Many property owners come across solar panel myths that can discourage installation. We live in an era of misinformation that, unless we carefully check our sources, can prevent us from making informed and good decisions. As experts, we are now taking on a myth-busting role and are trying to correct the false claims circulating in the solar panel market.
Myth 1: My roof is not suitable for solar panels anyway.
Reality: The orientation, type, structure and material of the roof are factors that we have to take into account, but whatever the situation, the possibility of installation is not excluded. It happens that the condition of the roof structure, the shading, the position of the doors and windows, and the angle of inclination are a challenge - or they require work to be repaired before installation - but nothing is impossible. Since many people are interested, to the roof question in a previous article we covered it in more detail.
Misconception 2: I can't cover my entire consumption with the solar panel anyway.
Reality: Why should full consumption be triggered? Thermal insulation does not solve the problem of not having to heat, but it significantly increases the feeling of comfort in the property, reduces heating costs and contributes to mitigating environmental pollution. Based on the annual balance sheet, it is true that the solar panel cannot cover the entire energy consumption, but it can produce a significant part of the consumption. With the expected termination of the feed-back stop, when the produced energy is not consumed, the service provider takes it over and pays compensation.
Regardless, it is recommended to invest as soon as possible, because solar panels currently seem to be the most effective way to reduce energy costs. Based on current calculations, an average-sized solar panel system for a corporate user can pay for itself in 2-3 years, and then serve a business for 25-30 years. Moreover, this time can be further reduced if the company can adapt the energy consumption to the production of the solar panel system.
Myth 3: The investment is not worth it because of the change in accounting.
Reality: At the beginning of the year, it spread almost like a rumor that solar systems are doomed when it comes to the monthly balance settlement. It is true that in some cases this is less favorable than the annual settlement, but in general it can be said that in the case of a well-sized solar system, the transition does not cause a significant deterioration in the return for the average consumer. According to our calculations, in the 80% of the year, the monthly and annual balance settlements practically bring the same return. We dissected the topic in detail in the framework of a short case study in a previous article.
Myth 4: Solar panels are bad for the environment after their useful life.
Reality: In fact, solar cells are made to last longer than the minimum 25 years, after which they can be recycled. In fact, there are manufacturers who recycle them for free. It is not easy to prove their recyclability as an unshakable fact, since a significant part of the installed solar panels still work optimally, they are not characterized by replacement due to failure.
5. Their operation is expensive and there are many problems with them
Reality: If everything went well during the deployment, there should be no problems with the system. Possible errors are usually found during the warranty period, we check during monitoring and if we detect an error, we fix it. A significant part of these are warranty repairs, which do not burden the customer. The only extra cost at the moment is the insurance, but any real estate value-enhancing investment will increase the cost.
The cleaning of the panels is typically not necessary, as the solar panels installed on the pitched roof are periodically washed away by the rain, thereby cleaning themselves. In addition, panels are weatherproof, it is not typical that – if they were installed correctly – they would suffer any damage afterwards, and the panels would have to be replaced or repaired.
6. By the time the investment pays off, we would already be moving out of the house.
Reality: The solar panel system increases the value of the property - even when it is sold. The solution can be expected for 25-30 years, and the new owner of the property can also enjoy the results of the investment. Today, this is like thermal insulation, an updated heating system, or boiler replacement: it is almost a mandatory part of a modern, environmentally conscious, low-maintenance property.
As for the return, its exact calculation also depends on the system size: the larger the investment, the sooner it turns into a return. On average, however, it can be said that well-sized systems pay for themselves in 10 years, but this can be reduced to 5-6 years in the case of larger systems.