Three Years Later - We might have a problem

[@META313.]

That sponsor part was smoother than Linus' sneaky ones

[@BladeZ_AdymanY]

Sagway doesn't work anymore 😂

[@engrmoutassim]

Except Linus no longer accepts sponsorships from Anker and Soundcore is their audio line of products.

[@Voltaic_Fire]

​@@engrmoutassimWhy? I have one of their pairs of headphones and they're very good.

[@TheCrystalGlow]

@@engrmoutassim I’ve thoroughly listened to soundcore. They’re kind of dull sounding. JBL is much better for the price

[@BladeZ_AdymanY]

@@engrmoutassim ridg wallet ruined it all

[@freedom341]

damn that had been 3 years already????? ive watch you while you install those panels. and unbelievably it has been 3 yrs now wow!

[@_aullik]

There was this spanish crown that happened and time flew by

[@HassanHijazi1995]

IKR!!

[@ka24det]

Our little boy is growing up so fast.

[@goiterlanternbase]

Time is flying🤗

[@yupiterk]

time flies so fast

[@syedowaisali]

totally agree with you. I've installed 13kw solar in Pakistan and the ROI here is less than 4 years! Due to expensive electricity and frequent power outages, solar is not just a greener choice but a lifestyle upgrade too!

[@qaassimmahmood548]

Same. Have a 5kw setup here. We don't really use that much electricity. Also damn the prices skyrocketed after the "other guys came into power" so did the taxes 😮😢

[@himanshugehlot1408]

Are you able to buy wheat

[@qaassimmahmood548]

@@himanshugehlot1408 Bro what kind of question is that?

[@sadaqat_ali]

​@@qaassimmahmood548don't worry, he's just a random Indian tryna be funny

[@an_orange8911]

​@@himanshugehlot1408 Seems like you didn't have your medicine this morning, and by medicine, I meant cow-piss.

[@Zangettsu_ZA]

Living in South Africa we have an abundance of sunshine but unfortunately we sit with up to 12 hours a day without power from our national power utility due to government corruption and criminality. So about a month ago we got fed up with the incompetence and installed a hybrid solar backup system which charges batteries during the day and run all electrical loads inside the house. During night time we use the stored energy. The cycle remains even when rolling blackouts (aka Loadshedding) is active. It has been amazing seeing the system at work and keeping our lights and appliances on at all times. Even now that it is rainy season in Cape Town we only use about 25% electricity from the grid (when it is available). During the day we run everything from dishwashers, air conditioners, washing machines, vacuums, etc. all for free. We even use the sun to heat up our water in our solar geyser and have installed a gas stove to boil water, make tea, cook, etc. as gas is fairly cheap here.

[@Aku6Soku1Zan]

Government corruption meaning black

[@blitzegron4848]

Free? You paid for the system didn't you? But I got you. It would be nice if govt weren't so inept. Good job.

[@commonsense.1014]

​@@blitzegron4848 i mean.. at what point isnt it free. My electricity keeps going up at 11.5% every year. And a pallet of used panels cost if you look hard, around less than 2k. Ans you can get some pretty damn good server rake batteries for around 1.5k now adays. Most expensive part is a big enough inverter soo.

[@rossothecrimson7]

Youre govt are huge POS, sorry you have to deal with people like that, that dont care about their people, just their personk profits.

[@modernNeanderthal800]

Congrats. What am amazing time it is to be alive. I hope you and your kin are well and continue to support one another to expand

[@wildpigremovalinc.executio8028]

Nice video. One thought many people forget about when installing solar in a warm weather area with an effective air gap is the umbrella effect. Basically the solar panels act as an umbrella shading the house keeping your roof cooler and that heat is not transferred into your attic and into your living quarters, which requires you to use your A/C more. As a result, you save some money by not using your A/C and the wear and tear over time, which may make your unit last longer. My 2 cents...Have a nice day. Update: I live in Central CA, the roof solar was installed in 2008. We bought the house in 1996 and replaced the furnace & AC unit in 2024, 28 yrs. We definitely got lucky that our unit lasted that long. We also live in a warm climate area. I think the AC is used more than the furnace. But, I believe the solar shade does help keep the roof cooler.

[@darinmiller1916]

I’m looking for a good study showing the solar shade effect.

[@KentHenry8]

I've wondered about how much of an benefit umbrella effect has on the heat load of a home --especially since the best candidate roofs would have the highest solar heating loads. Would be cool to see some before and after air temperature readings in the attic, thermal camera of the under-side of the roof deck etc.

[@dznuts123]

Cope

[@billderinbaja3883]

I live in Baja Mexico. Not a scientific study, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that shade is the most effective, lowest cost way to reduce heat gains inside a building. Reducing heat gains means lowering AC loads.... in hot regions, AC is normally the largest power consumer in a home. So, yes... shade effect is definitely cost effective. ALSO, the solar panels can "breath" with airflow on both sides, and this causes more efficient solar power generation.

