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Prepaid PPA - SoCal -- Good deal?

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  • Prepaid PPA - SoCal -- Good deal?

    Hi,

    I'm new here, and have been looking into getting a grid-tie solar system for my home. I wanted to check in here to get some feedback on this PPA deal.

    Proposed system: 6.37 kw DC
    Guaranteed Output: 10,213 kwh/year

    Prepaid PPA: $13,745
    Term: 20 years
    Average price per kwh: $0.072

    Equipment: unspecified -- what should i look for or avoid?

    Location and usage details:

    We are in Southern California (zip code 93536), electricity is provided by SoCal Edison, and we're currently averaging about $175/month in electricity bills (roughly 10,700 kwh/year). This will be a rooftop installation on concrete tiles; all of the panels will be south-facing, with half on a 10/12-pitch roof, and half of the panels on a 4/12-pitch roof. There is no shading or obstruction around the area the panels will be mounted, and we have no plans for tall trees in that area as well.

    The Guaranteed Output is listed as only 10,213kwh, but when I asked why it is less than our last 12 months of usage, the rep told me that they typically build systems with a capacity of 96% of current usage, but we can expect to have an actual production of about 10-15% higher than this based on our location and mounting details. Is this accurate information or BS?

    I'm guessing some folks will say I should purchase this rather than doing a prepaid PPA, but from what I can tell, this seems to save quite a bit of money, and it didn't look like purchasing would have been significantly more attractive, and may have had a larger up-front cost associated with it.

    Incidentally, I'm not considering the other options... the fixed monthly payment amount with no escalator only reduced my monthly utility expense by about $20, and the partial prepay option wasn't all that attractive either.

  • #2
    I decided to move forward with this, as it seems to be the best deal. I still welcome any comments , though.

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