Solar AFTER 10 Years - What I Wish I Knew...
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
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Have you ever thought about getting solar? I've had it for over 10 years now, and I've learned A Lot...
I've had Solar for 10 Years - Here's The Thing...
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》》》TWO BIT DA VINCI《《《
I'm Ricky; this is Two Bit da Vinci, and if you're interested in learning about the future why it's going to be far more awesome than you think, join us for the ride!
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Chapters
0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - System Hardware
2:47 - Series vs Parallel
4:30 - Inverters
7:50 - Using DroneQuote
9:37 - Digging Into Data
11:00 - Warranties
13:05 - Solar ROI
15:00 - Fun Facts
15:55 - Maintenance
17:30 - Battery Backup
20:38 - Conclusion
#solarpanels #newenergysystem #10years #teslaenergy #teslapowerwall #powerwall #solarenergy #solarpanelshome #solarpanelsbegining #solarscam? #bestelectric #truthaboutsolar #solarexperience #supercharging #sunenergy #energiasolar #10años #panelessolares #drone #quote #dronevideo, Solar AFTER 10 Years - What I Wish I Knew... 
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I'm in England, waiting for rain to be turned into household power.
I've seen the sun in videos and books. Looks really bright and useful.
🤣
Quite feasible and worthwhile in the UK check Solar installs and monthly generation videos from Spectrum Geeks and EV Puzzle both UK based for examples.
technically, you could...
You must somehow contain all the rain water in a tank, then use the water to spin the generator... basicly you are making a mini dam hahahaha
I can't imagine the price for the land and the tax hahaha
We are better with wine power in the UK. We don't get enough sun on the winter
And you have plenty of humidity as well!
Common problem with roofing and solar companies, the go out of business to avoid warranty, then start another company different name.
@Rainbow Capone how is that the fault of the consumer.. who said it was cheap.. u said cheap... that's a huge assumption.
truth is people do that all time. we had a pool company do that in my home town... scammer do the best they can to cover up being scammers
That's when you only buy the 5-year warranty instead of the 10-year warranty ;)
@@davidpaikins3172 The point we are making is that if you choose an installer who has been around for 10 years or more and have done your due diligence then the price you will pay won’t be the cheapest but you are much less likely to fall foul of the scammers and con artists.
Hello I was a kitchen in home sales person....Windows do it a lot.... most companies know failure rates ....had classes on this.... change incorporation to avoid failures.....yup..
@Rainbow Capone quality electronics company use cheap chinese parts.. read.... known failures..do who is quality....
I've only been on a 3 kW solar power off grid system for about 30 months, with a 32 Lithium 275 Wh cells. It's is quite a journey to see it function within my control. I did all the work myself while using a smaller solar system to build it with. The panels are used (8 x 360 Watt) ground mounted SunPower. But the biggest reward is knowing I have total control of my electric power.
Using solar power is a game changer with more pros than cons. We have severe weather in the Midwest and power outages are common with heavy snow and ice during the winter. While not the ultimate problem solving solution it helps with the basics.
How long do lithium battery still working well?
@@invisibletosociety8338 how will solar help in the case of heavy snow and ice? Your pannels will not produce anything. If you have a battery it will be empty after 1 or 2 days if you are very conservative....
Until you have to change those batteries. Enjoy that cost. It's like buying everything but the wiring all over again every 15 years. Unless you electric is really expensive, it's impossible to get ahead by using solar.
@@deydraniadiancecht8298 actually the price of inverters and batteries is going down each year (and they perform better) , price of copper and installing going up. I can replace batteries and inverters on my own, no need to crawl on the roof.
I like the idea of solar carport or gazebo for ease of access or ground mount if you are in the county with the space. Also you can go with a small battery and an inexpensive generator for longer duration outage such as hurricane source events etc. Also note that in the USA adding solar increases the value of your house by 4% on average. You are my favorite Da Vinci!
Been on solar for 4 yrs and it still feels great on hot sunny days where my AC is on max and I'm still sending extra power to the grid.
Wow that means you have a pretty big system congrats!
Peter N. Good for you. We have 2 systems at 3KW each, no problem to operate a 4 Ton AC system and still have a little extra going back into the grid. One of the panel arrays is pointed West so it continues producing until 5 or 6 pm. Couple of years ago I added batteries and a hybrid inverter so as not have interruptions during outages or rolling blackouts. Its very comfortable not having to worry about the power company or grid failures that seem to be getting worse.
My AC will flatten my battery quite quickly, my panels may just keep up with it. Its a 10kw system.
@@tonyp2865 Are you saying the solar array is 10Kw or the battery pack is 10KWh? If your solar array is that big it should run your AC with plenty of extra power. Also, HyperEngineering makes a really good soft starter for Central AC condensers.
@@bentleyjarrard885 Both are 10 Kw, I have a large air con for Australian conditions.
A 10 year review? This is unheard of. Well done!
Thats because he is paid by the Climate Control Mafia to lie to you.
I am going on 18 years with my setup and have no problems so far. I love it. My power bill before I went solar was 535.00 a month. Now that money is mine and not the power company.
@@thomasbranson7237 that’s awesome! Have you done any long term cost analysis? What year was your break even point?
@@r.t.hannah9575 Simple payback analysis (break-even date) is meaningless. The real way to do it is to perform a life-cycle cost analysis compared to the life-cycle cost analysis of doing nothing. The option with the lower life-cycle cost is the one to choose if money is the only factor.
Look at it this way, if a solar system installed at your house has a 8-year simple payback, and a new water heater has a 2-year payback, which one is a better investment? With no other information, you have no way of knowing. How about adding a third alternative: Does it makes sense to add a PV system and a new water heater? Why would you add a new water heater when you'd be getting power from your PV system? You might come up with the wrong answer if you are dealing with only simple payback.
@@gatoryak7332 What tf are you talking about?!? She asked you a simple question, don't try to make it sound more complicated than it really is, just to justify the fact that you have absolutely no idea how to calculate and answer to one simple question.
I found that by delaying the charging of my DC coupled battery until noon in summer, my output increased by 12%. I also found that my 41 panels rated at 13.25 kW could actually produce 15 kW of power. This 15 kW limit was made up of 5 kW going straight from the panel's DC output to my DC coupled battery battery and 10 kW flowing through my 10 kW inverter to my EV, house and the grid.
All panels are rated at a solar constant, they may be operating because you have above average exposure
Are you 8n Ohio?
Melbourne, Australia.