[@cherylpringle3397]

Do they really?? Solar panels probably are better at heat production than generating electricity. I'm going to disagree with you. If the panels had water running through them and then were moving the heat out to a water heater maybe, but your panels instead just get super hot. They really should make solar panels that reflect the heat.

[@UndecidedMF]

Great update! I wouldn't be too worried about what appears to be a downward trend. A better weather year and you may have the biggest year ever.

[@JerryRigEverything]

Good to know!

[@tarkadahl1985]

did you know a moby is the collective noun for a group of bald men? Anyway, I diverse.

[@thomaspayne7617]

The materials to make the solar panels also create a lot of carbon and destroy land. What we need is more nuclear energy.

[@tarkadahl1985]

@@thomaspayne7617 so do you. easy way to solve this 🤣

[@devluz]

@@thomaspayne7617 lol that is silly. both technologies safe us a lot more carbon and land than they use. and so far I don't know anyone who managed to install a nuclear power plant onto their roof ;)

[@SUPREETH.]

I love these non usual videos from Zack

[@chrisperrywv]

They are the only ones I watch. Family videos, garden videos, not a wheelchair, hummer vids, I watch them all. Scratching a phone/tablet with a razor blade- not so much

[@lylestavast7652]

@@chrisperrywv twinner !

[@AlexWaardenburg]

I've had solar for 9 years and I tell people they are "boringly predictable". But boringly predictable doesn't get the clicks! Nice effort spicing up the fact that your panels saved roughly the same amount of money each year and that you are where you predicted you would be. Seriously, looking forward to the video for year 4!

[@carphotography]

cant believe 1 year and all it equates to is 1 truck charge.

[@SCRNSH0T]

@@carphotography No, just that bad December when they were covered all month was one charge.

[@carphotography]

@@SCRNSH0T can you imagine if everyone had one, the grid could never cope, maybe this is why they never took off back in the early 1900's when they were invented.

[@jambio3162]

​@@carphotography how would the grid never cope with a reduced load?

[@carphotography]

@@jambio3162 so you are saying that if all gas cars turned into electric cars that that would somehow reduce the consumption ?

[@tjs114]

You can invest about $200 in a brush/squeegee combo on a 40ft handle that you use to pull snow off of your panels thus letting them catch some of those limited winter sun. You could probably reach the bulk of your panels from the ground without having to risk a ladder in winter.

[@JoshSmith-jk4cc]

Dude you got a huge yard.... Get a set of ground-mount bifacial panels for winter. Easy to install. Can set in perfect direction, and no need for power optimisers or micor-inverters on the ground-mount system, as no need for rapid shutdown there! Also they're easy to clear snow off of, and the snow reflects back on them in a big way all day, making them BY FAR the best solar setup for winter!

[@bjgaspar]

Simultaneously the best and worst sponsor transition ever. Well done, sir.

[@JerryRigEverything]

Very kind of you good sir. Linus taught me everything I know.

[@Arobsite]

@Josh Opray I really appreciate how this comment makes clear claims that are well-sourced. /s

[@HydrogenFuelTechnologies]

​@@JerryRigEverythingI respect you, your channel and all the wonderful things you do for others who are less fortunate. I think you deserve every ounce of success you've been blessed with plus more HOWEVER you are not educating your audience on the 100 years of classified aerospace secret off the books energy generation technologies like Hydrogen LENR, compact hydrogen fusion reactors, compact hydrogen plasma reactors and even compact safe nuclear fission reactors. All of which could and should be available to the public. Solar panels are great but they are 1970s lame technology the elite have not did much with to improve over the past 50 years. On purpose I might add. Elon Musk is gaslighting everyone on the existence of several exotic energy generation technologies. SpaceX and Tesla is lying to the public and I can prove it. Thomas Healy and Hyliion purchased technology rights to Karno and he has the heat to electricity reactor installed on a electric semi with plans to build standalone power generation plants from it which can compete with grid power cost per kwh. I actually back engineered the karno tech a decade ago by studying declassified Manhattan project reports and wondered ten years ago why they never put the technology on the market as a electricity generator. Truth is "they" aren't interested in people going off grid. About the only people today who can afford to go off grid can also afford to pay for electricity too so poor people as usual gets screwed. Again I respect you more than almost any other youtuber but you are gaslighting the public with the lame solar panels. Regardless if you know it or not. Also regardless if you believe it or not it's 100% provable there is a global conspiracy to keep specific energy generation technologies off public markets, classified aerospace, oil cartel and legacy auto is to blame. I encourage you to review my channel for more information but I wanna believe you are a good guy. I just hope you wake up as well.

[@HerbMandoom]

​@Josh Opray full electric vehicles may not be the future, but they are a step in the right direction. You seem to have an interest in hydrogen engines, which is essentially doing the same thing as an electric engine; removing the "natural gas consumption" aspect. You're, of course, entitled to your opinion, I just feel it's more constructive to work towards something better than trying to rip things apart via baseless slander.

[@HerbMandoom]

@Josh Opray that's an inspiring and interesting take. How do you propose we get to that point of engine efficiency? Also, I know what you meant, but there isn't an engine that emits electricity as an output.

