solar

---

Lets not mention what goes into a solar panel right now (17 metals & minerals from hostile countries) but look at cost, size, weight, & most importantly ROI.

The "average" home uses 855 kw/month. So let's keep the math "simple."

1000kw/month x 12 = 12,000kw/yr for a 2,000 square foot home.

365 days = 32.8 kw/day & 731kw/sqft 

9.6 kw system (5 hours of sun and 0.8 derate factor i.e DC to AC)

$2.91/kw cost of materials & labor (panels only)

$27,936 cost of panels & install.

$7.500 in batteries (15kwh x $500) or 3 day supply. 

$35,436 total system cost (38 panels @ 250 watt/each)   

$140 mo/bill ($0.14 cents/kw) x 12 months = $1,680

35,436/$1,680 = 21.0

21 years to recover the cost of the system of which will have to be repaid again as the panels would now need to be replaced. 

What about the size?

One Panel is about 3' wide and 5' height. 

At 15 sqft/panel you're looking at needing 38 of them & 570 sqft of roof space. 

On a 2,000 sqft house that would be one side of an entire house completely covered in panels.

Now add in the weight of about 4 lbs/sqft and you're looking at 2,280 lbs or over a ton of weight (pun intended) on your roof. 

Many homes not built for this could buckle over time. 

Wait there's more?

Batteries. Lots of them. 

Speaking of batteries you know what uses even more of them?

Electric Vehicles (EVs)