@@johnrogers1423 As Andrew said, the panels are rated at 1000w/m2 at 25c. Here in AUS we have higher than average UV exposure and if you couple it with lower temperatures the panels can exceed their rating. The rating is also a little conservative to allow for the warranty and variations in quality.
Finally, a comprehensive review of the pros and cons and overall costs associated with a solar system which kept me from obtaining a system! My biggest fear is hail which we can count on every year here in Calgary! And the harsh winters mixed in! Do the panels over the roof keep the attic a lot cooler due to the shade and under panel air circulation?
Got my panels for 21 years now. They are well above 80% still. Had to replace 1 converter I reused from my very first solar installation 23 years ago. 300 € of maintenance in 21 years. I am going to double the capacity and add a Batterie next year.
Never cleaned the panels.
It’s so cool!
Wow!!! I’d love to chat! We should do an episode about them!
@@TwoBitDaVinci Why not. At the moment I’m not living where those panels are installed but we will move back there soon. Then we will modernise. In case you are interested we can chat for sure.
80% without cleaning for that ammount…?
I seriously wonder how many increase you get for cleaning them, but taking in account the 5% given it means they are still around 90% compared to when new
When did you break even?
@@Shalmaneser1 After around 10 years give or take 1 year. Got very high incentives in Germany around the 2000ers and had not to pay back the whole amount of the loan. Since than ☀️😎
Another great advantage in hot climates is they shade the roof and make cooling the house more efficient just by their presence
This is actually why I want it. My roof gets direct sunlight and heats my attic to unbearable levels 😥
@David Golden Never thought about that aspect. Interesting thought.
This largely depends on how much space you have between the panel and your roof. Tesla tiles sit directly on the roof. There are even water cooled panels to make the panels more efficient in hot climates. These double as water heaters for pools and assistance to your regular water heater.
Panels will provide a bit of shade, that much is true. But in hot climates those panels heat up. And not by a little bit either. This excessive heat reduces the lifespan of the panel pretty drastically and to add insult to injury, the efficiency of turning sunlight into electricity drops a lot as well. Planks would have a similar effect regarding shade, but are way less expensive than solar panels.
Shade helps in areas with high temperatures, but what you really want is mass. As in 1 meter thick walls etc. The sun will heat such walls during the day but the inside of these walls remains cool. And when the temperature drops at night, these walls radiate the heat back out, so you will feel comfortably warm. Of course, the sun will "charge" these massive walls again during the day and you will be comfortably cool during the day.
Costs more during construction, but afterwards you won't need any airconditioning at all. The energy savings over the lifespan from such a house easily cover the extra construction costs.
@@geroldmanders9742 meter thick walls??? Man, that sounds preventatively expensive, even considering a lot of energy savings. I've never in my life heard of a house being built even similarly to that. Like how do you have windows, and if you actually have enough for ample natural light won't that kinda mess up the reasoning behind the bunker-thick walls? For me anyhow, replacing solar panels every 15-20 years sounds wayyy cheaper and more enjoyable as an energy saving solution
About 9-10 years ago I designed and built the last home I'll ever build for my wife and myself. As we were more than 1,000' from any electrical source and more than a mile off of any paved road, it was cheaper to design the house for solar and install it than it was to run power that 1,000' and then still have a massive Khalifoniastan PG&E bill each month afterwards. So I built a 4KW system with an on the ground rack (no shadows, precise angles for best performance and easy to clean regularly) next to a 10'x10' battery/inverter shed using lead acid batteries, two separate banks of them at 48v. It also housed a generator/inverter about 60' from the house. Other than monthly maintenance (checking battery water levels and cleaning panels) it worked quite well, allowing us power when winter storms came up and shut everyone else down.
Now, like so many who could no longer stomach the insanity which has become my native state, I live in Idaho where electricity so far is running about .086 cents a KWH instead of over .50 cents. It's NOT the cost of electrical generation which has gone up in Khaliforniastan, it's the politicians robbing yet one more piggy bank there while failing simultaneously to upgrade and produce more electrical infrastructure...
As an offgridder for more than 30 years, I can say that solar panels are the modern world's miracle. I do anything that needs energy from lighting, water pumping, milking, cleaning to irrigating a 5 hectare of land. I've invested a good deal on panels and their contraptions to meet the energy need, and the investments I've made have paid off generously. Now, I meet 80 % of my total energy need from the solar systems. The only area I can't use solar is heating my home in winter.
A more energy efficient idea for heating your house in winter might be heat pumps. Even with the smaller amount of power you’re able to generate in winter, heat pumps are significantly smaller and energy efficient than furnaces.
Also consider installing a wood burning stove (if possible)
@@thecardwarskingdom6368 if you have easy access to free wood, a high efficiency wood burning stove is a good option to heat your home.
@@abdervish right, my thought processes would think that most offgridders would be able to find a few trees around
Heating and Cooling (A/C) are the 2 most important things...and Solar fails at both
Oh my goodness! I study electrical engineering and i find your content the best yet seen ever from thousands. PLease continue what you do, please!!
Be sure and pick enough econ classes to see what he's missing.
Had mine here in Australia for 11 years and it paid for itself inside 2 years. Since then, I have never had a power bill. It was installed by an electrician friend of mine who was scrupulously honest, thankfully......The rates the power companies buy the generated power from me helped of course.....great video, thanks for sharing.
Short question: can you share your build specs? How many panels of what wattage each? What controller do you use, what is your setup for energy storage? What model batteries and their Kilowat/ Amp hour capacity? Any other details to share?
My situation:
I live in Miami, Florida, USA. I think we have comparable sun levels to Australia. I've been on the fence for a while deciding whether to take the expensive plunge into a full conversion. One issue is the buyback- our electric provider (FPL) doesn't buy back excess power (yet) so we either have to store excess power in batteries or lose it. Factoring that loss of potential income, the break even point on a solar system ranges from 12-18 years (range is due to varied cost of our battery choices and how energy capacity storage we want.)
Hi Sam! Thank you for sharing. I’m in NSW, did you have to get any special approvals for a non-solar company to do the install? We’ve been told by a few different sources that this isn’t possible and/or our home insurance will be invalidated.
Had my 13kw system for nearly 3 years now - haven't looked back. Best thing to invest in ever. For those in Australia (I'm NSW), I had Solaray Energy install mine. Great company, VERY tidy work and their systems make use of Enphase hardware (microinverters) and are Tesla-ready for batteries or cars (whether you install now or later).