[@MikesTropicalTech]

You have to separate 'heat' from 'sunshine' in the summer. Sunshine is good, heat is bad. You will lose 1% of module efficiency for every 2 degrees C in temperature rise. That's why you'll likely hit your annual peak power output day in the late Spring - good hours of sunshine and not yet hot. Anyway, great to see your system is running well for 3 years with no maintenance issues, those little employees are working hard for you!

[@Dimondminer11]

Hmmm if thats the case I wonder if it would make sense to watercool the panels if you are in a warmer climate. Seems like something interesting someone could do.

[@jakes8444]

They have a solar now that you can run your pool water through. It will heat your pool and cool your solar for greater peak efficiency!

[@jakes8444]

However you need to hire a plumber and an electrician so I can imagine it being extremely pricy

[@spankeyfish]

@@Dimondminer11 That's exactly how hybrid panels (aka pv-thermal) work so you get more energy out of the same panel area.

[@TyTalks2020]

Exactly the problem with my system and I can't stand the fact that a thing designed to be in the sun and heat, doesn't work right if you leave it in the sun and heat...

[@ATM648]

I officially want to one of these videos every year year. I love these house videos from the garden tours to the giant rain collection system. Absolutely amazing content Zack!

[@paulgoudfrooij6561]

I’m at year 10 and absolutely zero problems. Very happy with the panels.

[@487020053]

Hey Jerry Rig … I have watched your tear downs on apple phones for many years… you definitely have a great style of presentation.. The one thing that really hooks me more to your channel is your love and understanding you have for Cambry… ( hope I spelt that right ) what an inspiring couple … Fabulous ❤❤❤

[@adriancandilada7035]

Time flies really fast, it is like yesterday when I watch your video regarding to this solar panel

[@abu6226]

Can't believe it's been 3 years since I watched the installation video. Time does fly.

[@greganson3627]

Your video specifically got me to go with a 13.86kw system from solarwholesale and last year I produced 17,336kwh and this year is looking to beat that easily based on the last couple of months. It was very sunny April and May so far, I sent back out over 700kwh to the grid last month. Couldn't have been happier with my decision that you helped me make, so THANK YOU.

[@chrisginoc]

13.86kw? How big is your house, how many people live at home or how many electric cars do you have?

[@greganson3627]

@@chrisginoc 2 EVs, 3100sq ft, 4 people

[@chrisginoc]

@@greganson3627 No wonder now that makes sense. I have a 6.4 kw system with one Powerwall version 2, 1664sq ft house, 2 adults and 2 toddlers, no EVs yet.

[@greganson3627]

@@chrisginoc When you get an EV, you're probably going to wish you had more. Even with my sized system, the majority of months I still have a bill, albeit a small one.

[@chrisginoc]

@@greganson3627 Maybe but it helps having a Powerwall. The next size up option was 8kwh and the price difference was just not in our budget.

[@OldManSparkplug]

That's the smoothest sponsor message I've seen in a long while.

[@OmegaGamingNetwork]

Great update, glad to hear they are working out for you. I wish more people would be honest and mention things like snow and severe weather being a real issue because those are important facts to consider.

[@040055]

Zack, I also underperformed December (also in Utah, Layton area). I have 25 panels and have had them about 2.5 years. December 2022 I only generated 165 kWh, that is down significantly from December 2021 were we generated 295 kWh. I think you're right about the dark snowy weather limiting their productivity.

[@chrisperrywv]

Eyyyyyy- my mother in law lives in that area. Neat-o!

[@lylestavast7652]

it was a dark snowy month... and now, high water issues on all the rivers/creek systems... we have a month of pretty heavy runoff coming... it's like 1983 all over again...

[@donsly375]

@@chrisperrywv she single?

[@chrisperrywv]

@@donsly375 uhhhhhhhhhhhhh - nope!

[@filipth7101]

These panels would have already paid themselves off bigtime here in Germany where we pay close to 0.50€/kWh

[@ianboylan1981]

Wow that's even worse than Ireland where I thought we were really really bad. Average here is about 35 cent a kWh. I work in the electricity industry too so I got the best price I could 😂😂😂 I remember only last year it was about 20 cent.

[@Swedroxx]

@@ianboylan1981 50 cents is also much too high for now. If you sign a contract now, you will pay between 27-30 cents.

[@marcd6897]

where in Germany do you pay 50 ct/kWh with the current capping? Although I firmly believe that the capping is the main culprit why energy prices aren’t going down but let the energy companies rake in one record profit quarter after another.

[@Swedroxx]

@@marcd6897 Prices continue to fall.we are 10 cents below the electricity price cap.

[@1mlb704]

I like Jerry's theme with videos like this: real world testing and results. Looks like solar panels could be a good investment for a lot of people

[@Once_in_a_Lifetime]

But not for the environment to pollute making and disposing of them. And of course the taxpayers for the write-off. Of course this discussion is only those that don’t have their ass in the clouds jetting off for another like minded conference.

