A $16 Electric Bill, Clean Energy, And A Comfortable Life

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://stonington.patch.com/articles/a-16-electric-bill-clean-energy-and-a-comfortable-life

A $16 Electric Bill, Clean Energy, And A Comfortable Life

The Pollins Of Ledyard Talk About Their Solar PV System

Stewart Pollin had just taken a swim in his backyard pool when I arrived to see his solar photovoltaic system. The night was muggy. He said, “Let’s go inside, in the air conditioning. I’ll show you the inverters on the way in.”

Electrically powered air conditioning seemed a bit incongruous for this Gallup Hill Road household that relies on 42 roof-mounted solar photovoltaic panels for most of its electricity. But Pollin said, “We put air conditioning in after we got the panels.”

The two 9-kilowatt-hour systems, installed in 2006 and 2008, cost the Pollins about $25,000—or half the total cost. The rest, the state of Connecticut’s clean energy rebate program paid using money collected through clean energy surcharges residents pay with our electric bills.

…

No longer is solar PV a weird technology suited only to “early adopters.” The Pollins live a typical life. They use a dishwasher, washer and dryer, and full-sized refrigerator. (They heat their water off their oil-fired furnace.) Pollin, an electrical engineer, and his wife, Patty, a school counselor at Ledyard Middle School, said the adjustment to solar was easy. (They have four children, the youngest now in college, the others on their own. One of their sons worked for a solar installer for a while.)

…

[Travis_0004]

1. A 16.00 power bill, plus montly payments on a 25,000 loan, plus me subsiding his bill. . . Priceless

[JDPriestly]

2. Get your own system if you don't like subsidizing someone else's.

Solar energy does not pollute your air or your water. Clean air and water are what is priceless nowadays.

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. Some of us

remain priced out of the market. Even with the subsidies.

[JDPriestly]

9. I'm priced out too, but I am happy to support others who move to solar.

The more people who move to solar, the cheaper it will become.

[obxhead]

4. Not all subsidies are equal.

Personally I would rather subsidize clean energy than bloody weapons of war.

[kestrel91316]

6. I suppose you'd prefer to subsidize nuclear, and coal-fired, and gas fracking and such.

To each his own. I prefer to consider future generations' health rather than my own pocketbook.

[Travis_0004]

7. No, but why not build wind farms, or solar farms

These things often work better when you introduce economies of scale. Further, if you build a wind or solar farm, then everybody gets the benefit, just one person. 3rd. The article title is attempting to be misleading. When you are spending 25,000 on capital improvements, your power bill is being subsidized, both by previous capital outlays, and government subsidies.

Its as if I send Sprint 360.00 now, then I make a post 1 year from now saying "I got free cell phone service for a year." No I didn't I just prepaid it.

[PoliticAverse]

5. "clean energy surcharges residents pay"

So are the poor paying surcharges on their electric bill to subsidize
people that can afford $25,000 for solar panels ?

[Travis_0004]

8. Yup, but he needs the money.

Do you know how much it cost to keep a pool clean. Chemicals, adding water. That stuff adds up.

[kristopher]

10. It is often the other way around.

Meeting peak demand is often a very expensive proposition because the generators are used so little. Many (not all, but many) of the subsidies offered to homeowners for grid tied systems are paid by funds from utilities that are using homeowner's funds and property to provide locally generated peaking power, which is some of the most expensive power they must buy. I know the OP is CT, but I'm familiar with New Jersey, which has one of the most successful solar programs in the country. The last I heard (about 4 years ago) they had saved ratepayers (including the poor) a lot of money by subsidizing grid-tied, rooftop solar enough to get the homeowners to pay a large portion of the capital costs and host a portion of the facility.

See this thread for a related discussion: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x307620

[roody]

11. That seems high.

My system was 15,000 ten years ago, and I got over 5,000 back in rebates and tax credits. My current electric bill is 73 cents.