Very helpful info Sam & Jeff, thanks to both of you as I’m in Melbourne and been sitting on the fence about solar for past 3 years. Obviously we don’t get as much sun as you do in nsw but I still think the long term investment is worth it. Do you guys think battery is worth it now or just manage our usage for now with heavy stuff like washers etc for during the day and wait till battery technology improves and becomes more competitive?
here in the states, in SE, .. Duke energy still likes to hang onto billing .. charging $10 for 'connect fee' --because they have a meter reader come out .. that may have gone to wireless reading by now ..
and they play with the 'connect fee ' billing as well .. before it was duke, it was progress energy ..
like any basically monopoly, they feel they r the only game in tonwn and the customer dosent have much choice ...
This video makes me really appreciate the communication style of a good engineer. Direct, precise, concise, with real and useful information and no rambling, wild speculation. Its a longish video but there's no fluff; there really is that much information.
Except he was wrong about current and volts making an assumption that high current is really bad and you'd need heavy wires which is completely false. The size of a wire is based on WATTS which is a function of both current and voltage. You create higher voltages when transmitting power over any kind of distance because it's more efficient.
🙂
Thank you for this. I appreciate that you have broken everything down into smaller bits. Every video I have watched so far has dumped an overwhelming amount of information without really giving an explanation of the system. Until now I have been left feeling stupid and frustrated. While I will have to watch it again before purchasing a system this video has given me that aha(!) moment to what to do for my situation. Meaning a cabin in the woods soon to be my off grid full-time living space.
In depth, clearly communicated info on a subject that can be pretty confusing. Having a 10 year experience to evaluate separates you from a lot of other reviews or opinions on solar. Well done. I liked and subscribed based off of this video.
were you interested in solar?
me too
@@Ciiren i too am offgrid for 3+ years and its worth it. Use a simple inverter and few panels and couple of batteries and it is all fixed .
Thank you. I am going solar. The fact that it reduces my own carbon footprint on this planet is good enough for me to go solar
3 cars in 10 years? Late stage consumerism.
I’ve always thought it’s ridiculous that a company can sell a long warranty and just go bankrupt like that.
It's like they are a furniture store. Sell you an expensive piece of furniture with a long warranty, go out of business and start back up with a different name. Rinse and repeat.
Yes! I realized after buying windows for my house that came with a lifetime warranty that it meant only for the life of the company!
well if a company isn't making money what are they supposed to do, keep losing money forever or is the government supposed to use our tax dollars to keep them afloat like the Solyndra scam?
We got jilted the same way but with our water heater.
10 years later, LOVE this thank you so very much!
I'm in Brasil (yes with a "S") and I have 8x 340Wp panels and 8x 220Ah batteries. I agree with every single word you said in this video. In my case, The energy my panels produce is more reliable than the energy company. I'm not 100% off grid, but I have most of my house on solar and that part is 24/7 on solar. My energy bill fell 75% off. I intend to keep the house 100% off grid and use the grid only for emergency purposes.
the average energy bill used to be around 60-80 euros a month, that doesnt warrant buying a big system, which needs to be serviced.
The nation's exonym is Brazil, its endonym is Brasil. Kinda like "Alemania" vs "Deutschland".
@@lunafringe10 over a 15 year period you would spend 10,800 - 14,400 euros on electricity at 60-80/month and that is if the prices don't increase. If you can supply your electricity for the amount saved, I don't see a problem with them, especially if you are charging a plugin hybrid or EV as gas prices are much higher than electricity. I have a neighbor that has only purchased 4-5 tanks of gas since 2018 as the rest of their driving has been on electric in their plugin hybrid.
I've had mine in the UK for 10 years too. Paid for themselves in 6 years, then invested in a Powerwall 2, another great investment which together cost £20k. They contribute 68% toward our total power consumption, which now includes our two electric cars, so no more petrol, or diesel fuel costs either. Best investment ever.
As a general rule, -IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHARGE AND ELECTRIC CAR. DURING DAYTIME YOU ARE AT WORK. it depends how many kilometers are you away from home. . AND IF YOU RETURN LATE NIGHT OR LATE AFTERNOON YOU HAVE'NT ENOUGH SOLAR LIGHT TO CHARGE YOUR E-CAR neither enought time to perform the charging. ..- The energy needed is about 6kWh, of A Tesla S 85kWh battery. 2 de set. 2021
I am sorry guys.
nobody is properly realising. you need at least the same set of power bank that cost us$ 5000 to store the energy you need from solar panels to recharge the car when returning back home . supposing you spend 50% of the car.battery in distance of 100+100 kilometers . and that is in the most favourable sunny days. also remember in very high temperatures in summer ;: the solar-pannels efficiency drops.
Either you've been lucky or I've been unlucky! My UK system was installed fifteen years ago, and I can't see them even breaking even within another ten years. At the first signs of significant degradation I shall be removing the system and not replacing it.
Wow, powerwall 2 costs 20k in the UK. In the US you can get 5.1kwh for $1700, so three of these to match your tesla would be $5200. I'm guessing that diy projects are frowned on in the UK (in the US, you just don't qualify for the tax credit).
Here in Australia we have two factors in favour of solar, the first is we get a lot of sun (perhaps the only advantage of being on the driest inhabited continent) and secondly we have much cheaper solar systems. I recently added a 6.6kw system to the already existing 5kw system and added two Tesla Powerwalls. The system powers my house, charges my Tesla and exports about 150% of power I use even though the system is throttled by my energy supplier to 5kw of export. It takes a couple of really low production days for us to draw from the grid - happens about once a month on average…
Which is exactly why people in wetter (but still sunny) climates need to consider options other than just solar. I've seen so many videos or comments in which people say things like, "But solar doesn't make enough power!" And solar is the only thing they're trying or wanting to use. But wind and hydro also generate electricity easily and aren't hard to install. And these people don't have to go with only one or the other, but often pretend that they do. When I install my grid, it will utilize all three, as all three are a thing where I live and plan to live. It might take a while, but there is zero reason to be a purist when there're other options available.
@@stiaininbeglan3844 It isnt about being a "purist, its about practicality and feasibility. Hydro power is not only rare for anyone to have access to moving water, but the components are seriously expensive, if you arent jerry rigging something yourself out of an old washing machine. Wind is also cost prohibitive. You cant generate any real usable power through wind, unless you have an enormous blade head, with an enormous generator coupled to that enormous blade head.
You either have no clue what you are talking about, or are so rich, the costs wouldnt affect you. Most people do not have river frontage on their land, or the capital to buy land with river frontage. And even if you did, the river would have to move fast enough and consistantly enough to generate power, and even then, you are fighting with the Government to allow you to build a water wheel to generate that power.
People arent poopooing wind and hydro. Its just not feasable for the vast majority of people.
