A gift of solar power?

[Snman]

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#224333

Very admirable endeavor indeed and good on those who donated anything at all. But, if I read that correctly, it (solar power)takes 20 years to pay for itself. Is that a long time for energy or what's the dealio? Anyone?

[Scrobins94]

Yep. Keep making it easier for them to stay. Downtown will continue having its homeless problems.

[one wheel]

A thank you to those who donated their time. The Gospel Mission helps so many of our less fortunate.

[Queen K]

Saving $1000/yr for electrical costs is not pocket change. That is a significant savings.

Will the money go to food, extra services, supplies for those who need it? I hope so.

[Bpeep]

It's 2.73 a day.
I see it as nothing substantial.

If they donated the value of that install in money, I'd say it's substantial.
20 grand goes a long way.

Thats an ugly return-1000 a year for a 20 k investment.
I bet that stuff won't last 20 years.

[dale mck]

The initial math doesn't look that great,,,,but if it was donated it's a real saving for the receiver ! Plus it is misleading to say it would take 20 years to pay off,,,maybe at to-days electrical rates,,,but to-days rate won't be the rates in 5 years-10 years-15 years ect. So the pay back should be considerable shorter. Another benefit to having solar power available,,,is when the area power supply is interrupted,,, especially for long periods of time,,should it happen. We have been lucky in this regard so far in Kelowna,,,,but large forest fires,ice storms like Ont. & Quebec experienced several years ago, or even major acts of sabotage could make the roof-top panels have value beyond $$$$. And thanks for those that made this possible of course is due !

[WalterWhite]

Nice PR stunt showcasing a terrible return on investment. Some plane tickets would have gone a lot further - literally.

[Urban Cowboy]

It's 2.73 a day.
I see it as nothing substantial.

If they donated the value of that install in money, I'd say it's substantial.
20 grand goes a long way.

Thats an ugly return-1000 a year for a 20 k investment.
I bet that stuff won't last 20 years.

Yeah that's what I was thinking, given 20yrs is about all solar panels are good for, and in reality we won't know that until someone actually tries to get 20yrs out of them, and how many examples of that are there?

I've seen plenty examples of manufacturers saying a product would last X amount of years, knowing full well most people would replace it before that time arrived, or it would have stipulations in the fine print, such as the warranty applying to original purchaser only.

At this point it's way too soon to believe what the solar panel vendors proclaim.

Is this a nice gesture? Sure it is, but it's also probably just as much a marketing ploy, that's likely a tax deduction for the provider.

[lesliepaul]

I've seen plenty examples of manufacturers saying a product would last X amount of years, knowing full well most people would replace it before that time arrived, or it would have stipulations in the fine print, such as the warranty applying to original purchaser only.

At this point it's way too soon to believe what the solar panel vendors proclaim.

Is this a nice gesture? Sure it is, but it's also probably just as much a marketing ploy, that's likely a tax deduction for the provider.

[/quote]

Have to agree with you Cowboy..................provider is not doing well, so, do this and look like a great guy and hopefully drum up business and at worst get a big tax break. Its all about lining your own (providers) pockets with money especially when somebody tells you (customer) will save money..........."but it will take a long time to see that under certain conditions"...............in very small print. 20 years...........provider out of business or out of country by now, customer dead or moved on. Have to laugh at most of these claims and ignore at all costs.

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

I think some of the solar installs are lasting longer than expected,.

I wonder though what the costs are incurred during a roof replacement..

[alanjh595]

I think some of the solar installs are lasting longer th a expected,.

I wonder though what the costs are incurred during a roof replacement..

Good point. And how much extra time does it take firefighters to get a hole cut through the roof to create a "chimney" and keep the fire from spreading horizontally to reduce damages?
https://www.wired.com/2017/05/rooftop-s ... efighters/

[Urban Cowboy]

I think some of the solar installs are lasting longer th a expected,.

I wonder though what the costs are incurred during a roof replacement..

Good point. And how much extra time does it take firefighters to get a hole cut through the roof to create a "chimney" and keep the fire from spreading horizontally to reduce damages?
https://www.wired.com/2017/05/rooftop-s ... efighters/

Also in the case of older existing structures such as in this case, is the building able to carry the extra load without any concerns?

[GenesisGT]

And even solar panels require maintenance and cleaning annually. The average cost of an annual inspection for a household rooftop solar PV system is approximately $150.00. The average cost of having your panels cleaned by a reputable solar installation company ranges from $10.00 – $20.00 per panel. Like every thing else this cost will increase annually over the life time of the solar equipment. And the cost of removal and disposal of the equipment should be built into the project, and whether there will be any savings over the life of the project.

These ongoing costs are normally forgotten about when implementing a new system but they are real. And have to be figured into the overall cost.

[Urban Cowboy]

And even solar panels require maintenance and cleaning annually. The average cost of an annual inspection for a household rooftop solar PV system is approximately $150.00. The average cost of having your panels cleaned by a reputable solar installation company ranges from $10.00 – $20.00 per panel. Like every thing else this cost will increase annually over the life time of the solar equipment. And the cost of removal and disposal of the equipment should be built into the project, and whether there will be any savings over the life of the project.

These ongoing costs are normally forgotten about when implementing a new system but they are real. And have to be figured into the overall cost.

Excellent points and something we did mention to those pushing so hard for solar alternatives instead of going ahead with Site C.

My guess is that proper disposal of solar panels could indeed become a significant factor in their overall cost effectiveness. Can you just picture how many panels it would take to generate the power Site C will produce, and what a daunting task getting rid of all those every 20yrs or less would be?

I never did take note of a single solar proponent, acknowledging that aspect as part of the cost involved.

[zerograv]

Most panels have an 80% efficiency warranty for 25 years.