Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

System

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post.

I live in New Jersey and am one of the first 1-2% in the state to get Solar for my residence in Princeton, NJ about 4 years ago. Love it!.

Recently I came across a situation (had fire in the house and house needs to be demolished and rebuilt) that I have to remove solar and reinstall few months later. My situation is bit extreme, but, situation to remove/reinstall solar can arise for anyone of us when we replace the roof for example. The cost of removing solar panels (29 panels about 5.86 mwatt residential system with 2 GE inverters) is about $10,000/- + cost of permit (approx $400/- in my township) + cost of storing the panels. Inverters only come with 10 year warranty so I am thinking that I will have to replace both the inverters if I keep the system for 25 years or so....adding another $5,000/- approx. I am in double mind if it makes sense in my case (Purely $$$ perspective) to put the panels back on once I reconstruct the house. Not sure how long it would take to recoup over $16,000/- cost. Would love to hear constructive comments.

icarus

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

Sorry to hear about your travail.

A couple of thoughts.

Shouldn't your insurance cover the cost of R&Ring the PV and storing them?

My guess is that is going to be a very small cost compared to the rebuild cost.

As for the inverters, if they were not affected by the fire, I wouldn't worry about the longevity relative to a normal install, when they fail, they fail.

Tony

Seven

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

Have you recouped your original money for the install and equipment?

Are you going to trust those panels, wires, and equipment after they were in a house fire so bad that the house has to be destroyed?

BB.

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

Making a $$$ and cents spread sheet of the costs is certainly the way to go...

More or less, I expect inverters (chargers, other electronics) to have around a 10 year life... So, I would not "invest" a lot of money to save/reuse them given that they are about 1/2 way through there life...

"5.86 mwatt": I assume you mean 5.86 kWatt of solar panels... Today, some folks are getting quotes in the $5-$6 per watt range, turnkey installed (or even less). Assuming a 30% Fed Tax Credit (if it does not go away soon):

• 5,860 Watts * $5 per watt * 0.70 tax credit = $20,510

So, very roughly, you are $4,000 difference between the cost of New and Reinstalled used... How much could you sell the existing system on Ebay for right now? You might get $1 a watt ($5,000+) for the parts and pretty much break even. Not have cost of storage. And new warranties starting from today...

-Bill

System2

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

Thank you for quick response. Yes it is my typo, it is 5.86KWatts system.

I am doing the cost comparison for different options. I just wanted to publish this since this applies to most of us and we don't even think about it when you sign up for Solar. It doesn't have to be a catastrophic event like fire in my case.

Solar systems generally come with 25 years warranty and inverters with 10 yrs warranty. Again doing very rough calculation"

You pay around 22,000-25,000/- in NJ for install + $225/- for permit after all discounts. I got these numbers from a friend who recently installed solar.
If you have to change roof for any reason - $10,000/- to install
$450/- for permits to remove panels and then reinstall
Both Inverters will need to be replaced at-least once for the life of Solar - $5,000
Not counting any compounding interest or other unknown expenses if any:
Total cost (approx) - $38,000-$40,000 - Assuming you do not finance the install and no other costs.

Now savings due to Solar (bit on conservative side):
I save about 800/- a year (little less actually) on electric savings - total 20,000/-
Approx. SREC revenue 1,500/yr (I get 6 SRECs/yr and current price is around $235/-) - Total SREC revenue (max 15 yrs) - 22,500/-
Total conservative revenue/savings for the life - approx 42,500/-

I do realize that these numbers can be different for each individual based on where they are located and how they financed and SREC values have been fluctuating quite a bit for us in NJ. They were eye opener for me and just wanted to share. Please plug in your numbers in your individual situation to make sure you do your math first and make right/informed decision - from purely $$$ perspective. From "Green" point of view it is a no brainer...

TnAndy

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

Glad I live where I do, and put mine on poles in the yard.
Cost of permit $25.
Cost to R&R panels, should they ever need it, WHOLE lot less than 10k.

And, the sun is FINALLY out this morning after 4 days of crappy, rainy weather !

System2

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

I was reading the replies again and realized that I did not answer few questions.

Yes, insurance company is going to pick up the tab for removal and reinstall. Luckily since I was one of the few installers in the state of NJ, I did not have to have separate "Green" policy for Solar and it was grand fathered in. Having said that my concren is, I might be running into max cap amount if I have to replace anything even though I had a very good insurance policy...unfortunately I live in high cost/tax hungry state of NJ.

I have recouped only 60-65% what I put out so far. And I know I have to replace the inverters, wires and 2 x 60 Amp safety switches also which may go around $5000.

niel

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

welcome and sorry your home burned.

i think the guys are saying that the pvs may have been compromised due to the fire as they are not ul approved to be engulfed in high heat or direct flame. you do however bring up a good point that redoing it is costly.

solar_dave

Re: Cost of Solar that we may not generally think of

Perhaps you can get the insurance company declare the panels a loss as well because of heat issues. Not sure if they show any damage. Then you could just get the whole 9 yards replaced and take the tax credit for it reducing your expenses.