[@rocksfire4390]

@@Once_in_a_Lifetime they reach 80% in 30 years, that doesn't mean you throw them away at the 30 year mark, no you keep them for even longer and add a few extra to make up the difference. even with disposing of them, it's better then burning millions of tons of coal/gas/oil to produce that power over that time frame.

[@Once_in_a_Lifetime]

@@rocksfire4390 So it does nothing to the environment to mine the material and to properly dispose of the panels and batteries and accessories. So how efficient is it to keep adding panels and of course the batteries have to be separated from the others that match the amp of each other, which means your probably will have to double your roof space and have how many groups of batteries/same amperage and solar chargers? And of course when you sell your house, you’ll hope they don’t understand any of this , i mean I’d love to listen how you have to explain all this different expiration dates of battery banks and panel effectiveness. You like kicking the can down the road don’t you, hoping you can unload on someone else?

[@rocksfire4390]

@@Once_in_a_Lifetime same can be said and is in fact worse with coal/gas/oil mining, transport, refining, transport again and then burning. never selling our house, lmao what a stupid thing to do.

[@Nihlink]

@@Once_in_a_Lifetimethat’s just not true here is the makeup of a solar panel 76% glass, 10% plastic polymer, 8% aluminum, 5% silicon, 1% copper. Glass and silicon aren’t mined and the others are used incredibly sparingly. There is less copper and steel in a solar panel than in a toy plane motor.

[@deankay4434]

The radio fixes all solar issues by scaring clouds away and making power roof vents work better! I did not know that! Thanks!

[@markwullenschneider195]

Awesome video! Being a solar technician, always asked..”is it worth it” RTI is key.

If I had this here in Brazil, probably should already payed the installation. Sun is reigning here 😆

[@user-kc1tf7zm3b]

Unless there are local regulations which makes home solar panels expensive, problematic, or impossible, then there is no reason not to have a home solar system installed. The sheer and irrefutable financial benefits and advantages are universal around the world.

[@aaronw6706]

As a solar owner and electric car owner, there are other factors to consider toward savings. The offset in fuel savings vs gasoline is likely much higher than the savings just on your electric bill. Your shingles will also last much longer with your panels absorbing all the abuse. The downward trend is likely just due to weather. Keep us updated.

[@UPSC-DIGEST]

Nice

[@YOUARESOFT.]

solar panels dont really save you anything dont believe the hype

[@richardwolf6269]

@@YOUARESOFT. care to give us your calculations to back this up?

[@Robert-cu9bm]

But you've paid a huge premium for the EV... Having a EV doesn't offset the cost of solar. You have no savings until the cost is paid off.

[@aaronw6706]

@@Robert-cu9bm Having an EV accelerates the pay down of owning solar. And the EV wasn’t a huge premium, it was close to the same cost of the previous vehicle we had. Instead of selling excess solar back to the grid at .096/kW, it’s going into the EV and saving us about $60 per fill up. And since my wife is a traveling nurse, those savings are huge. And guess which direction the price of gas and electricity are going to go? It’s a no brainer. Plus the car has double the power.

[@randyanderson5653]

Thanks for the update. We bought an older home last year. Were still doing all the basic upgrades. When I'm ready to go Solar, I'll definitely be reviewing your video's and all the links you provide. Thanks for all your postings. I don't watch them all, but the Solar and Electric Hummer defiantly peek my interest. Thanks Again. Randy

[@icraftcrafts8685]

We have different weather in South Africa (currently winter is nearing it's end soon in july), but we have power supply issues that we term load shedding aka rolling blackouts. For us the benefit of a solar panel is there when there is no power from the grid. So irrespective of saving, that time is like a party for those that have the means to panels, inverters and batteries down here.

[@Blaze1337]

I've had my solar pannels since 2013 and I've made almost 52 MWh. Realy helps with the AC in the Summer.

[@PeaceJourney...]

Thank you for taking the time for the update, Zach! We are considering our own solar install, and the information on the half time to your panels paying off the initial investment is of great interest to us, and helpful in our decisions 😀

[@Thatdirtyvanlifer]

If you’re interested I work with freedom forever a nationwide solar installer. I can get you an extremely fair price with excellent warranties

[@getyerspn]

In February this year I installed my own 8 panel system with 4 panels on each string using a growatt 3kw gti ..the whole system was £1268 all in ..I'm an industrial electrician so didn't need outside labour..so far the figures look like full payback in less than 18 months and that's in the south east of the UK. I believe the future of financially viable solar lies in smaller 2.5kw systems with very short payback times.

[@robertpatrick5861]

Id say they should create even more modular systems.. where whenever you payed off the 2.5 system you can just stick on another 2.5 system without additional investments.

[@boblatkey7160]

Good for you! I did the same thing and my payback period. Is about three years.

[@NathanMichalik]

I'm in north west Indiana. My January was down to about 273kWh. Normally I make 700-900kWh a month. This was my first winter with solar, but has me rethinking if I'm comfortable trying to invest in a battery system for full off grid. At least in my area, my net metering credits are 100% too which is awesome. Only downside is a flat monthly fee to be grid connected (which to be fair, I fully agree with and support).

