My solar array will pay for itself in less than 5 years. The ROI on solar is no longer 10 to 15 years. If someone tells you that they are flat out wrong.

Most of the electricity in Florida is created by burning natural gas, burning coal, or generated via a fission reaction at nuclear plants. That power has to be transmitted  hundreds of miles across power lines at high voltage to meet the power needs for the 21 million residents of this state.

Electricity takes 2 forms; Direct Current and Alternating Current. Both forms of electricity bleed off power the farther they travel, more so with Direct Current. The modern power grid generates and distributes Alternating Current, but there is still a huge loss of wasted energy.

Rooftop solar generates in Direct Current, is inverted to Alternating Current, then most of that electricity is used onsite at your home.

The picture above is my home in Wesley Chapel. The electricity on my roof does not have to travel more than 30 or 40 feet from source to end usage. My home is still tied to the power grid, during a sunny day it generates more than I need, and those kilowatts go back to the electric company and I get a 1 for 1 credit per kilowatt.

In the winter my kilowatt credits build up, when the summer months start and my air conditioning is using more power those credits come back to me.

My solar array is already paid off, so now I have an asset on my roof that will kick off $200 per month in electricity for the next 40 to 50 YEARS. My panels were manufactured by SolarWorld, with a 25 year warranty.

If I sell my home I can sell it for more, probably to a buyer who drives an electric car. As more people start buying electric cars there will be an increased demand for homes that self generate electricity.

Why not charge your car off your roof?

Ben Alexander

June 2018