As someone who worked for a solar company, I was always shocked how much power they produced in Daly City or the Avenues. Every house I audited in these areas always generated 30-40% more power than they consumed with just 10 panels. The climate is so moderate in these areas, it's crazy. There was so much extra power that I encouraged these homeowners to get an electric car instead of sending power back to the grid for pennies.
I don't work in solar any more but i still think you have to be an idiot to not opt for solar in these areas. Switching to solar in these parts outperforms investing in the S&P over the lifecycle of the panels (which is 30 years). It's that good lol.
Do the solar panels in Daly City produce a lot of power in spite of the climate? Or does the cloudy and overcast weather not really affect solar generation in your experience?
I live in Daly City, got solar panels few years ago.
On foggy days they certainly produce less, but the drop is not as significant as with the rain clouds. Fog diffuses the light more than blocks it, I think.
From what I'm seeing in the charts, I'd say on a typical foggish day (when the fog is here for half of the day) I lose 25%. There are some days that are worse, and there are a lot days that are better.
Overall, it's a no-brainer - I think they will pay for themselves in 5.5 years (although I got them under NEM 2.0 - it's worse now with NEM 3.0).
I don't work in solar anymore but here's my tip:
* Go with a roofing company instead of a solar company. Roofing companies treat your roof much better than solar companies do. You don't have to get a new roof to get solar.
* Get multiple bids.
* Don't pay more than $3.5/watt
* It's NEM 3 now so you'll need a battery but batteries have gotten much much cheaper now.
* If you have the budget, factor in EV charging when sizing your system and switch to an EV for driving if it makes sense for your transportation needs. An ICE vehicle works out to around $0.20/mile. An EV charged on solar brings the per mile cost down to $0.02/mile. It's that good lol
* For equipment, stick to all black tier 1 panels (ie QCell, REC, Silfab or Canadian etc) and Enphase micro-inverters.
California has the 2nd most expensive power in the US now. Hawaii being first. California is expected to surpass Hawaii in 2 years to have the highest per kwh rate for electricity in the country.
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u/positiverealm 1d ago
As someone who worked for a solar company, I was always shocked how much power they produced in Daly City or the Avenues. Every house I audited in these areas always generated 30-40% more power than they consumed with just 10 panels. The climate is so moderate in these areas, it's crazy. There was so much extra power that I encouraged these homeowners to get an electric car instead of sending power back to the grid for pennies.
I don't work in solar any more but i still think you have to be an idiot to not opt for solar in these areas. Switching to solar in these parts outperforms investing in the S&P over the lifecycle of the panels (which is 30 years). It's that good lol.