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Had a neighbor tell me my solar panels were a waste of money
Last summer in Phoenix, my neighbor Bob stopped me while I was checking my inverter. He said I'd never break even on the $12,000 system and that the grid was more reliable anyway. I showed him my utility bill from July - it was $8 compared to his $185. He just shrugged and walked away. Anyone else get pushback from people who think solar is just a gimmick?
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patricia_wright19d ago
That part about him telling you the grid is more reliable is funny to me. Nobody brings up that solar panels actually make the grid more stable for everyone, not less. When a bunch of houses have solar, it cuts the peak demand on hot afternoons when everybody cranks their AC. That means fewer blackouts and brownouts for the whole neighborhood, including Bob. So even if he doesn't have panels, he's still getting some benefit from yours. He just doesn't realize it.
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jennifer_fisher19d ago
Patricia is right and people like Bob never want to hear it. Solar panels don't just help the person who owns them, they help the whole neighborhood by lowering peak demand during the hottest part of the day. That means less strain on the grid and fewer rolling blackouts for everyone. Bob probably thinks he's paying for reliability but he's actually getting it partly because of his neighbors. The irony is painful to watch when people argue against something that's literally making their own electricity cheaper and more stable.
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