With electricity rates rising and a new data center being built a few miles from my front door, Nick Indge decided it was time to jump in the deep end and install solar power. If you've considered making the leap yourself, you might learn from his experience.

For years, I’d debated whether residential solar would make sense for my home. The math never quite clicked, and I refused to go into debt by signing a $30,000 contract or leasing agreement with a door-to-door solar sales company. It wasn’t until the end of 2025 that the market finally forced my hand.

The combination of a steady, upcoming increase in electricity rates, the impending January 1, 2026, expiration of federal tax rebate incentives, and battery tech actually improving in recent years made a far-off “maybe one day” dream into an achievable DIY project. The announcement that a new hyper-scale data center was going in a few towns over made the decision to finally jump in a no-brainer.

Many of my tinkering projects are driven by curiosity. I like to see if I can accomplish a goal without paying as much as expected, and I’m admittedly motivated by the feeling of getting away with an unexpected hack. Channeling a little ingenuity and effort feels like an arrogant middle finger at being told what I have to buy, and nowhere was that feeling more satisfying than in this solar project. If you’ve been thinking similarly about making the leap to solar power, I know how intimidating it can be. But in my experience, the squeeze was well worth the juice I got in return.

  • Fetus
    71·
    14 days ago

    1. Some people would pay slightly more for a house that already has solar installed, even if it’s a 5-7 year old system. So install it, then use it as a selling point down the track.

    2. Anecdotally, I’ve rented a house before that had solar installed. It was a factor in my choosing to rent that place. I don’t know how it is elsewhere in the world, but it’s pretty common in Australia to have to pay for your own electricity usage when renting a place. The solar panels lowered my bills considerably.

    3. Pad mount / ground mount systems are a thing, if you have enough space. That said, anything that can be installed, can be removed. Cost is a factor, though.

    4. I don’t see any breakthroughs coming any time soon. Gradual improvements through economies of scale will likely be it, along with any government incentives.

    • Canaconda@lemmy.ca
      21·
      14 days ago

      Certainly. I’m one of them.

      I’m not saying solar isn’t viable. Just using my experience in mortgage financing to add more context to the conversation.

      Personally I don’t understand the “no breakthroughs coming” even though solar has been steadily improving for decades. Seems to me the use of the term “breakthrough” might be a bit of a strawman.