@@carllennen3520 This exactly. Most people do not live in places where wind and solar are viable. On top of that, neither is nearly as eco-friendly as its proponents would have you believe.
Do you get massive subsidies to cover the cost of the panels and installation? We don't.
@@carllennen3520 to add to this, unless you are a homesteader you likely would not be allowed to install a wind turbine in your backyard due to NIMBYs. There are not many wind options that would be considered acceptable but most neighborhoods and towns.
I'm finding this a year later, but this is a great video, thank you! Considering solar for our home now, and your calculators are especially appreciated (as I'm sure their logic still generally applies). Thanks again!
Two Bit. This was one of the most informative presentations I have ever seen. Thanks for that boat load of info. Really really informative
This is actually one of the best solar videos I’ve ever seen, good job!
Agree!
“What would you keep for 25 years”? The only thing I've kept that long is a wife; she came with no warranty, no trade in provision, a very messy separation clause, high maintenance probability, and, I was warned by the manufacturer that she would be a handful even in the best of times. 30 years later………..wwweeellll……….
That is so true, thanks for the laugh…
Best example ever :))))))
Best comment I've come across yet!
ROFL
Well
That's what you get when you buy a used car
And value depreciates rapidly.
Here I am at the end of September, 2022. I'm now in the process of contracting to get a system installed on my roof, and I'm doing last-minute worrying that I've forgotten some aspect. I saw my previous post and your response. Big shot of joy for me.. With more information under my belt, I can comprehend more details on this video. Thank you again. Charley
Thank you so much for this feedback. This is my first time seeing your channel and you hit on ALL my areas of concern.
I wish you another 10 happy peaceful years to come! Regards from Athens Greece...thank you...
Hello and thank you Panos! I want to visit Greece as soon as things settle down!
That's a very nice sentiment to share, thank you.
I did start experiencing with solar panels in 2010. Bought 2 small panels, soldered together, bought the cheapest charger and a small 12V battery for RV. Was pretty happy when in the next morning I saw a green light on my charger :) was experiencing wiring my bath and living room with 12V light bulbs, charging my phone and tablet with solar energy. But it became very handy when ib 2012 we were hit with Sandy hurricane and our neighborhood was left with no electricity for a full 2 days. I remember when I was getting home when it was already dark and turning on my lights in living room I did hear how people taking a walk outside (what else to do when there is no electricity in your house) were whispering "how does he have electricity at home?" :) that was the best moment. I was able to keep electricity for couple hours and for 1 charge of my phone. Since I had a small set up it couldn't last long so I had to go to sleep early hoping for a sunny day next day to fully recharge my battery.
Whenever I have no electricity it always seems like a really comfy, humbling time, to take a nap especially. Having just enough to scrap-by seem even more comfy.
Interesting experience, but the people talking on the street part was little scary ;) The outage lasted only two days, but otherwise expect someone to show up and take it from you, or expect to provide the services to the neighborhood, maybe charge their devices, especially if they think or know you are one of the peppers with off-grid system and full pantry. Difficult times unleash often the lowest instincts.
This is the most helpful video I’ve watched on this topic. What a wealth of information. It’s making me rethink initial phase and final phase costing/recovery as well as power failure, generator and battery bank decisions. You have opened a new window for me. Thanks. Will check out any other vids you’ve done on this topic.
I realize that this video is a year old but I love it! I noticed you mentioned LG but they are now also out of the solar panel in regards to being a manufacturer. But they may honor their warranty. I loved LG phones but their not into cell phones anymore. Their appliances and television technology are still going strong! Again, you have given me an excellent starting point as the technology is changing so rapidly. Oh, I'm 69 but I sandblasted and painted railroad bridges over the Missouri River with no safety equipment (not recommending that!), etc. So I've always pushed myself and I'm fortunate enough to be an excellent shape. But not everyone is, through no fault of their own. Oh...you can also piggyback lithium batteries. But you have Telsa which is excellent if installed by Telsa (current waiting time is 9 months). You spent $10,000 10 years ago. Just a good whole house generator can cost that much!!! Haven't touch on rebates, tax incentives, excess electricity purchased by your electricity provider (varies by state), and the list goes on and on as they keep changing every thing!! Love your ending comments about battery storage. My only negative is that I was going to subscribe but you charge $1.99. I've never seen that before.
I am saying this as someone who has been working on microgrid systems, your information is very accurate.
Thanks for some really good, in-depth info...
I'm in the research stage of building a home on wheels, and you answered a number of questions that I've had.
More importantly a number of questions that I hadn't even considered yet...
Much Thanks!
Great content. On the cleaning. I had the solar folks when they were on the roof install a PVC piping syste wit sprinklers aimed at the panels. I simply turn on the water for about 15 minutes when the panels are dirty, actually dusty and they are clean, the whole system there ran 500 dollars with the parts and labor. My break-even point was 3.7 years. Our panels are on 3 side, to the East (yep, morning sun, no trees) South, the bulk of the panels and finally West for late afternoon. My payback was faster because of credits back to grid and - - we live in the desert with an average of 286 days of sunshine.
3.7 years? I call BS. Most systems are at least 15 years payback. You forgot to calculate the time value of money, depreciation and the opportunity costs if that money was invested in something else.
I love this channel! You do such a great job with explaining things, and you are such an easy guy to listen to and very comprehensive coverage on every subject. This comes at a opportune time for me because I am going to see the fellows Hot Springs operation that runs 100% on solar And he’s going to show me around through what he’s done in creating his system and maintaining it. I’ve always been interested in solar and installed a system on our house about two years ago, which has worked out very well but you filled in a lot of gray areas in my knowledge. I will be able to have a better comprehension of what his system entails.
Excellent job with everything you do. I wish I had found your channel years sooner, but better late than never keep up the great work.
If your power company has peak billing, I want to point out that you can also install a battery -- no solar panels, just a battery -- and program the battery controller to charge it in the middle of the night and use it in the evenings, to reduce your peak power consumption. The savings per month is smaller, but the initial cost is also smaller.
You have a good thought there. That sounds like a good midway solution for when you want this kind of system, but only enough money for part of it.
to charge "it". what is "it"?
@@rickyrick9328 the battery.
Not necessarily. Batteries are far more expensive than solar panels in terms of life cycle cost when used continuously. They are only good for so many charge/discharge cycles. Do the math on the cost of each KWH of charge/discharge vs what you are saving on your power bill. You may actually be spending more. You will likely be replacing your batteries every couple of years this way and need several thousand dollars worth depending on your energy consumption.
