Trace Sell back/ Payback Rant [RE-wrenches]

[Jason Fisher, Aurora Energy]

Travis Creswell, Ozark Solar wrote:

> I am putting together a quote right now for a business who just might
accept a 10-15 year payback for a system.  As you say I had better put at
least 20% more solar on the battery system to produce as much annual kwh and
the battery system will cost a lot more just for the back up feature.  I'll
post the comparison when I get finished.

Wow, a 10-15 year payback sounds pretty good.  What are your incentives and
utility rates out there?  I feel optimistic in my area if I can show a
payback period within a thirty year system life.  At 10-15 years, it should
be obvious that for economics alone, they should choose PV!  Of course, I
can already show someone how a DHW solar thermal system can pay for itself
in under ten years yet that doesn't mean they'll buy it!

What are other wrench's feelings on the whole economic "payback" issues with
PV?  I have found it a self-defeating subject to get too involved in.  Let's
face it, it's more expensive than the utility, but it's better!  Why should
we compare a power generating system which consumes no earthly fuel,
produces no pollution, requires little maintenance, and is owned by the
consumer, directly with the smoke-stack utility behemoths?  What makes
someone buy a Volvo over a Geo?  I guess reliability, quality, performance,
(and vanity of course) more than price.  Isn't PV the more reliable, better
quality, more responsible, and "cooler" form of power production?  Of course
it's more expensive, if it wasn't, the utilities would be selling it (I
guess some are!).

How do we convey this to the potential client, however, without sounding too
condescending!

Furthermore, seems like most of the recent industry conventions I've
attended are full of talk by the manufacturers about "cutting installation
costs".  Why don't they "cut down on corporate profits" instead?  Its the
same old story isn't it, cut out the working class. I know the party line is
that they don't make any money off this stuff, its simply for the good of
our society that they invest so heavily (yeah right) into solar R&D.  From
what I've seen however, they get a pretty big chunk from the taxpayers in
grants and other breaks for their work in renewables.  I'm ranting, I know,
I just want to see us more forwards not backwards and solar is for forward
minded people I think.

keep it up comrades.
----

Jason Fisher
Aurora Energy
86 Conduit St.
Annapolis, MD 21401
USA

Voice/ Fax: 410-268-3088
email: aurora at toad.net



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