I shared before that I have a solar panel and generator and now that I have the 200W panel, I am finding that my storage isn’t enough. I am often having days where I have more sun/power than I can store.
The next step is a system that costs about $3600 but there are some significant downsides with that system. The biggest one is that the solar panel is almost twice as heavy which means it will be a challenge to put it out of the window each day and pull it back in. Just as important, however, the solar generator is heavier, and living in an apartment may not be practical.
The size and weight of the solar generator are really twice what I have now. One of the things that I struggled with in the past is to try to keep the size reasonable. I feel good with my current system but I do recognize that I could get more power if I invested more. The other choice of course is to wait until other systems come out which will be lighter and cheaper.
Today, for example, is cloudy and if I had a better system I would have a bigger solar panel and be able to get more electricity. However $3600 investment will take a long time to recover based on the cost of electricity. I want to help the environment, but I also need to have some money saved in the bank for emergencies. I wish solar panels/solar generators were subsidized.
If I see a system that is twice the capacity of what I have now for $2000 or less I will jump on it. I want to help the environment but my current system is working great and even though it is not optimal, it is paying for itself each day. What would you do in my place?