously still have bugs, and aren't as good as the same re-developed, cheaper product we'll all buy 10 years from now.)
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Guilty as charged. I have had two chances to make a difference on this.
One was when my Dad was having a new roof installed on his house. There was a window of opportunity for me to bankroll the installation of solar-shingles on the small second story. It would have had perfect Southern exposure, and would have been low maintenance. I think it would have been maybe 1KW. Not a lot of juice, but they don't use much. I had the money back then, but I didn't think fast enough.
The second is the driveway at our house. We have a 1924 flat roof, which would be good for panels. But, I don't want to risk creating a drainage/leak problem relative to increasing the load on the building, so I would rather build a sturdy carport that could support the solar panels. It's a 3-for-1 because we would get a carport, a shady driveway in the summer, and it would be the best location on the property for solar access. But these days, I can't justify spending the money.
I don't see any problem with (even more) subsidies to make this cheap and/or at least competitive. I think there is at least one company that will "lease" the systems to you. They defray all or part of the installation/materials cost. You pay a "normal" energy bill, but they get that money and own the system. Please don't quote me on the details because I know I am describing it badly!!!
CarloSW2