[DCPJR]

I ordered a 23 iX50 loaded and live in Florida. Est. delivery Feb 23.

I am strongly considering solar for my home and to charge this car.

Thoughts welcomed on solar panels (I do not believe they're "green" as they require tremendous oil to produce). I want practical thoughts not political.

Having a hard time finding any information on cost of ownership after warranty runs out and depreciation.

And, I tend to keep cars for around 8 years or so. Battery warranty is only 7 years. I'm not sure the ROI is in my favor on this and welcome thoughts.

I welcome your input good and bad (but not political)

 

[Plony]

Solar is green when you consider its net carbon footprint. Not as good as wind turbines, but much better than the non-nuclear alternatives (see How Green Is Wind Power, Really? A New Report Tallies Up The Carbon Cost Of Renewables)
I installed solar panels on my roof a couple of years ago and I should get my investment back in another 6-7 years, after federal tax credits and carbon offset incentives (note that I live in Chicago, which is less ideal for solar than Florida). When making this decisions you should consider the age of your roof, federal and state tax incentives, and whether your utility allows for net-metering. I would contact a few installers in your area, get some estimates and do the math for yourself. When I did the same I realized that their "break even ROI" estimates are too optimistic by about 30%. Even so, I figured that this is a good investment. Let me know if you have more questions.

 

[DCPJR]

Solar is green when you consider its net carbon footprint. Not as good as wind turbines, but much better than the non-nuclear alternatives (see How Green Is Wind Power, Really? A New Report Tallies Up The Carbon Cost Of Renewables)
I installed solar panels on my roof a couple of years ago and I should get my investment back in another 6-7 years, after federal tax credits and carbon offset incentives (note that I live in Chicago, which is less ideal for solar than Florida). When making this decisions you should consider the age of your roof, federal and state tax incentives, and whether your utility allows for net-metering. I would contact a few installers in your area, get some estimates and do the math for yourself. When I did the same I realized that their "break even ROI" estimates are too optimistic by about 30%. Even so, I figured that this is a good investment. Let me know if you have more questions.

Thanks. Do you charge your EV.with the solar?

I'm getting quotes. Almost all real estate agents advise against it due to ppl from CA moving here specifically requesting NOT to be shown solar homes due to problems they had there.

What drawbacks are there from installing solar ?

Green / carbon offset are political. I don't want that in the convo here. Just facts as I'm an EE.

Thanks

 

[Plony]

I don't have an EV now. Waiting for my 2023 iX50 as you are...
Our utility allows for net metering, so I don't need to worry about utilizing my solar output or storing it in a battery of any sort. Your situation might be different and that will have a big impact on your ROI. When I did my research I found that solar related roof problems are due to improper insulations, so do you due diligence with prospective installers. As for solar incentives, I referred only to the financial aspects of it. It cut the out-of-pocket cost of my system by more than half. The incentives available to you now might be different.

 

[DCPJR]

I don't have an EV now. Waiting for my 2023 iX50 as you are...
Our utility allows for net metering, so I don't need to worry about utilizing my solar output or storing it in a battery of any sort. Your situation might be different and that will have a big impact on your ROI. When I did my research I found that solar related roof problems are due to improper insulations, so do you due diligence with prospective installers. As for solar incentives, I referred only to the financial aspects of it. It cut the out-of-pocket cost of my system by more than half. The incentives available to you now might be different.

Thanks yes, due diligence is critical. We have net metering also. Wish the system wasn't so corrupt and would allow us the freedom of independence and to be 100% off grid and not beholding to a company.

 

[Plony]

Politics and corruption aside, being connected to a grid (with net metering) has the benefit of not needing to balance your solar production and consumption/storage. Also, if your provider has a variable rate plan, or off-peak hours plan, your financial gain from solar will increase, because your solar production will be during high electricity price hours (and you can charge your car during the night when electricity prices are lower on average).

 

[BMWiX192]

Politics and corruption aside, being connected to a grid (with net metering) has the benefit of not needing to balance your solar production and consumption/storage. Also, if your provider has a variable rate plan, or off-peak hours plan, your financial gain from solar will increase, because your solar production will be during high electricity price hours (and you can charge your car during the night when electricity prices are lower on average).

I was just going to ask this question that when do you charge the car when you have solars. Because Solar production is during the day, peak production is usually peak usage hours.

 

[DCPJR]

Politics and corruption aside, being connected to a grid (with net metering) has the benefit of not needing to balance your solar production and consumption/storage. Also, if your provider has a variable rate plan, or off-peak hours plan, your financial gain from solar will increase, because your solar production will be during high electricity price hours (and you can charge your car during the night when electricity prices are lower on average).

Yes very true. Although don't like being forced to pay the company! I like options, not to be forced by politicians who personally gain from it. But, that's why I'm considering. Plus with ever increasing rates as the grid breaks down it'll be a shorter ROI.

I'm a little concerned about 7 year warranty on battery cuz I keep cars around 7-8 years.

