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‘If 1.5m Germans have them there must be something in it’: how balcony solar is taking off
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025
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Generators take space, require maintenance, and have a certain optimal capacity that isn't necessarily hit on a given roof.
For wind energy in particular, the bigger the turbine, the more yield per $ spent. If you go out to Corpus Christi you'll see these enormous turbines - $10M to $50M / ea - that generate on the order of $24 to $75 per MWh, or $.024-.075/kWh. Home wind/solar don't get anywhere close to that.
Prime placement of units, distribution across a wide area, and a degree of storage capacity means you're going to get better and more consistent yield.
But people will always be interested in generating their own, just like we don’t use communal bath houses, or community heating, or unfortunately mass transit. Yes, group services can be a lot more efficient and more reliable but they’re also out of your control and become an ongoing cost
Spas and apartments and buses/trains do absolutely exist. Only the former is considered "luxury" in the US, though.
Wasn't Solar City's whole gambit to effectively buy everyone's roofs and lease them back for a fraction of their real market value?
I don't think you escape "Own nothing and be happy" just by throwing up a few hundred watts of solar on an extension cord.
Yes there were and still are too many scammers. Sometimes I think that’s held the industry back even more than the price. If we had any consumer protections, it would blow up the installer industry.
That doesn’t change my point
welcome to the land of windmills