This is a very old theory which is not true. The difference in day/night billing does not outweigh the losses in charging a battery and the losses in converting the battery voltage back to mains.
This is the first video of yours that I have watched. I have followed solar for years myself. You have taught me something. I look forward to having the time & money to invest into solar myself, following your model. You also have a passion for it that shows thru to me. Thank you for starting this channel. Looking foreward to more.
did you buy solar?
Bro, I am very thankful that I found your channel. The info is straight forward and shared in earnest. I will definitely share links to your videos in my circle.😎
One of the most clearest and honest plus data based appraisals I have even come across via RUclips. Thank you...
Your enthusiasm is absolutely contagious
Thank you sir!
Great video. Cool seeing a long term perspective.
Dude huge fan! Thanks for taking a moment to stop by! I’d love to chat sometime… love your style and have some ideas
@@TwoBitDaVinci email is always open! JerryRigEverything at Gmail
@@TwoBitDaVinci prius,takes 70 yrs to pay for itself, you wont have it 70 yrs,will you..here in aus. i have a 10 pnl system. cost 9k, panels were 200 each,inv. 400. rip off. anyhoo.. i wanted mode pnls seeing the price came down to 3.4k,same system, sorry sir,you allready have a system, you can buy this,buit your input rate will go down to 6c, not your current 54c. yup,,so much for being green,. &,we can not,get off the grid. people without solar,are paying thru higher cost,to offset the loss from solar revenue. its a scam. i dare you,,to do a vid,on wind farms. what they cost to produce,set up,maintain,&,the ultimate re cycling of them,. all green inovations are a lose,lose, scenerio. total garbage brainwashing..we have companies that go around cleaning panels, they work better in low sun. after 30c forget it. like a lithium batt,too hot,shts itself.. thats my 4 bits..
@@TwoBitDaVinci you can have 400,000 kw panel system,but its the 5kw inverter,that governs the power,not the panels. in aus..if my panels are capable of 10kw,the inv only lets its 5kw thru..
@@TwoBitDaVinci battery syst cost 6k. ill wait for the power..as to your tesla. we will never run out of oil or coal,which is cheap,with infrastructure now. you,need outlets every 300 mile,installed,new. here in aus,we can go 1000 ks without a fuel stop.. good luck with your tesla, as i pass you.. plus,the sun controls the earths temp. NOT YOU. all this ''green'',production,is contributing more,extra,than just having coal & oil,& making it cleaner,not a whole new untested,costly system,that has a life span, a petrol engine can last forever. yours,can not. whats the cost of production,life span & re production,of your 3k batteries. ???...an engine,petrol,re build,is only 2k,after 30 yrs of use.. you lose.. if run for 30 yrs on lpg,it pumps out oxygen,go figure....&,end of the day,you,need a coal fired power station,to make all your green bs. foundries,machinery,cnc,s. ect ect.. cut down a forest,for a solar farm,,yup,,thats green,isnt it.. ignorance is bliss..
Thank you Two bit Da Vinci - love the name Love your presentations,simple to follow & very educational keep up this high quality you are on a winner thank you☝️ so much
Great video-- virtually a public service piece for people interested in solar. I live in the "high South" and have had a grid-tied system that consists of 16 panels and an inverter (all made by SunPower), along with a passive hot water system, since 2008 and agree with everything you say and recommend. Prior to installing this system I replaced our AC/furnace with a high-efficiency system that cut my total energy bill in half, but the solar cut it in half again. Over 15 years my panels have lost about 8% efficiency, but today about a third my total energy bill is related to fees. It's very low, but I also do other energy-saving things like hanging up clothes and keeping indoor temperatures "tolerable." Many thanks!
As your panels age and lose power, all you have to go is add another panel to compensate for the loss, that providing you have the space to do so. Greetings from Jamaica.
There's been things I've been meaning to research and I think you touched on them all. I hate videos that make claims without showing why they recommend it. You took the time to explain it all. Much appreciated.
Thank you! Glad to hear it
Been in my new construction house almost 3 years. Just wished I knew if my employer will stop doing layoffs 2-3 times every year. If I knew I wasn’t going to have to move again for a long time, then solar would make more sense.
One of the most cogent and informative explanations of a solar system I’ve ever heard and I’ve been following solar since I was a kid in the 70s!!!
I feel like this is the video which will make your channel blow up. The content is up there ; keep this up and you got it 💪🏻
This video was very good and addresses the most important aspects of solar. Thank you. After hearing of the unrest in the cities and rolling blackouts in certain regions of the U.S. I decided to get solar as a backup. I live in Delaware and have solar panels, with optimizers on each panel, and a battery backup with a transfer switch. My system was activated in April of 2021. If the grid goes down a transfer switch isolates the SolarEdge panels and LG battery from the grid and feeds my house through the battery. Thus far, I haven't had any issues with the system and my wife loves the fact that we haven't been charged for electricity for months. The hardest part of getting the install was convincing my wife to get the install. Note, however; I researched the perspective installers before committing to a reputable local company. I didn't want to be at the mercy of a company based in far away Las Vegas, or elsewhere. I am very pleased with the company that did my install but I had heard some horror stories of people that used lesser companies.
That is a very important thing with any major work to be done, research the companies/ installers. The horror stories of just about any field of home remodeling/ enhancement done by door to door salesmen or companies/ installers from states away are endless.
M,You said you live in Delaware....so do I, who did you use and were you satisfied(install and warranty)? I live north De. Thanks in advance!
So I don’t own my home, however, I do own my semi truck. My truck is a “super-sleeper” so I have a full fridge, two burner stove, ac unit, and many accessories. It has a diesel generator that runs everything when the truck is off but it consumes a lot of fuel. So I just bought an 18 watt 7 amp solar panel that I’m installing this weekend. It’ll hopefully negate the need to run my generator and so excited to find out! Love this channel! Keep it up!
We're scheduled to get panels fitted next week, really reassured by your assessment-cheers buddy!!
This is exactly what I needed to know. Thank you for being so data oriented. We appreciate it. It's truly breath-taking to hear what you have to say. Subscribed and eager to learn more! We are cyclists and nerds for things like these. We own Jackery batteries (and will continue to buy). We are also about to buy pedalcell (this is a system that likely only bicycle tourists know about, where you cycle and the device uses magnetic tech to feed power to small battery banks like battery banks that help recharge your cellphones, etc.). Since we cycle a lot (we bike commute), this works for recharging small devices (and acts as a secondary way to charging small batteries besides the panels). Also just want to put it out there that if we fall down from installing our own solar panels and die, we are gonna sue. lol .... hahaahha.. sorry! Couldn't resist. Nah, we ain't likely ever gonna be climbing to the roof anytime soon (we are older folks), those little Jackery batteries and remote panels will do. All I can say is, your channel is so informative we are lucky to have found you. Thank you.