Also wondering what maintenance costs will be beyond the basic warranty and depreciation.

 

[jeffgtx]

The optimal configuration is solar with battery storage. I have enough solar to offset my house and ev daily. But i charge the ev at night from the grid at low cost and pump solar excess in at daytime. The battery storage offsets the house use so that it is mathematically off grid. With the Pennie’s they pay for net metering now I get a small chunk of change each year. Between electricity bill and gas savings, the payoff is icing on the cake on top of a good environmental decision.

 

[Kali4niaIX]

Thanks. Do you charge your EV.with the solar?

I'm getting quotes. Almost all real estate agents advise against it due to ppl from CA moving here specifically requesting NOT to be shown solar homes due to problems they had there.

What drawbacks are there from installing solar ?

Green / carbon offset are political. I don't want that in the convo here. Just facts as I'm an EE.

Thanks

I don't think you can generally charge an IX directly off of solar. Even in Southern California, where I live, a single solar panel is going to generate about 2kWh per DAY. To charge an IX overnight, you need 9.6/11 kWh per HOUR. I've been talking with a solar company and they've advised that you just rely on net metering and factor your overall charging needs when determining how many panels you need. With my installation, I'm looking at getting power for about 12,500 miles driven per year @ 0.37MPkWh for the IX. That will require about 12.7 kWh per day, or 6 to 7 additional panels to handle the IX's energy needs.

 

[Electric Sloth]

A lot of people might want to avoid solar homes because a lot of them are on a lease, and transferring the lease can be a nightmare.

 

[Gman]

I have tesla solar with battery backup, between federal incentives and PGE incentives. Initial cost is about 60% of amount paid. We use virtually no electricity from grid and are selling back to PGE. We charge at night when rates are cheapest though have been using only electrify america to charge so have yet to charge at home! We will pay off the cost of solar in 4-5 years.

 

[Dmichael]

My 2 cents is that don't install solar for the express purpose of charging your car. It is a broader question since it can reduce all your household electrical expenditures. If you live somewhere where net metering is allowed, then you don't have to worry so much as you sell electricity back. The caveat to that is if you get 2 cents giving energy back to the grid versus paying 12 to 22 cents when pulling from the grid. In that instance, getting a battery is probably a good idea. I had solar installed a few years back on a prior home, a 1960's ranch style house in Florida(net metering). The house was not so efficient so we were hitting 300$+ in summer months. I put in the panels and the bill dropped to under 50$ in summer. Based on that, it would have paid me back in about 10 years. I wound up selling the house maybe a year after install and it actually got me all my money back and then some in resale as it was done, and purchased. Where I would go, if all things lined up, and the products were available is likely a Tesla roof and battery setup. I have not priced them, but the idea that your whole roof looks like any other roof is part of the lure. Panels are great, but I have a brand new house and my HOA has rules about where panels can be placed. That may mean suboptimal locations for sun collection just because of silly rules, the Tesla roof would overcome that, at least I believe it would. If you need a new roof on your house, it is worth looking into since you would already be spending anyway. If you are going to stay in the house, it would be great especially if you live somewhere with more expenses electricity. If you install and have to sell, it seems people from CA, might be leery of buying, but I think anyone who is logical and there are no barriers on the system, who doesn't want to have a small or no electric bill?

 

[alphanstein]

Agree, solar for charging your vehicle only works if you are plugging in when solar is peaking and you have enough panels to cover the rate of charge. The best is to get a net metering rate that gives discounts for charging in EV at night on off peak hours, like after midnight. This will still be much cheaper than solar and the gas equivalent. I got an EV rate plan that is $0.09/kWh for super off peak charging (midnight to 6 AM).

In CA regarding HOA's and solar panel placement, the HOA cannot override the civil or state rules, so you should check what those allowances are because if the city or state allow for freedom of placement the same way they did for satellite dishes, then the HOA would have to back down.

 

[DCPJR]

True. I'm not putting solar primarily to charge EV, but to all but eliminate utility bill. We do have net metering in FL and I have barrel tile roof so makes things a little trickier. Further, I won't buy if made in China so that rules out Tesla right away.

 

[Dmichael]

Fair assessment, I have not started to look for alternatives which are whole, end to end. Tesla is not available to me in FL according to their website anyway.

 

[DaSwartz]

We looked into it and because our power is so cheap @ 11/c KW and comes from 95% hydro, we decided that it didn't make sense for the current home we are in. I think the math on a solar/battary setup for the cars was going to take about 28 years to pay off. Now if we build a new house, we will do solar for the entire home, which for most of the friends I have around here who have done that pay zero to the power company since they just are sending their juice to the grid for an offset. I don't think we'd do a battery system because of the extra maintenance - cost ROI.

Going to your needs - Really it is a personal choice and what you are willing to spend. I know a lot of areas have some nice credits, and in the end it would be super cool to not have a power bill. My friends who pay anywhere from 0-20 dollars per year for their electrictiy love rubbing that in. Good luck on your project choice.