Community solar versus my rooftop panels, one wins clearly

I signed up for a community solar farm in 2021 near Albany, paying about $0.12 per kilowatt hour for their share. Last spring I finally put six panels on my own roof, financing them at $150 a month. My rooftop setup now cuts my bill by $85 monthly, plus I get the tax credit, but the community solar only saved me $20 a month after fees. The difference is control: my panels generate when the sun is out, while the farm's output got sold to other subscribers when I needed it most. Yes, the upfront cost hurt, but after 14 months I'm ahead by $700. Has anyone else compared both options and found the local utility's rules tilted the scale one way?

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finleyw9910d ago

My buddy in Schenectady did the exact same comparison and his numbers were nearly identical to yours, $19 a month from community solar versus $80 plus from his roof. The real kicker for me was that my utility's net metering caps made rooftop solar barely worth it, but they gave community solar credits a free pass, so the rules totally flipped my math. Bottom line, if your utility pays you retail for what you send back, roof panels win every time, if not, community solar might actually be the better bet.