I tried drone quote. What I learned is that they will give you 3 solar setups to pick from depending on price. Those systems are from different brands of solar panels ofc. They funnel all customers to one particular and exclusive preferred lender. Best thing to do is research terms of lenders in this business.
Thanks for the opportunity Toro Cars. You’re right about the lender; there are SO many different lenders for solar and we prefer to use one specific lender across the board (when possible) since it facilitates the process for all parties involved. In the end, as you mentioned, due diligence will take you far. We prefer to suggest some kind of financing outside of solar loans because there are better options for those that qualify.
@@dronequote what is the cost of getting a quote? Do you get back the cost of the quote if you decide to go with your recommended set up?
@@dronequote "facilitates the process for all parties involved" = "we can do less and pocket the savings"
Awesome video. There are certain videos from certain channels I watch and re-watch while taking notes. This is one of those videos. Thank you for your time and data!!
Excellent video! Very clear explanation of the systems and your experience with solar. Far more knowledgable than the sales people I've had trying to sell me a system!
The one big plus of micrometers not mentioned is the ability to have different panels - makers in the same system so you don't care if have to replace failed panels with a better one in the future.
He does mention that.
I have lived off grid with Solar since 1992. Never going back
Wow that's impressive, what US state are you in?
@@spiko-ou3bp interesting that you'd assume US...
@@JulianSloman interesting that you assume he assumes... maybe he knows he is from US
@@spiko-ou3bp California he said. Good vid
Problem is, in some places, you are forced to tie into the grid. Which is criminal and the ones responsible deserve to have their feet broken.
I love your video, thanks a lot for all the useful details on the various options as well as your ROI calculations! This is exactly what I need right now, very early in my journey to a solar-powered retirement home in sunny Thailand! 🙂
I'm in Upper Michigan @ 47*N Lat. 9 years on a grid tied solar system. My 2.5 kW array produces about 2.9 MWh/yr. No battery, no utility bills, no problems (yet). I still enjoy reading/recording my "demand" electric meter about every day.
EXCELLENT!! Thanks so much for this organized, clear, complete, and honest explanation and appraisal of home solar systems. Very helpful.
Great review! Awesome you got it already in 2011. Love the battery!
I'm In South Africa 🇿🇦 and had no choice but to go off grid few weeks ago. Loving the setup so far. Currently running 9x545w Canadian panels which in future will double up to another 9 taking me to 18 panels of 10kw in total. My inverter is a 10kw and I'm running 10kw on batteries which I will take to 20kw in the next few months. I'm running a 4 phase so solar during the day battery at night and if I have to topup it will look for eskom but if they offline for loadshedding then it will switch to my generator but only to charge up the batteries but so far it hasn't been needed. Will see how it performs in winter and will spec it accordingly. I went the full Kodak route except for the Canadian 545w panels.
Yo .. ZA ..
@@ihateemael I went for a full Kodak system, so running Kodak BL 3.6 lithium batteries they good for around 10-15yrs warranty is 12yr
with the way ZA seems to be going I hope you have a shotgun to stop people from stealing those panels
That's a really good video, with actually useful and readable data. One of the interesting things with home applied solar energy is exactly the possibility of plotting how much you're capturing and spending. Honestly, household energy is the best, most sensible application for solar energy
I'm impressed. In the 80's we installed solar hot water heaters with a 30 year warrantee, and i "believed". The company went out of business, in 5 years. I hated driving by and looking at one I helped install. I could see it decomposing. The frame used plastic, or something that degraded in the sun. ouch. They basically had to be removed in 7 years.
in the temperate climate zone the thermic solar panels last easily 30 years. Same for the tank (that should last longer than that). The frame is wood and with a metal cover, it is not really high tech (no electronics - as opposed to PV). And the absorptive layers also help up well.
If the termites do not get to them on the roof a wooden under a metall sheeting (with some space for aearation of course) should also hold up in semi-arid areas.
of course that was German engineering so unthinkable ! to use plastics forthe frame ;)
There is a consumer protection agency that does tests, who would have ripped apart a company that manufactures like that, or a solateur (plumber) who is cluless enough to work with such materials.
You should of known it was a scam when they told you that they had "hot water heaters". Hot water doesn't need heating.
Thanks for your honesty. If only the 5g installers would have a conscience
@@pinschrunner 5G doesn't do anything. Stop spreading mis information.
@@alihaidar5787, if it doesn't do anything then why are they installing 5G networks? 😉
Lol, they didn't go out of business, they just shut down and started a new company so need to honor any warranties.
Bankruptcy court would not allow them to do that.
Several companies here do that trick. Everything from lawn and garden to car companies. It's the new scam.
@@waynemcleod6767 doesnt work in a functioning country
Thank you for this down to earth video, very informative and structured.
I am loving your comment, “the solar panels are a beacon of consistency”, just love it!
I'm in the UK and have had my solar PV panels for 10 years too - June 2011. One of the best investments I have ever made, utility bills down and making money from the excess electricity that I sell back to the grid. I have just had a BACS payment of £400 from the Grid for my last quarters electricity supplied to them.
Someone else posted and complained that due to RAINY non SUNNY climate in the UK it was pointless for them. Can you share some insight on if/ how much that played out in your case?
@@AX-fx7ng Its hard for me to make comparisons with other peoples systems but here is what I have. I'm in rural Leicestershire, right in the middle of England - as far away from the coast as you can get - and the weather here is good, no extremes. My house is south facing, with no obstructions in the way of my panels, no tall building or trees. You don't need sunny weather for your panels to work, they work on the level of brightness - I have had good production on a clear bright day in December many times. I retired a couple of years ago so I can make use of the electricity generated as its produced - mowing the lawn, charging batteries, etc, etc.
If your system is below a certain level it is metered for what is produced but they just estimate the amount that you use of that production, so I try and use all of my production. As for rain, its great - cleans my panels for me :)
Again a great video
I live in a more cloudy, wet climate (Ireland), for me a battery is essential for all of the reasons that you mention plus:
When sun is interrupted by clouds, solar production goes down so the battery can take over and supply thus minimizing need for grid
At times of low usage or load from within the house - that battery can charge thus minimizing excess solar from escaping to grid
In winter time, Batteries can be charged at night with night rate electricity and used during peak periods
As you say - South facing panes are most efficient - but without batteries - much of the solar will escape to grid
You are the best, I really respect your videos as you provide no nonsense info.