[@cheetah476]

What system did you install? How much did it cost to install?

[@NathanMichalik]

@@cheetah476 I went with 18 LG panels with optimizers (6.66kWh) and a SolarEdge SE6000H 'hub' inverter. Total out the door was about $22k before government incentives. I used GNRE for the install; they were great. Nipsco isn't attempting new net metering customers right now from what I remember though.

[@jonathanstout9920]

Utah resident and just had my panels installed last week with some combo for a new heat pump and AC combo with the panels.

[@blossomamah]

I wish I could like this twice, really impressive video with a lot of effort put in its Mind blowing

[@magikplanofficial]

The shade from the tree next to your array also might have a lot to do with it. Since the tree is growing and the trend is going down year after year. I would try to keep the branches below the roofline, even with microinverters shade will effect it.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Only the individual panel though.

[@notcapnbloodbeard]

@@Robert-cu9bm its still hinders a lot over time lol

[@m3tek44]

can't believe time fly so quickly. That said $0.10 cent kw is amazing! Here in BayArea is ~$0.40 cent or more. thanks always for great content!

[@dinckelman]

The kind of content we actually need

[@META313.]

Its been 2 minutes since the upload of a 6 minute video, tf are u even talking about?

[@mustafabilal2086]

​@@META313. he's just trying to get a heart dw

[@Dat_Sun]

It's propaganda. For comparison your average whole house generator replaces a year worth of his solar array production in an hour or so.

[@aItaccount]

​@@Dat_Sun what?

[@Dat_Sun]

@@aItaccount What about?

[@buddhajon96]

LOL at the "I wonder if a scientist can tell us what is going on comment". Love the staunch stance on this subject.

[@FreedomOfTħought]

The same type of person who will question the evidence of the existence of a god will blindly accept the statements of a government-approved "scientist" on the matter.

[@Joey-kv6qr]

I've noticed the roofing to your house does not have any heat ventilation, you should definitely look into installing attic vents and vents to draw air in. This might make it colder in the winter but if you install radian Reflective Insulation roll on ceiling studs & foam boards in between your energy usage on A/C will be a lot less. It will be less strain on your A/C unit. Also you can never go wrong washing the solar panels often less dust = more power and you should get your return on investment faster than the speed of light lol

[@MuirclanforJesus]

Yes! Very important to have attic vents...

[@kraftwurx_Aviation]

Jerry, I have an idea for you. When I was in college we did a solar race car. During the race we used a pump up sprayer full of ice water to spray the panel and cool it off. When we did the power spiked substantially. If you could cool the panels with say... air gap or a water cooling loop it might increase your power generation considerably. The question is would the pump mechanism use up all that extra power you would generate.

[@mitchellchin4950]

What I would do. have another solar panel running just a fan to cool the panel generating electricity. And then another panel with a fan cooling the panel with the fan cooling the panel generating electricity... Infinity... I'd have so many fans running I would single-handedly solve global warming.

[@namAehT]

There are panels that embrace this concept and use it to heat water for your pool or house. Increase in efficiency and pre-warmed water for your hot water tank.

[@ReviewsforNerds]

insane to think its been 3 years! Good to hear your setup is still working out. makes me want to do it at our place. Also, sweet f-91w!

[@STALLONE2360]

Weather is weather, and weather happens. -Jerry

[@TimStrobel]

perfect reason to look into wind generation. vertical wind turbines work overnight, and when it's cloudy and breezy.

[@r.b.l.5841]

This past December was BAD for solar all over N.America, so don't feel bad Jerry, hopefully this next winter will be better.

[@AlexG31]

How has it been three years, I remember watching the installation like it was 6 months ago.

[@nadnerb2k]

Those numbers seem pretty good to me. My 5kW system has been up for 4 years, for the 3 full years it's been up it generated 8412/8697/8428kWh. I'm in Sydney, Australia, so about 5° closer to the equator, fairly negligible difference. No snow here, but we had the bushfires in 2019/20 that blanketed the sky for weeks in summer, and the last 18 months we've had record rain and statewide flooding. Hoping to crack 9000 one of these years, fairly unlikely this year though. Our system was a lot cheaper, Chinese panels/inverter, been pretty good so far. Only washed once, need to give them a good clean but even dirty they're doing pretty well.

[@IggyBiggy]

You were part of my inspiration to start a solar setup. I buy small pieces at a time, its been great.

[@SpaceFH]

You could get black tape between the solars every time winter rolls around to increase heat absorbtion. You could lube them or increase angel to make the snow fall down by itself.

[@doeliy]

I've watched this solar panel installation before. And it turns out, this was already 3 years ago. Time flies; I'm getting old, lol

[@Jorge27Carrasco]

I just want to let you know that you've inspired someone all the day down in South America to install solar panels in his house.

[@larrybruce4856]

Hopefully, he will install the solar panels on your roof and not "in his house".

[@Jorge27Carrasco]

@@larrybruce4856 hahaha sorry, not my first language. xD

[@tymanot]

Thanks for the Video. There are panels out there here in Germany and Switzerland that are older than 40 years and they have >80% power output still. As long as you do not scratch/ destroy the surface the panels will last close to foreever.

