Anyone work in the industry?

[jrwbooth]

Hello everyone, I just need someone who works in the solar industry to answer these questions for me. It's going towards my dissertation and would be a huge help to me.

In answering the questions below you are helping me draw a comparison in attitudes between the consumer and the industry, whilst also giving me an idea on certain attributes that could potentially limit the widespread adoption of solar technologies. If theres anyone that can help I will be eternally grateful!

1. What do you feel is the main reason people adopt solar energy technologies?





2. Would you say there is a particular demographic that is most likely to adopt solar energy technologies?






3. What do you feel are the main barriers to solar panel adoption in general?






4. What do you feel are the main barriers in retrofitting projects?





5. What era would you say most of the buildings were built in that request these installations?




6. How much does an average customer spend on a fit out?



7. Do you feel there are any building types where solar panels would not be appropriate?





8. What is your personal view on the aesthetics of solar panels?

[Pablodro]

For what it's worth, here are some semi-informed views from the fringe of the industry where I reside:

1. What do you feel is the main reason people adopt solar energy technologies?

I think this is a combination of environmental and economic motivation. Many are inclined toward solar based on environmental interest, but the profit motive is usually very strong as well. If you're investing >$10K in a system, you want to see a payoff. This is why tax incentives promote adoption. Interestingly, many who claim environmental motives then sell their RECs to help pay for the system, thereby losing any claim to actual solar power usage and consequently consuming "brown" power from non-renewable sources while having panels on the roof. To me, this irony proves that the environmental motive is smaller than most claim. "Give me credit for saving the planet because I have panels on the roof, but don't expect me to actually forego a financial gain in order to use solar power."

2. Would you say there is a particular demographic that is most likely to adopt solar energy technologies?

Today, I think the demographic is primarily upper-middle class, middle aged people. They have money, they aren't planning to move any time soon, and they want to be seen to be caring about the planet. Some younger people are coming in under leasing programs, but they are still relatively well educated and well off. Otherwise, they wouldn't have adequate credit scores to qualify for the lease.

3. What do you feel are the main barriers to solar panel adoption in general?

Cost and complexity. Today, you either prepay 20+ years of electric power or sign a longterm contract that finances the same, in order to "get free power" today. This means considerable resources and due diligence before pulling the trigger. Many who care deeply about the cause simply don't have the resources or bandwidth to deal with these challenges.

[INDENT]]Add to this, the fact that many who care simply don't own their roof or plan to move within a few years.[/INDENT

Finally, because there are so many fixed costs that don't scale downward, system size needs to be relatively large to bear the fixed costs. This means that there is not a low priced option for those who would like to just try a little.

4. What do you feel are the main barriers in retrofitting projects?

Retrofitting is complicated by buildings that are suboptimal in terms of roof structure, shading, and electrical system suitability. All these just mean more cost, slower implementation and less payback for a given investment.

5. What era would you say most of the buildings were built in that request these installations?

This is all over the map. I don't think you can generalize this, although generally speaking, really old buildings are more unsuited and new construction can be built to specifically accommodate solar without breaking the bank.

6. How much does an average customer spend on a fit out?

I would guess the smallest systems tend to be just barely under $10K. You might get some really small systems on new construction (~$5K) if they're designed into the plans, especially by a large developer. One important driver of this is my last comment in #3 above.

7. Do you feel there are any building types where solar panels would not be appropriate?

Houses with dormers on the roof can be problematic. Also, to some degree, houses with a roof sloping in east/west orientation is less than ideal. In both these cases, the issue is not so much appropriateness but just added cost, limitation of system size or system production constraints. In other words, the payback is undermined.

Obviously, inferior construction that won't handle the structural loads is always just categorically unsuitable. The problem is that this condition is not easily generalized, so a structural engineering study is necessary to verify such a condition does not exist. It is inadvisable (and legally impossible in most jurisdictions) to assume any building is structurally adequate to support solar panels. I suppose you might be able to say manufactured homes (mobile homes) are categorically unsuitable, since they are usually engineered to be just marginally sufficient structurally.

8. What is your personal view on the aesthetics of solar panels?
[INDENT]I don't think they are attractive, though they can be worked into designs that make their (lack of) aesthetics relatively innocuous. I do think many people find them attractive, not so much for their "beauty" as for what they represent: "greenness". I do know some people are very adamant about wanting them to be visible, so they get "credit" for them socially.

I hope this helps.

[jrwbooth]

For what it's worth, here are some semi-informed views from the fringe of the industry where I reside:

Thank you so much for this. Really useful!

Mod note - It is not necessary to copy all of long posts.

[stewartzander]

Anyone work in the industry?

I appreciate, cause I found exactly what I was looking for.