Great video, I have learned so much from this video than all the YT videos put together!
Great video! Very informative! I’ll keep watching and I’m subscribed.
Best yet explanation. You might say that the silicon solar cells generate voltages that forward bias its internal cells diode. This limits each internal cells output to about 0.5 volts. The solar cells reverse voltage is usually more than 30 volts when shaded, this subtracts from the strings output. adding a power silicon diode across each string reduces the shaded strings loss to about 1 volt.
Thank you for sharing your experience & learned knowledge. I have an educated understanding & am pleased that you have made such a comprehensive video, concerning what is a “whole picture”; for those who are considering solar power. This can & will help many people to make a more educated choice- & be able to make the most of any such infrastructure decision.
I have been doing solar since 2007. I have added on and upgraded over the years. There are areas that could save lots of money such as my case. I went from a $3600 a year utility cost down to less than $300 a year!
Great video. My biggest cost after 8 years was replacing my asphalt shingle roof. We had to remove 39 panels, and reinstall them. Cost in Canada was $7000. Ouch. Now we put a metal roof on, this should last long after I am gone. On average I generate 12 Mwt a year. I am happy.
"and just remember, the future is going to be awesome." Great outro piece
Well look at the climate change
@@Rahul-kz5fi No such thing as climate change. AOC said we only had 12 years. Apparently she doesn’t believe in JESUS CHRIST. The Bible says that there’s a 7 year tribulation coming, a war that will kill 1/3 of all mankind and after Jesus Christ returns, He will reign on earth for 1000 years. Kinda kills their stupid 12 years and the earth will be destroyed, doesn’t it? I happen to believe in the Bible and I don’t believe in climate change that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. Most Americans don’t believe in Jesus Christ. However, after the corona virus, how many times will Jesus Christ have to punish America to make it a Christian Nation again? I believe that we will turn back to Jesus Christ just as the Jews did. They may have called Him God or Lord, but just look at how He punished them for their sins and got them back on the road for worship and belief. I fear that is what’s going to happen to America. We have become so immoral and far from the Lord believing everything that the marxists democrats and non-believers tell us. He is going to take back America because several Christian people are praying every day for Him to heal this land and I believe that He will hear our prayers and heal it. Woe to the unbelievers. Christ will reign again. We should be using clean natural gas and other clean fuels. Depending on solar panels and turbines, along with mismanagement, is why Texas was hit so hard this past winter. If solar works so great, then why were we hit so hard? That’s because the weather changes every so many years. Just look it up and know that Jesus Christ is in control!!!
@@ronniedmiller8821 Solar and wind were a very small part of what shut down the texas grid. natural gas equipment freezing up dwarfed the solar/wind contribution.
I don't believe in jc but i support your belief
@@twagoner21 The reason that the natural gas froze up was because of solar and wind mills. I am basing that on what the people in charge said. All I can say is what they said because I didn’t have the means to go down there and look for myself. As for as you not knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, all I can do about that is pray for you!!! Jesus gave all Christians a commandment and that is, “Love one another as I have loved you”. If we followed what Jesus wanted us to do, then we would have a more moral country and people in Washington DC that aren’t crocks!!! I don’t only say this about the socialist democrats, but I include the socialist republicans and the deep state!!! We should have one law that applies to everyone, not a 2 tired system that lets you go just because of who you are!!! I pray that Jesus Christ will destroy this country if we quit being an ally to Israel or we become a socialist/Marxist country!!!
Thank you for sharing your interesting and comprehensive experiences having gone solar. I installed a 3.5 kwh tracking system in 2008 which stores electricity by turning the meter backward. My house is all electric. The system paid for itself in about eight years. Of significance is my heating system, electric radiant heat in the ceiling. This system is far less expensive to install and better than radiant heat in the floor. Better because the mass to warm before it begins or stops heating is small so it is fast to respond. It feels like standing in the sun as the heat radiates down on you.. Every room has its own programmable thermostat. Heating can be minimized during high cost hours. There is another benefit to electric radiant heat in the ceiling. In 50 years there has been no maintenance. I did upgrade the thermostats to programmable ones. No furnace, no fan, no gas lines, no replacements. For new housing, such a system AND solar to power it should cost less than radiant in the floor.
For anyone confused about why panels stop working when the grid goes down - imagine being an electircal worker happy you've turned off the grid area and about to start working on the lines while some person up the road a bit is buay pumping electricity into your line from the other direction.
It makes a lot of sense to cut it off but still a major downside to getting solar to offset power outages.
The inspiration is that, there are at least a few people, who learn from our mistakes. There is hope for some like me
I'm in the process of becoming a full time Nomad and solar will be my primary source of energy. Right now I'm faced with so many choices. This video has helped me clarify what I need. Thank you!
I've been a full time nomad for four years now. Two years ago I got a solar system and threw my generator in the garbage. I love the ease and quiet of solar.
Please make sure your panels are professionally installed! Some panels GLUED on to a caravan flew off in highway traffic in Tasmania, causing a crash that killed three people. This actually was a professional installation, but obvs not good enough.
Micro inverter also gives you the opportunity to add more panels in the future.
You can upgrade solar with a string inverter. But if you leave it too long like 5 to 10 years your find it harder to upgrade. Panels come in different wattage. Solar standard change.
The most annoying thing is if u need to replace panels on a string system. You need similar panels to replace them. So you need a good installer who has kept spares for warranty and repair. Sometimes longer than 10 years.
What a fantastically informative video! I'm installing solar now on my home in Yucatán, Mexico so I've been educating myself on what I should know.
We are 1 year into having solar panels, and it has been fully worth it. We live in New England, and have only east/west facing panels, but we got a beefy system before Tesla insisted on selling their batteries (so we do not have batteries at present, would consider for a future project). Anyway, in our first year we had essentially service fee bills ($5-$15) from the months of March through September, and that is before our state payment. We produced 14.2 mWh for the year (and weren't hooked into the grid until late Jan 2021). Even with 3-4 months of low solar capture (the winter) it's been worth doing and I think will pay for itself in about 3-4 more years. We run a small farm so we use basically 2x the amount a regular home would. We'd wanted to for years. So glad we did finally. ETA we have also been in our house almost 15 years with no immediate plans to move. Financially we couldn't have done it earlier, but it's a nice plus for the RE market if we do have to participate in it sometime.
Please clarify the meaning of RE. Thanks
@@chrutnz Renewable energy
New england?
whare is old england?
