Everyone loves rooftop solar. But there’s a problem.

[@tyskigolf]

The east coast is a long way from Nevada and isn't even on the same grid. Roof top solar in Australia is powering 50% of the grid during daylight hours. It can significantly help. Battery storage or other storage is needed to store that energy. Another option is to shift loads to the daytime such as EV charging at workplaces and hot water heating on electricity delayed to daylight hours.

[@kylewilson4097]

Feels like the better analogy is that cars are less efficient than busses or trains but people still prefer owning a car over waiting at the bus stop.

[@msmci5854]

Power plants have to exist every 200 miles. For those of us on east coast where there is a high density of development, the desert is not an option. You do have to centralize a lot of the solar somewhere, and we have to do it where we aren't growing food.

[@needmorecowbell6895]

They don't understand the engineering of home solar. It's plug and play. It's engineered to be cheap and quick to install. A 12 years old can put together a home solar system right until you connect to the grid. I had 31 solar panels installed in one day and it cost less than replacing my central air and furnace. The utilities need to invest in batteries to hold all that solar energy and release that energy to the grid during the night. You can close polluting power plants if you have enough storage. You can make batteries out of sand. The utilities are trying to push storage costs on to residential customer.

[@jamesnichols3060]

Obesity in the US is serious and we need to support our citizens. Good on President Biden!

[@mandelm2001]

This is the most ridiculous discussion I’ve ever heard. Shame on you Post. Too much solar? OMG. If there is only so much money to spend, how should you spend it? Except there is not a limit, it’s not a net sum world. There is limitless money to spend, net metering, batteries. OMG.

[@Luke_Starkenburg]

I kind of get the argument that if too many people have solar, that homes without solar will pay more. But if the home is still connected, and they continue to pay the mandatory connection fees, doesn’t this negate the argument? Also, I believe Tesla only sells their solar roof or tiles if the customer buys a battery with it. If most homes with solar also have a battery to store the energy, the utility companies wouldn’t have to buy rooftop solar. The home would store it and use it in the evening and night.

[@zapfanzapfan]

Solar panels in big installations in the desert may be more efficient but then you need transmission lines... but I guess the utility monopolies are starting to realize the danger they are in... good!

[@CHINKEII-lh8rl]

Efficiency is 20%-30% at most, another problem is its requirements of environment and costs

[@jamesnichols3060]

I stay in an area where solar panels are infrequently installed.

[@ropeburnsrussell]

What a shock, climate experts dont understand the free market.

[@davidbrown9414]

Not an accurate analogy

[@Mr.aAdDies]

Alotta BS articles to fill up holiday time🙄

[@lylescruggs5791]

This is pretty poor. Energy issues trade off. There is no mention of the trade offs between fossils now (pollution and climate)… you’re whining about which solar but what we’re building is gas plants. They’re really cheap. Most of these issues are well known, and there are solutions to many issues . It is not as if rooftop solar is crowding out utility scale solar. California changed their policy so this is just not true there any more. You’re a year behind. Many people are resisting utility scale and the transmission of this. And the alternative to utility plus rooftop is lots of dead people in the global south, the southeastern US etc. Biking does squat. EVs maybe… but mas transit and max efficiency is good and better for the poor.