Amen to your solar assessment.
Our electric producers went through the customer screaming phase. Those with solar systems who bought into the scam of selling power back to utilities felt jilted expecting retail returns for their useless daytime home generated power.
Economics quickly stopped the demands of those buying solar for the wrong reasons. The utilities were not about to go broke buying power that was generally not needed.
Solar ain’t cheap and one definitely needs to buy because they can afford it and are willing to accept the additional work associated with those systems. Not to mention living where it doesn’t snow and where there is plenty of daylight in southern regions. Great for RV’s in other locations.
Spot on.
Virtually all power companies have moved to monthly wholesale net metering, AWAY from retail instant/daily net metering.
In other words *IF* for the ENTIRE month, you net exported power, you’ll get a credit on your bill for those kWh AT WHOLESALE POWER RATES. Our EMC sells us power at an all-in rate of about $.13/kWh and will buy it back at roughly $.05/kWh. May and April, plus October we MIGHT get a credit due to moderate weather and high sun days. Otherwise the power we export is just a freebie the EMC gets to wheel onto the power grid.
Folks who bought in during the retail instant/daily net metering days really did have a good deal ... until it wasn’t. The house always wins. ;-)
Like you wrote, we can afford it and are happy to have it.
P.S. it’s also SILENT.