I have some solar power plant design experience myself, so one quick tip to prevent shading you can install the panels in landscape and wire the panels in two rows. In that way only one set of panels will be in shade at the initial time of shading
Priceless information right here, thank you so much!
Ngl I can listen to you teach anything. Voice and levels are perfect. Keep up the good work
I appreciate that!
I've installed solar in the Netherlands i'm an electrician, any house electrician could do it it's easy as shit almost like lego's.
I’m a gardener and I installed it on my parents bungalow 👍 (I did do a course to qualify though as I fell for the global warming narrative at the time, and thought I was helping the environment🤦♂️). But you are correct, it wasn’t technically challenging.
@@diogenesegarden5152 long time no see but yes it's not hard the only hard part is the fuse box as it's the most important part, and on the other side of the coin there really is no real climate incentive to lay solar as they are just as polluting as the other ways of getting energy.
Just wanna say, nice room my guy. Thanks for the good info too.
Got a 4kw install in the uk nearer 15 years ago when the gov incentive was silly good. The company that would provide maintenance got taken over and whovever replaced them didn't seem to have any interest in existing installs, so I didn't pay any insurance/maintenance bills or have any maintenance done. It has worked flawlessly nothing has failed including the string inverter, someone was trying to sell me something recently and they checked the panels and they are still 90%+ efficient. Due to the gov incentive I have made lots of money.
Excellent, excellent video...I'm not surprised you have had 2.7 mill views to date.....thank you.
Just to clarify, one of the reasons of no power in a powerout, is the same reason to not plug a generator in a house without disconnecting the main breaker. Because the inverter can't disconnect the main breaker, that would mean that your power would be feeding the whole grid, and there might be someone out there on the lines fixing it up on a pole, on a live wire, which should have no power and might get electrocuted. There are special generator inlets that automatically disconnect the main breaker for that reason.
Correct, but most microinverter setups such as Enphase, have a Gateway module with a transfer switch (such as Enphase Envoy) which can help disconnect the main panel from the grid. Enphase has a new microinverter line, the IQ8 series which can stay active during a power outage once the transfer switch shuts off the grid tie.
Best video I've seen. Thank you so much
I've had mine for 12 years. They work great so far. The only maintenance I've had to do is nothing. I believe I have 28 modules with a total 9.655 KWS I do clean them once a year. My true-up annually is $300-$350 When my son's family came to live with us for 4 years my true-up increased to 1k-1.5k still saving money overall.
Two Bit I think you are a gigabit !!! This was an exceedingly professional, interesting and informative video. Top Notch!!! Great for the novice and as a review for people in the know.
🙏
A friend of mine, I worked years together with, he told me he set up his home with all the best bells and whistles dealing with solar panels probably around the same time you did, like you he went with the best and heaviest rated equipment to handle the power. Through the years he learned a lot about his system and worked to upgrade as he learned. His final verdict, he told me don't do it unless you want to spend a lot of time troubleshooting and replacing, trying to trace down problems and just the downtime when something is wrong. Unless he didn't tell me the truth he explained it's not worth the headache. We also live in an area that has bad electrical storms, including Hurricanes and such. His last words on the subject was don't do it.
The key part of your comment is "We also live in an area that has bad electrical storms, including Hurricanes and such."
If you live in cities like San Diego (like the author of the video) or San José (like myself) it's worth it.
@@RichardHoule No, you are incorrect it was : Troubleshooting and replacing, trying to trace down problems and just the downtime when something is wrong, He was spending the majority of his time troubleshooting an unreliable technology. You read into it what you wanted to.
@Chris 👍👍
@@RichardHoule My neighbor has this so called technology on his home, and he calls it the technology from He*L, he spends all of his spare time trying to keep it going. He also told me if you like your life don't mess with this B S.
@@RichardHoule My neighbor has this technology on his home, he told me if I enjoy life Do Not Get It, he spends all of his spare time troubleshooting also.
Have 30 panels in a ground mounted array, and we are putting in 18 more on a garage roof the 12th. You are right that you will probably replace yours long before they can fail. Good advice about the battery -- we need to do that too. Good vid. You are a great resource.
No need to replace if they're still working. The best thing to do for the environment is to not discard something that's still working, even at 80% efficiency.
@@LoanwordEggcorn yep just add more or resale if you have limited suitable sun exposure . someone will definitely buy them at a fair price. At least .16 per watt right now.
@@LoanwordEggcorn Yep. Same with people wanting to discard batteries that are 80-90% range. Rather ridiculous if you ask me.
@@samusaran7317 Agree. BTW, most well engineered EV battery packs will last decades of typical use, especially Tesla battery packs, and most people don't discard EV battery packs even if they lose 10% range.
Since most drivers in the U.S. and EU drive fewer than 40 miles / 60 km per day, most EVs remain highly usable even if they lose a few percent of range after many years of use. There really isn't much of a real-world practical problem of needing to replace EV battery packs for a very long time, especially well engineered ones.
That theme, however, is an excellent(ly deceptive) one from the oil and internal combustion engine manufacturer anti-EV FUD disinformation campaign playbooks.
@@LoanwordEggcornI agree with you but some people dont use their brains and it shows. If you have enough time you will see how ignorant people truly are online. Never underestimate people stuck on autopilot in life which is an ever growing majority these days.
I'm an electrician and designed as well as installed my own pv system with microinverters, and have to say excellent job on this video you nailed it.
Yeah, I'm a retired electrician & guess what he left out. Not everyone is an electrician & leasing solar system bring on a whole new set of problems. Installing a system on a roof that might need replacing in 8 to 10 years. What's that new roof going to cost now My solar panels are going to have to be removed so the next roof can go on & then replacing said solar panels is a cost add, Oops, we forgot that huh?
Yeah, big questions need to be addressed before people think of solar. The hidden cost SHIT!! Oh sorry, stuff. This is what isn't being discussed very much, if often enough.
Where is his calculator for those hidden costs or costs that many RUclips influencers seem to leave out? Cost I've mentioned seem to be left out of his calculator
Good report. I bought my panels second hand, they had lost 11 percent from New 7 years on they are still going strong. They paid themselves off in three years. And as we are off grid, we did it our selves.
Make your own setup and you will do good. I love my panels and the rain takes care of them. I have 800w and runs a fan, stereo system, fan in the bedroom, heat lamp and uv lights for the turtle tank, bass guitar amp, 12v led lamps for the night hours. Use buck converters and you can run most anything on your panels during the day hours. Don't hook them to the grid, use small appliances on them that you would normally use on the grid.