I just got a DIY kit quote for solar and it’s ~$18,000. That would mean a contractor installing is at least $25,000 if not more. That’s a big chunk of change upfront.
Did you just learn that some people have more money than you?
Even having the money, most people that install solar panels, and don’t do it just for idealistic reasons (fighting climate change, etc), expect to save more money than they spend in the long run. Well, depends of the specifics of course, but it might take years, even decades to recoup that initial expense. Even if you have the cash, it might not be worth it.
And no plans are in place for the disposal of panels, batteries, etc after their 25 year useful life…
Lithium batteries are highly recyclable… The current rate is something like 60% recovery, and that is bound to increase over time.
Everything I’ve seen gives it a range between 25% and 96% depending on several factors. It seems like we’re still getting this all figured out and it’s early but if we can get closer to that upper limit it will make a huge difference when considering the impact of these batteries.
The crazy thing is that 25 years after installing the system still works, its just not as efficent. Also you are just wrong about batteries, we already recycle lithium its just that once a battery pack is no longer useful for its application its better NOT to grind it down and sort out the materials, but first to reuse it in another application.
This is the area where we are still working on improving, current tech is looking at doing 2nd lifecycle applications for EV batteries in grid scale storage for example.
You’d have to consider also long-term maintenance and repair costs to that …
Typically if you can afford a $25k upfront cost, the long term costs are pretty negligible.
If you’re paying cash, then your monthly expenses are only going down due to your reduced electricity bill, so your savings potential is going up further.
Additionally the panels are warrantied for at least a decade, with a performance guarantee for 20+ years. If they’re installed on your roof, many also include a guarantee on the roof work.
Proactive solar maintenance is really just keeping things clean, which costs very little.
These small costs do add up if you’re barely making ends meet and on a lease plan that costs roughly the same as your old utility bill, but for the group paying upfront, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I bought a smaller house than I could afford in 2018. I could realistically afford around $1.1m but instead bought a $850k house. We just save the rest of the money for investing instead of what would have gone into a mortgage.
Some people are wealthy, some people are frugal, some people are house poor and finance everything is how people afford solar.
Solar really isn’t for the masses quite yet. If you do they math you will realise that it’s only a gimmick to get the 0 dollar electricity bills. The only reason I can see is to be able to go off the grid