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: Viability of solar panel roofs in the Northwest


twitchyzero
08-06-2017, 02:40 AM
https://fsmedia.imgix.net/66/34/54/76/a2db/4533/a308/03dc35695255/a-birds-eye-view-of-the-solar-roof.png?dpr=2&auto=format%2Ccompress&w=700

The calculations above show me that, including installation and materials and everything, the solar roof is going to cost me $52,100. Add in a Powerwall battery, which is necessary for the roof setup to work, and that’s an extra $7,000 — $59,100 right out of pocket. Part of Tesla’s selling point is the generous tax credits — until 2019, homeowners can deduct a full 30 percent of their purchase and installation costs for solar energy from their taxes.

https://www.inverse.com/article/35106-tesla-solar-roof-actual-price

being in Canada I dont see us having the infrastructure to support a shift to solar panels any time soon
and too many places here stuck in grey weather half of the year
looks great though

flagella
08-06-2017, 06:26 AM
No, at least for now. Solar is very area dependent and I just can't see it being economical without massive tax credits, especially at the distributed generation level. Solar panels costs have come down substantially over the years but a large portion of the total cost is attributable to labour costs, which are harder to reduce.

Utility scale solar is still probably the only way to go in most areas.

DragonChi
08-06-2017, 06:32 AM
Might be helpful, but only in the US so far. Bellingham is the closest that I could get to:
https://www.google.com/get/sunroof

Isn't Kelowna a dessert? I think it's mainly in the GVRD we don't get very much sun.

Traum
08-06-2017, 07:43 AM
If you are building a new house, it might be a viable option. A number of the more forward thinking local builders are already offering the service to their clients.

In BC, at least, there is also a scheme to sell excess power back to BC Hydro at a reasonably good rate. Mind you, it'll still be a good 10+ (if not 15+) years of use before the costs of the panels+installation can be recouped, but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out as being impractical at this point.

Tegra_Devil
08-06-2017, 08:11 AM
If you are building a new house, it might be a viable option. A number of the more forward thinking local builders are already offering the service to their clients.

In BC, at least, there is also a scheme to sell excess power back to BC Hydro at a reasonably good rate. Mind you, it'll still be a good 10+ (if not 15+) years of use before the costs of the panels+installation can be recouped, but I wouldn't necessarily rule it out as being impractical at this point.

The wife and I are building a new cabin on okanagan lake in kelowna next year. We will most likely running a Tesla solar roof if we can get everything into budget.

I have heard about being able to sell power back to the grid in ontario, and it is quite profitable. Many people buy buildings just to mount solar on it and lease the buildings for extra profit, but havent heard it available to do in BC as of yet.

Traum
08-06-2017, 08:35 AM
A little info on selling power back to BC Hydro if you are interested:

https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2016/sell-electricity-at-your-home.html

https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/acquiring_power/current_offerings/net_metering.html?WT.mc_id=rd_netmetering

twitchyzero
08-06-2017, 09:31 AM
considering how few services from Amazon and Google have made it up here...I wouldn't hold my breath Might be helpful, but only in the US so far. Bellingham is the closest that I could get to:
https://www.google.com/get/sunroof