[@agps4418]

what brands are those, if you dont mind me asking?

[@tymanot]

@@agps4418 Cannot find the brand. The solar aray is in suisse in area Tessin. If you google oldest solar Farm/ array you should find it.

[@user-kc1tf7zm3b]

@@tymanot Irrespective of the physical longevity and the power output of the legacy solar array after 20 years, most homeowners would be inclined to replace the panels after this 2 decade anniversary as the 2043 specification panels will be dramatically more efficient and productive compared to current 2023 panels. Assuming the feed in tariff export price and policies stay the same, then it would make patent financial sense to replace the solar array after 20 years. If the 2043 panels are twice as productive with power generation, then this means double the export revenue.

[@mjpete27]

I am excited to say our solar panels are saving us even more here in California! I have only 1 regret and it is I was talked out of getting a battery for the system! I know that I am just not able to get one on my own, I have read up on getting it done even watched videos of people installing them. I simply don’t have those abilities sitting in my wheelchair! I don’t have the funds either. Have you considered a battery for backup and night electric consumption? I hope you and your family are doing well. Say Hullo to your beautiful bride and boy!

[@darinmiller1916]

It would not save Jerry any money installing batteries as part of his system because he has net metering. Additionally he has fairly inexpensive electricity. Lastly it’s possible down the road to let his Rivian act as a home storage battery for much less money than stand alone batteries.

[@rabidbunny3025]

I average around 2100kwh per month, Granted I've installed 20kwp, and the costs for yearly 20% to 30% increases have offset themselves in around 3.5 years after installation. I literally pay the utility provider $1 per month - but that's only to keep the grid connection alive. Best investment one can make, and you never have to worry about blackouts causing issues.

[@Killertomato84]

real talk, soundcore/anker make some of the best amazon suggested products i've ever used. from all my charging/backup batteries to bluetooth speakers, they've all been worth every penny.

[@Levi_Holiday]

That was a sad start 😂 It's good that you don't need to replace your solar panels❤

[@Decadentotter]

I'd love to do solar on our roof at some point. Although we're in a townhouse so we may not have enough roof space to generate enough electricity. Especially if we're looking at electric cars in the future. This year though we're focusing on the garden which is starting off pretty good. Hope you're able to update on how your garden is doing this year. :3

[@chrisdigital]

Don't waste your money. .

[@Decadentotter]

@@chrisdigital you know. giving a reason why you think it's a waste of money might be useful and stimulate discussion. Otherwise your comment is pretty pointless.

[@mjc0961]

@@Decadentotter Chris must have meant "don't waste your money paying the power company or paying for gas, get that solar roof and electric car today" 😉

[@ccuppa714]

@@Decadentotter ill give a actual point to where if your going to stay in the home forever its worth it. if your going to sell at some point its not at all. you get a loan you have to pay off in your name and it doesn't increase your home value that much. I've had a lot of talks with city inspectors and we all agree its really only worth it if you work from home or just pull a lot of power cuz you have electric cars and or have a big family always on devices. its not for everyone but it does benefit some.

[@tyschwulst5345]

I appreciate the follow up video, I am also in Utah so the info is very helpful to me and my decision making. Later this year I hope to be pulling the trigger on a DIY kit, anything you wished you had done differently in your setup that I could learn from? Thanks for the help, and keep up the good work. Videos are very enjoyable and right up my alley for sure!

[@TinyGoHomes]

I’ll be doing solar soon for my tiny home. I’ve been using smart plugs to monitor my usage and I’m doing the math to zero in on the amount needed and the set up I decide on.

[@markkempton4579]

I thought you were going to have the same issue Silver Cymbal documented recently. Glad to know things are looking pretty good still. Thanks for sharing the journey. As someone who just scheduled his second wrist surgery in less than a year, I have had to "call someone" more often than I want.

[@regentbobcat]

Im never this early. Hope you get this problem solved. :)

[@Pawer8]

Linus has been dethroned as the Segway king

[@jonathansage2147]

He stepped down first because he knew this video was coming.

[@strangeworldsunlimited712]

Have you considered adding small wind-powered generators to supplement your solar panels? Even when it's not sunny, or covered in snow, there might be enough wind instead to make up some of the difference (and also work at night).

[@tshepp89]

Pretty much everyone says not to bother with wind.

[@navyretired230]

Love the math. My boys and i put on 40 panels. So far we are net zero with some excess t run a 50 gallon electric water heater. You previous solar videos was were i learn so much about soar and gave me confidence that we could do it ourselves

[@Todd-Holder]

Our seasons in Botswana, are summer and spring, meaning winters are pretty much cool summers and our summers are summer, summer. Solar energy would be great here. Great video Zack, as usual.

