u/moth_glasswings

Been long time lurker/wisher to have solar on my home. For tons of reasons so I’m not focused on ROI only or mainly. Sure it would be nice but at the cost currently it’s maybe a wash after 15-25 years. After our recent move and given world events and climate changed weather, we are seriously considering a couple options that would cost about 55-65k for system and battery. (Yes I’ve gotten different companies etc and they all land in this range and we even have a moderate electricity use on a 1600 sq home).

That’s a lot of cash. We have jobs we don’t make fancy money where that’s a drop in the bucket amount . We’d basically cash out savings to be still be Tied to a major for profit predominantly coal powered grid. They are the only option where we live. But we live just out of city limits in Colorado.

Here’s what I’m wondering. It seems to me the answer is a bit more in just consuming less all around (what can be switched to off grid solar easily and I guess legally) and then untethering from profiting grids as much as possible without going homesteading/survival mode. given al the pretty conclusive data and trends on the impacts of climate collapse. Thinking about this again after reading the substack piece I linked if anyone wants to read why renewable energy actually isn’t going to save us at this point.

How does this hit you? Here in a drying (aridifiation) mountain west already in a severe drought with one of the lowest rain and snowpack seasons on record. What if there’s a smarter way to do solar that’s not this model of grid tied and company dictated? Or do you think that’s better than not at all? How are you making sense of the cost, impact and long term?