DO NOT BUY SOLAR Without This!

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[ipower]

If you are in cold climate don't put batteries outside it'll diminish its capacity a lot in winter

[gasdive]

I ran the numbers and decided it was always better to buy more panels than to buy batteries.

A small generator covers blackouts, and in the last 10 years that's been about 10 hours total. No way am I dropping what works out as 1000 dollars an hour.

There was only one blackout I even bothered to start the generator, and that was only because my partner was working from home and it saved a trip into the office.

[travwill]

Thanks Ben. We think alike at times. We use a lot of electricity but we do at least have a 21kW solar system and 4 powerwalls; can cover us say in shoulder months but not super hot months or definitely not cold winter months. We did also put in a 40, 000 gallon rainwater collection tank to collect and filter/UV treat that wonderful rainwater also.

[FusionPrimeZero]

Yes, not having blackouts may be worth it. For your average consumer, the ROI isn't there. The batteries cost more than the entire solar setup in some cases, and even with TOU, you could get equal credit for selling the energy back to the grid during peak hours from your solar instead of powering your battery. Batteries are mostly only worth it if and only if you are trying to be protected from blackouts, otherwise they're not financially worth it for most people.

[SolGuy]

In my neighborhood 6 houses use one transformer. When one blows (20+ years old) then the neighborhood goes down due to the upstream breaker pops. The bad transformer is isolated and the neighborhood is turn on then after some time is turned off for the duration of the repair and turned back on. …and we experience hurricanes.

[Ssmitty]

Pleasure meeting you Ben! Thanks for taking the time to talk to me!

- Sam from Sunrun

[ScoobyFermentation]

I had a contract for solar signed just last year and backed out because of the increase in prices. I wanted the new IQ8 inverter with “sunlight” backup (no battery needed) and I even had a rebate set up with my power company. I canceled the contract because the company kept increasing prices. Then the panels quoted were banned by our government. Supply chain issues and tariffs have made solar even more expensive. The first time in decades where solar has actually increased in price over the previous year. Even now despite the new 30% tax credit. I would love to hear your thoughts on the issues confronting solar as it relates to supply chain and tariffs and whether the days of solar getting cheaper every year are over.

[ipower]

Also, if you just care about the backup power at night, why not just use cheaper batteries like server rack or even deep cycle marine batteries. Where I live if you enroll in net metering program you get flat electricity rate so there is no incentive to shift usage during peak hours everyday

[tofsla]

You should've mentioned that V2G/V2H is coming pretty soon (a couple years-ish?). ISO standard for it has been published last year, Enphase just announced bidirectional charger coming in 2024, SolarEdge will follow.

Many CCS EVs will likely announce support for these. In fact, Rivian already said they will enable bidirectional charging in a future software update. I think they are just waiting for the industry to actually come out with real installations of such systems.

With my Rivian I have up to 120kWh of backup power already sitting in my garage, it just doesn't make sense to spend more on a 10kW battery which will also occupy quite a bit of useful space.

[BeatlesSale.]

We have a COOP non profit and cheap electricity. It’s all underground and never goes out. Im not disputing the needs for this in many parts of the country. I am saying there are places it just doesn’t make as much sense compared to where you live in California. I do agree solar gets cheaper all the time and more cost effective.

[StalePhish]

So many different concerns in west coast vs east coast. Ridiculously stable power grid in suburban New Hampshire. Lost power I think once in the 10 years in my house. Tax on electricity was eliminated several years ago. No time of use. Currently paying $0.13/kWh when the solar can't cover it. Unlimited net metering rollover. I rolled over so much kWh banked credits from when I got my solar panels in October 2015 to when I started driving my Tesla in September 2018 that it took me about 20, 000 miles of driving before I fell short and needed to pay my electricity supplier again. Perhaps in my next house when I plan to live in a more rural area, it'll have a less stable power grid. But maybe by then I'll have an EV with V2G, and can just run off the car during outages (and still use net metering the rest of the time for off-site storage)

[diggers]

Good advice Ben. I'm in process now with solar and a tesla PW 2. A guy is coming this week to look at my house to see where the PW is going. I'd like for it to go on the side of the garage by the panel. I don't know if this is an issue but the gas meter is right there also.

[KiwiShoot]

Love our battery and solar setup. Reduced our purchased power by 72% last year and that's also powering 2 x EV's. It's just a no brainer IMO.

[IronmanV]

What has me excited with home storage are Sodium ion batteries. 1/3 the cost of ternary so home storage will be much more affordable for lower income households.

AND

Speaking of Matt, he was discussing a company called Forever Energy who have a 40 kWh home redox flow battery, cost competitive with lithium batteries, the size of a refrigerator that should last 30+ years with no degradation. One & done.

Hope you and the family are doing well.

[mnorma]

This is less about "protecting" your family than keeping them comfortable. In California, you don't need electricity to stay safe. Even in the northern climates, where I am, relying on electricity, even with backup(s), is a poor plan in an emergency. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing solar and batteries, but it's not about "protecting" anyone unless they are on life support.

[wio]

Thanks for the video. Appreciate the emphasis on keeping family save. Looking over from the big pond, I think in a sustained blackout (longer than 3-4 days) you don't want to be the only guy in the neighborhood with the lights on. Having a strong, resilient community with somewhat shared value is key. And if you're within walking distance of looters it becomes all the more important. I worry that living in or near a large US city isn't the move for the troubles ahead. Food for thought.

[tomcatus]

My co-worker getting Solar installed I am trying get him to add Battery Back Up, love the video!

[WINTERMUTE_AI]

Hey! I live in a tiny house and drive a 20 year old car. I am off grid with 23K watt battery. Its cool!

[BoyNamedKelly]

Will be watching. Need to get solar on my AZ house. Nice and small house with lots of solar potential.

[williamelkington]

I live in a state that frequently is hit by hurricanes. They knock out portions of the grid for days or weeks. My ability to use my solar power during that grid downtime is cancelled by the power company for safety issues related to the workers doing repair on the grid. (And I do have a rooftop solar power generation station.) Typically, I use between 20 and 30 kWh per day. So a battery solution that would carry me through--let's say--a week of grid repairs would need to be in the neighborhood of 210 kWh. Today, such a system is way too expensive for me. So I have a whole house standby generator.