[@garyjames7217]

The United States is nearly $32 trillion in debt. While the idea of solar is wonderful, we need to figure out ways to make the technology more affordable without the federal government footing part of the bill. Tax credits = tax payer dollars paying for it (or in reality, just adding to the national debt). The financial strain we’re putting on our future generations is far worse than the benefits solar will bring over the same period. Of course it’s not just solar receiving ‘tax credits,’ but if we want to start chunking away at our debt, credits like these will have to end as we get back to the bare basics of what our government is intended for. It’s just unfortunate our elected officials are tone-deaf and spend-happy, so we’ll likely continue on this downward spiral until we collapse.

[@JerryRigEverything]

I agree! Let's start with removing the 50 billion worth of oil subsidies every year. Oil has always been subsidized more than renewable. So let's start there

[@GoCoyote]

Adjusted for inflation, the US has spent on average 4.8 billion dollars a year of direct taxpayer subsidies since 1918 on the oil industry. Compare that to just 0.38 billion (380 million) in subsidies for renewables per year since 1994. This does not include all of the indirect cost to the oil industries covered by taxpayers, such as health and environmental costs of oil drilling and extraction, transportation, and burning of oil, along with the cost of maintaining such a large military presence in the middle east, and any war efforts there.

[@daveyd0071]

I never claimed any tax credit on my 10Kw solar panel setup because I don't want anybody else to foot my bill, which is the sole purpose for starting a you-tube channel for most tuber influencers. 95% of these mofos spam us with irrelevant ads.

[@davidwright1752]

The governments of the world subsides help the Chinese manufacturers. The poor in the USA can go without hospital,healthcare,and education. For Nett Zero good work guys any homeless or unemployed in the USA don’t worry Australia and Europe do the same thing.😂😂😂

[@davidwright1752]

@@JerryRigEverythingsure I follow your channel but it’s a religious cult you are in. Remove oil and society’s will collapse. People that use fossil fuel pay high state taxes. So if the oil companies get anything it’s the consumer that pays. How much tax to you pay to charge your EV you basically got a hand out to put you solar system in. So you accepted charity from the poor but to convince you its bit like convincing alcoholic not to drink. It’s technically impossible to build enough power stations to produce enough kilowatts to replace the number of kilowatts that diesel and petrol produces so how about a balanced argument instead of what you feel?

[@u3vs62cja]

Right so you lied, there is no problem. You just made a video complaining that it snowed.

[@shroommcfanta2020]

I Don,t trust that guy at all.. he doesn,t even have hair

[@simoneiorio9703]

A simply heating system. like the one in the rear glass of cars can be useful in snow situation, and probably can sell more solar panels in snowy regions. So self dust cleaning optional in dusty regions and self heating optional in icy regions or both... and a shovel for the owner, when the warning siren start playing.

[@mrocob83]

One thing to consider is usage. If you are using more power than the solar can provide you'll see a drop in how much your saving. If you notice a huge loss in production, have someone look to see if anything is shading your modules. If they are covered more than the expected amount or if something harmed your modules, you might need to replace some.

[@jrgenramdahl123]

Get nuclear power, mate. Its better

[@JerryRigEverything]

Lol. Sounds fun to me.

[@dustup2249]

Biden voter definitely.

[@SoCalFinest2005]

lol.

[@GeekonaBike]

I shovel & sweep the snow off my panels when the sun comes out. The reflection off the snow & cooler temps give me some of their highest outputs. A good reason to put panels on racks in the yard instead of the less accessible roof.

[@Giedrius00]

You should have mentioned that PV panels are now more than x2 cheaper than 3 years ago. Also, 180kwh for December is a lot in Lithuania. Last year my 10kW setup produced 30kwh for December and January combined! But no crocodile tears from me, since mine already paid off, it's half the cost compared to USA.

[@moneyinyour30s]

I love my solar panels! Had them about a year so far and have generated more than expected.

[@nicplant2991]

My 10Kw solar system over 2 years saved me $7000 over 2 years in AUD. It cost me $11000 to install. It made 14500 kWh last year. We pay 28c a kWH here in Brisbane Aus and it's soon to go up to 33c a kWH. We only get 5c for solar We feed into the grid.

[@Icehso140]

Our solar projections are for 7 months out of the year here in MA. The winter months are a bonus. By the time they are paid for, your panels will either be inefficient compared to new technology or not producing much. Leave solar to the big commercial projects, unless you're installing large ground arrays on your property. It's not if your roof leaks...it's WHEN it leaks that matters.

[@ryomai8063]

Electricity became so expensive in Europe that our panels are paying themselves off in less then 5 years. We can only sell at 30% of the price that we buy electricity, so having a battery optimizes things. Hopefully they perform much longer after those 5 years :)

[@macmcleod1188]

They have some really clever devices for removing snow from solar panels these days. Soft rakes that let you stand on the ground and so on.

[@davelavigne2133]

I wouldn't worry too much about the "downward trend". We installed ours in Colorado in 2013 and immediately had 2 years of subpar performance due to weather then had a recovery. Multiple years of ups and downs is not uncommon.

[@brainfarth]

I'm outside Portland, OR and paid $26,500 for 8.2kw-20 panels installed, 2 months ago. They are American made and each have their own inverter. But that's still a huge difference in what you paid. I wish the sellers out there would be more upfront about their pricing so we could compare them easier.

