True!
Assuming manufacturing will be +10% and installation will take 2x time and assuming half panel will produce half the power, my back of the napkin calculation suggests my solar roof would pay for itself not in 5 but in 6 years and would keep producing $ for the rest of its lifespan.
My point is that you’re an expensive niche (manufacturing and installation wise) in a market usually competing on $/sqft.
Manufacturing would be more than +10% because existing lines would need to be retooled to produce it, and it would require different packaging. Volume will be lower as well, so margins need to be higher. 50% more expensive? Or maybe even the same price as a normal panel twice the wattage.
Installation would be more than 2x because standard mounting wouldn’t work, so it would be 3x the time (probably) plus figuring out how to mount them. Since you have an odd shaped roof, that would also likely increase difficulty/costs.
Very high snow load or flexible solar panels are similar (but larger) niches.
Looks like someone does make them though! And my guess is someone does already have all the mounting knowledge, it just may not be the regular solar install guy, so it may take tracking someone down.
Unlike the other products in their site, that link doesn’t have specs and wants someone to ‘contact us for details’ which doesn’t seem like a good sign.
This is also why utility scale solar has been the trend lately - it’s often more economical to turn some random low value flat land half way across the state/country into a maximally cost effective solar installation and then sell the power. Which means square panels on the simplest and easiest racking they can figure out.
Every random person figuring out their own bespoke solution is a lot more expensive.
if it will actually pay back that quickly, that’s awesome - then you get to bypass whatever insanity your utility is doing to cause those high prices. I haven’t heard of any up to code installations having nearly that good a payoff. Where are you located?
Makes sense. Thanks! I am in NJ and my house has good insolation. And with all the federal and state incentives plus no-financing cash purchase solar panels may pay off just like installer is promising. I wish I had a larger and flatter roof though.
