Serious question, is solar really worth it in gloomy cities like Seattle?

I just read a report from the National Renewable Energy Lab that said Seattle gets 60% less solar radiation than Phoenix, but solar panels still work fine there. The surprising stat was that even in cloudy places, solar can cut your bill by 20-30% over 20 years. I found it on the NREL website last night when I was looking into getting quotes for my house. My neighbor got panels installed in 2022 and he says his summer bills dropped from $200 to about $50, but winter barely changes. Has anyone here in a rainy area actually seen decent savings from solar, or is it mostly hype?

3 comments

3 Comments

theajohnson10d ago

Did your neighbor mention if his panels produce enough in the winter to offset anything meaningful, or does he just eat those high bills those months?

miasanchez10d ago

I mean it's wild how we design so much of our lives around one season and then just accept the other three are gonna be a problem, like how everyone buys winter tires but never thinks about summer heat waves until the AC breaks.

colethomas10d agoMost Upvoted

Right on. The "winter tires but summer AC" thing hits. It's like we only plan for the season that's hardest to ignore, then act surprised when the other ones show up.