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Re:Chasing utopian energy: How I wasted 20 years of my life by marssaxman on Wednesday June 22, 2022 @09:46PM (#31844234)
I'm afraid I don't have the exact numbers anymore, but I determined that the 2700W solar panel array installed on my Seattle house for about $14k in 2013 (including a new breaker panel) had paid for itself before the end of 2019. The system worked really well.

People often think that solar won't work well in Seattle because it's cloudy so often, but light still comes in through the overcast, and solar panels don't care which angle the photons hit them from. Meanwhile, lower ambient temperatures mean the panels work more efficiently.

Re:Chasing utopian energy: How I wasted 20 years of my life by seanmcdirmid on Wednesday June 22, 2022 @09:48PM (#31844247)
Solar won’t work on new townhomes in Seattle with rooftop decks (since we don’t have to worry about snow so much?). There is simply no place to put them unless you give up your deck.
Re:Chasing utopian energy: How I wasted 20 years of my life by marssaxman on Wednesday June 22, 2022 @09:53PM (#31844285)
Alas, indeed. I'd have installed solar panels on the townhouse I bought in 2020 if there were anywhere to put them, but there would only be room for 800 watts, at most - not really worth it.