I heard of Goldman Sachs

    Posted by watcdy on 12th of Aug 2022 at 08:56 am

    I heard of Goldman Sachs analyst on Bloomberg yesterday target oil at 130 a barrel  by your end

    We will all have windmills

    Posted by retirefire on 12th of Aug 2022 at 09:07 am

    We will all have windmills by then (sarc)

    Hey retirefire, I get your

    Posted by timebandit on 12th of Aug 2022 at 10:46 am

    Hey retirefire, I get your point and sarcasm. But let me give you the counterpoint in all seriousness. 

    I installed a 20 kW solar array on my property three years ago. I have not paid an electric bill since. I'm still tied into the grid and get full credit for every kW I send to the utility. I draw against that credit on cloudy days, at night, etc. The original payback timeline was going to be about 8 years give or take thanks to tax credits and the fact I did a lot of the work myself. 

    That payback period is coming down steadily as electric rates go up. And I live in the northern US (42 degrees latitude), where we only average about 4 hours of sunlight a day on an annual basis. We have an all-electric house, which helps a lot with the payback timeline. Anyway, I am a big fan of the economics of alternative energy. I'm considering buying an electric car and adding a few more panels to pay for my 'fuel' costs, in other words free once the cost of the panels is defrayed. Panels are cheap these days. What cost the most money was the electrical equipment and electricians running the electrical lines. Those are all in now. anyway, food for thought.

    I worked for solar install

    Posted by blayden on 12th of Aug 2022 at 02:01 pm

    I worked for solar install company as controller for a few years.  Payback was/is typically 12-15 years on a grid tied system and we are in a very sunny area, but depends a lot on what utility does, which varies widely (some buy back at retail, some at wholesale, etc).   Payback is likely getting longer now as labor and materials have gone up so much in the last couple years.  Battery backup is cool but absolutely not cost effective.  5kw battery backup is in the $18-20k range. It would only run critical loads for a period of time, so you have to REALLY want to not have any reliance on other energy, and have lots of disposable income to go that route.  I can go to Costco and buy a 7.5kw generator that runs on gas/propane/NG for around $800!  I am also definitely not ready for full EV vehicle.  Again, you have to be wealthy enough to have an 'extra' vehicle just for commuting more 'locally' (and don't get me started on the EV truck thing....if you use a truck for what a truck actually is for (pulling trailers/loads, its a joke unless you want to stop every 100 miles for 3 hrs).   I'm definitely not planning my trip across states or the country around where my stops for charging are going to be, and then sit there for a few hours.....  My opinion for average person is hybrid or plug-in/hybrid makes way more sense still.  Maybe in 10 years charging stations will be faster and more prevelant, and EV vehicle cost will drop...... or maybe the electric grid will be failing even worse since the infrastructure can't support all the charging needs (unless we stop demonize fossil fuels and go to more nuclear generation which makes a LOT of sense).  California's stated goals for electrification are waayyyyy out in left field, the grid can't manage today let alone the extra loads they want to put on the grid in the near future.  Just my random thoughts/observations.

     tax credits.  "You're welcome,"  says

    Posted by brophy on 12th of Aug 2022 at 11:23 am

     tax credits.  "You're welcome,"  says the American taxpayer.

    Energy tax credits are not

    Posted by timebandit on 12th of Aug 2022 at 11:37 am

    Energy tax credits are not a new idea. Few industries have received more help from taxpayers than the oil industry. Been going on for a long time too..

    Oil: A Big Investment with Big Tax Breaks

    The difference is that the

    Posted by brophy on 12th of Aug 2022 at 12:35 pm

    The difference is that the average American taxpayer benefits from the oil industry tax breaks, and always has. More oil industry tax credits= more oil drilled=lower gas prices at the pump. For everyone. That was the point. Your tax breaks on your solar panels benefit only you. I wonder how profitable Tesla would be without basically being tax payer funded? Not knocking you for taking advantage of it. It's there for you if you want it. OK, I'm done.

    Big difference in "tax credits"

    Posted by Ray on 12th of Aug 2022 at 12:02 pm

    Big difference in "tax credits" (subsidy to reduce tax) and "tax deductions" (expenses incurred in producing a product for sale).

    yes sir to the 43%

    Posted by retirefire on 12th of Aug 2022 at 11:26 am

    yes sir to the 43% of households that paid taxes last year

    What's the expected life on

    Posted by Trendie on 12th of Aug 2022 at 11:03 am

    What's the expected life on those panels before they have to be replaced?

    They degrade to 80% efficiency

    Posted by timebandit on 12th of Aug 2022 at 11:05 am

    They degrade to 80% efficiency in 20 years. In short, they'll last a long time. I can just add panels to make up the difference if I am so inclined. But to be honest, they will outlive me. Doubt I'll care much at that point

    Fantastic view, but I think

    Posted by retirefire on 12th of Aug 2022 at 10:56 am

    Fantastic view, but I think that arrangement is out of range for 100 millions of Americans. I may be wrong but isn't most electricity especially for electric cars coming from coal fired plants? Plus the lithium and cobalt mining is like a nuclear blast on the environment not to mention the child labor in African mines. 

    It does seem a shame we aren't on a grid like the inventor Tesla proposed. Free electricity transmitted like AM radio waves. I just have a problem with this transitory transition taking place while the economy is destroyed and blame placed in other areas. Keep posting Timebandit. I nominate you next for cameo doing sectors in newsletters!

    Hahaha, no cameos for me

    Posted by timebandit on 12th of Aug 2022 at 11:00 am

    Hahaha, no cameos for me man, but I appreciate the encouragement. Peace, brother.

    4 hours - get a

    Posted by watcdy on 12th of Aug 2022 at 10:55 am

    4 hours - get a sun lamp. Where are you.  Great that it’s paying off even in limited sun light 

    looking at doing the same

    Posted by pep8261 on 12th of Aug 2022 at 10:55 am

    looking at doing the same

    Sounds bullish   

    Posted by fundamentalvalues on 12th of Aug 2022 at 08:56 am

    Sounds bullish   

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