Solar Panels: Are they worth investing in?

I am sure you have seen the news, seen the pictures or even looked out your window to see the huge amount of snow that has been falling in many parts of Japan at the moment. It has added an extra 10-20 mins to my commute to and from work as well as back pains from shoving the snow around the house just enough to park the car.

There has been news of electricity been cut off for days. This made my partner very concerned and she got us talking about solar panels.

We built our house five years ago and had decided to go with the all-electric home. We get a discount on our electric bill and don’t have to worry about paying for gas. However, this also means that in the case of a power outrage, we won’t have heat or hot water. While long power outrages are rare in Japan, with the weather being as crazy as it is (we actually had a power outrage during typhoon 19 last year), my partner and I started talking about investing in some solar panels with a power wall or power storage of some sort.

We had decided not to install solar panels when we first built our house because we were thinking that the technology can stand to improve and the prices will fall as it becomes more common. While the prices of the panels and installation has certainly drops a bit since we were quoted a few years back, the special rate you can sell your extra energy at has also fallen by more than half!

The special program ended in November of last year! I blame this on my lack of research and keeping up with the news. So you have two choices:

Sell your surplus for a bit of cash or use it up. The point most companies are making nowadays is that since Japan plans to ban the use of gasoline cars in 5 years, you can always use the surplus to charge your future EV car. So if you are planning to get an EV car in the near future, this is not a bad investment.

You might have also read that the government has stopped giving out subsidies for installing solar panels. I suggest you check your local government or city homepage to make sure because the city we live in is still giving out a subsidy (1/5 of the price) for solar panels and they also give out a second subsidy if you decide to install a power storage or power wall as well. This is really dependable on where you live, but that does tip the scale for us.

On most of the sites we checked out, solar panels do last around 25+ years making it a pretty good investment. Even though the selling price is low, the lowering of our electric bill for the next 25 years or more is a big plus for us. The security of having power if or when another power outrage hits is also a big advantage point.

While looking up power batteries and walls, it seems that only Tesla’s power wall is the only one at the moment that can power everything in your house while other power batteries are for specific outlets only. Correct me if I am wrong as I am still researching this point. Also, Tesla’s power wall looks awesome, but for some reason, isn’t installed onto the wall of the house in Japan. but sit next the wall on the ground. Not sure why this is and will also look into that as we try to narrow down which solar panel company to go with.

This is a interesting and exciting investment for me in this new year. Having the safety of backup power/battery during a typhoon, snowstorm or earthquakes, lower our electric bill as well as being able to sell any surplus (even at a lower price) is enough for me to want to invest in solar panels. This will also work as a good reason to talk my partner into getting an EV car when the time comes. Win win!

While I was researching, I came across a site called Hot Denki and they have an English site as well where there are no up-front fees and you get free electricity during the day and they sell your extra energy and earn money that way. Not sure how that is going to work now but if you are interested in solar panels but don’t want to spend a lot of money that is something you might consider. There was an article about them last year if you are interested. It’s an interesting concept but not sure if I trust it completely.

What are your thoughts on solar panels? For anyone with solar panels, would you recommend or want to talk me out of it?