My Wild Ride To Solar Power

 

A huge infrastructure bill is getting ready to pass the US Senate and House of Representatives. A lot of money will be invested in our 50-60 year old obsolete power grid. Republicans and more centrist Democrats want this money invested through big power companies that produce and distribute the electricity. I see merit to this.

    Environmentalists and my progressive friends want a system whereby solar panels and wind turbines are put on individual homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, etc. This is a noble goal. It also has a lot of merit. Sadly, I suspect that it is based on the naive idea that all you have to do is slap some solar panels on the roof and start generating electricity.

     I am going to give you my personal experience with this whole endeavor. As they say in English, "you are in for the ride of your life!"

     Before I go any further, I want to heap praise on Peterson Light and Power, Occidental Power, and Dan Underhill Plumbing. These companies consistently performed beyond expectations!!!!!

    My dear readers, here are the costs of going solar as follows:

1) 150-amp power box: This is a custom job with a price tag of $10,000 US+. Literally the whole inside of your house has to be rewired.

2) Solar Panels: A highly-efficient and state of the art system will cost you $27,000 US. (Earlier bids had been in the $40,000 US range.)

3) We had the option of a SunRun battery to store power (roughly $20,000 US) or a Gnerac high-end generator powered by natural gas. The final costs of this system were $23,000 US.

4) Pacific Gas and Electric had to install a new heavy- duty transformer to support the power box and the solar power system. Fortunately, I did not have to pay for this expense. I can say that one Friday three giant trucks and six highly-skilled workers showed up at my house. The crew and trucks worked for a full day. My educated guess is an additional cost of $20,000 US.

        Now let us talk about the bureaucratic hurdles that had to be overcome. The generator, solar power system, and  PG and E work had to receive permits from the Pacifica Planning Commission. This was months of work and costs. Additional months of work were added by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company bureaucracy. We still may have another month of wait before PG and E turns on the system to its full production capacity.

      Finally, my life at home was not pleasant during this ordeal. My wife declined to invest any of her money in the project. She got frustrated with the bureaucracy and the endless delays. She felt that the money could be better invested by putting it in our non-profit foundation and giving grants to worthy people and organizations.

     Anyone contemplating solar had better be prepared for a rough ride. I am sure this applies in many different US states and foreign countries.