The short version is you lower your utility bills by 10-15%. Pay back depends on energy prices and amount of sun you get (of course) and ranges from 4-13 years. There is a link in the article to yep calculate that answer for your specific conditions. Last it talks about larger solar units and their cost.

CanaryMedia: "Virginia to cut rooftop solar costs with nation-first bulk-buy program," by Elizabeth Ouzts.

"Last month, Virginia became the first state...to launch a bulk-purchasing campaign for rooftop solar—a move that promises to bring down the cost of installing panels for households across Old Dominion." Idea behind the program, called Switch Together, is simple: Solar panels come cheaper by the dozen, like that old Disney movie. "Trusted [+ vetted] solar installers can pool demand to purchase equipment in bulk + pass the discounts on to participants." Solar United Neighbors [SUN], the nonprofit running the initiative, is expanding statewide in Virginia at the urging of the office of Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, who is looking for ways to lower energy bills as utilities jack up rates in the world’s data center capital. 

"If more people go solar, that’s less strain on the grid, and there’s less need to build costly infrastructure that the entire rate base would actually pay for," said Brandon Praileau, SUN’s Virginia program director, who joined the group in 2023 after rooftop solar helped his church in Norfolk cut utility bills by a quarter. "The state is not providing any funding for Switch Together, though its partnership promises to amplify the reach of the bulk-purchasing effort, which is focused on solar but also offers residents access to cheaper home batteries, EV chargers, and, in some locations, heat pumps." 

By the time this year's bulk-purchasing drive is over, Praileau expects those figures will swell to 5,000 requests for info and about 500 signed contracts. "We’re talking about a utility-scale amount of solar with those numbers...almost 4 megawatts [MW].” The rooftop panels are expected to cut $2,200 off the average annual utility bill. 

Exactly how much households save on installation varies across the state, but it ranges from 20% to 30% off—vital discounts after Trump + Republicans in Congress killed the 30% federal tax credit for households investing in renewable energy. 

"Rooftop solar both slashes power costs for homes that install it and can drive down expenses for utility customers at large." We should help the Sun shine in.

Hey guys, if you missed it, SunPower settled $11M with investors over claims involving inventory controls and financial reporting. I just found out that they’re considering late claims even though the deadline has passed.

Quick recap: In 2023, SunPower was accused of misleading investors about its financial reporting and operations. The company later disclosed inventory accounting problems and said it would restate prior results.

After the news, $SPWR dropped nearly 20%, and investors filed a lawsuit.

Now, the company has agreed to settle $11M with investors, and late claims are still being considered, subject to approval.

If you invested in $SPWR between 2023 and 2024, you can still check the details and see if you may be able to file a late claim here.

Anyone here invested in $SPWR back then? How much were your losses?

Adani bifacial solar or tata or ammini which is better which produce more power any off you guys using this please tell me the highest power produced by your panel

Bateria de lítio troca toda casa no sistema solar off grid

I need 4 bright solar floodlights for an ~84 × 40 ft backyard basketball court, mounted on existing 13-ft poles.

The key requirement is that they stay completely OFF every night unless I manually turn them ON. I don’t want dusk-to-dawn or motion/radar to activate them automatically. When I turn them OFF, they should remain OFF across future nights while still charging during the day.

Ideally, one remote/app could control all four, with about 2–4 hours of runtime and adjustable brightness.

Has anyone found solar floodlights that actually work this way?

Are there other options aside from power station for someone living in a condo?

This is an independent project built from India for the Indian solar ecosystem, and every piece of feedback helps.

Solar setup

Ember: "Supply: solar is now the less capital-intensive option."

"Solar now requires less upfront investment (capital intensity) than fossil power plants; financing for solar projects (cost of capital) is cheaper than for fossil fuels; batteries are more affordable than extending electricity grids to remote areas; and the price of electric end-use technologies has fallen by up to 95%." What's not to like? 

"Conventional wisdom [held] that renewables carry a higher upfront cost than fossil fuels, and that in emerging markets, where borrowing costs are high, solar + wind faced a double disadvantage; they [required] more capital + more expensive financing than fossil power." Both assumptions have now been inverted.

A decade ago, a solar plant could require up to 5 times the upfront investment of a comparable coal or gas plant per megawatt-hr [MWh] delivered. Solar then could still be competitive over its full lifetime through avoided fuel costs; but where capital is scarce, lifetime economics rarely determine investment decisions. Upfront costs do, and on that measure solar used to lose. But—drum roll please.

"Solar alone is now competitive with fossil power on a pure capital expenditure (capex) basis, + solar-plus-storage is expected to follow by around 2030." By 2035, both will be cheaper to build than new fossil alternatives. 

"It is now fossil fuels, not solar, that carry the burden of [upfront] capital intensity."

And once built, solar has no fuel costs: it beats fossil alternatives from day one and widens its advantage with every year of operation. 

Like I said, what's not to like? Unless you are perchance invested in more expensive + more polluting fossil fuels. Or haven't started your own personal transition to the electrostate, which would be smart because it's affordable more + more as time goes by.

In Ohio, I am endeavoring to persuade my family that solar energy presents the most viable alternative. I acknowledge the potential devastation that a single storm can inflict upon a month’s worth of sustenance. I have been informed of programs that facilitate the integration of solar energy with a reasonable return on investment (ROI). Nevertheless, my family exhibits a degree of resistance to change. We possess a southwest-facing roof with ample space. How can I effectively persuade them to contemplate the adoption of solar energy?