[@kradius2169]

... Do you have a battery?

[@brainfarth]

​@@kradius2169no batteries.

[@richardortiz178]

Heres an idea for the maintenance & cleanliness of the cells: if u build a border around the cells, like a tiny picket fence, you can let a roomba sweeper & mopper on there. Maybe build it a tiny recharge shed on one corner so it stays on post working for you :)

[@midnull6009]

gods no...just use windex or something similar

[@dr.kostakious3370]

That truly is one amazing investment

[@kenengstrom7808]

Not to mention the fact that a covered roof lasts longer as well, we have a little smaller setup but I am actually looking into putting panels on my facade to get more production during mornings and evenings even in the middle of winter when the sun is low and the roof is covered in snow.

[@CanadianLoveKnot]

I'm glad all those out of work Keystone pipeline workers we're able to find jobs installing solar panels

[@r.b.l.5841]

people used to make buggy-whips and don't anymore - but still work. oh well. The worst thing about fossil fuel use isn't actually the CO2 - it is all the other crap that ends up in the air and water. Time to move on to something cleaner, something better.

[@hi2cole]

Despite the issues, glad you saved a lot of money so far. I work in solar and do believe in the profuct. Not everyone should get it as it doesn't always make sense for every situation, but when it does, it's awesome.

[@hawsantiago3697]

The smoothness of that sponsor transition is enough to give this video a thumbs up. Well played ;)

[@anonymous_sjdjdd]

Solar panels are indeed great investment. I am from North India and I installed solar panels of total 5.5kWh (total investment was US$3500) in September 2022. From Sept 2022 till Mar 2022, I only got electricity bill of 40$ which earlier used to be roughly 120$ a month. Hoping the system to break even my investment in 3-4 years.

[@moduly]

Great update Zack! Thank you for the math breakdown. I love your DIY videos!

[@spusuf]

Would it be worth installing a hot water sprayer to melt anything on the panels?

[@pokemankirito]

time really flys by i remember watching the vid when you first installed it the day it came out its been 3 yearsss already damnn

[@natearrigoni]

I live in a sunny area with little rain. I built this system over time and expanded it, and everything paid for itself in less than 2 years. Now my electricity bills are down $300/month in the summer! Solar has been amazing for me, but I like to tinker and learn. And the most expensive part of anything is the labor. This isn't grid tied either, no real incentive to get that done for me but it does have an automatic transfer when we do get clouds for a week or so, but I change my use habits. Which is another bonus to playing with your own energy production, you get to see how much you waste. It really does depend on where you live, so get your expectations right. It's really easy to find out if it would be a sound investment for your area. Just do some research. That said, all utility companies wait until things go really wrong then pass that cost to us. I don't think our infrastructure is getting better, it's being neglected. So, get a backup power plan that makes sense. Solar, get and battery bank, just get something.

[@garbo8962]

In my area you install would fail inspection. Must have a 24 or 30" wide party free of panels from roof peak to roof edge so fireman can axe thru roof. They are not allowed to axe thru solar panels. The narrow walkway at far right side does provide a wide enough access area because a lot of it is over the roof extending off side of your house.

[@JerryRigEverything]

This isn't building people live in. It's an accessory structure so the rules were different.

[@kradius2169]

​@@JerryRigEverything​​... Your local utility does service drops into residential "accessory structures"?

[@fifa_edits780]

I use the soundcore life a1 earbuds for two years now and they are simply amazing. Amazing sound, good battery and everything you expect from a good brand. Only 55 dollars. Soundcore is a amazing.

[@Mr_blue_7777]

A number of things could be effecting the production of energy, . Dirt or dust on panels, . Heat, . Cloud cover or pollution in the atmosphere . Basic maintenance Normally I check these lists off before I start looking in to the panels themselves maybe it's something to do with them on terms of manufacturing flaws

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

Sponsor intro mix was absolutely perfect

[@GraemeAdamson]

Here in South Africa, we have government-sponsored rolling blackouts (loadshedding) leaving us without power for 6-10 hours per day. We installed solar a couple of months ago, with 16 x 545W panels, an 8kW inverter, and 3 x 5kWh batteries. We run mostly (excluding oven) off the inverter and batteries, and the sun and the grid, when needed, keep the batteries charged to various levels. So far it looks like we're getting about 700kWh per month (we're in fall/autumn here). The total cost was about $11500. We can't feed back to the grid yet, so we won't make money, but the convenience of actually having power all day is totally worth it.

[@NoelBonilla-j4o]

Greetings, the production you do in 1 year in Puerto Rico we do in 6 months with a similar system and the surplus is returned to you at 100% with net metering. The climate has a lot of influence.

[@myfakeevo]

Also you need to factor in possible house value goes up and energy costs go up through the years. Could be even more savings!

[@koolzero007]

My major concern is hail damage. I have SF ins. and they are lousy. A big storm came through and several house in my area got roofs covered, that weren’t with SF. At least we get those fun commercials though, got to pay those celebrity endorsements. some way.