As we have had the solar panels on the loafing barn roof now for just about a year, I thought it was time to review the situation. From about the middle of March last year till the middle of February 2012 this year, we have earned about $9100 on our solar power by selling it back to Hydro1, the local electricity producer. That gives us a payback time of approximately 6 and a half years. This is of course assuming that the province of Ontario does not change the contract in some way. However, we did sign a contract for twenty years, so there would be a huge outcry and protest if they were to break it.
If anyone is still thinking of joining the MicroFIT program in Ontario, the payback amounts are a bit less now, but the costs of panels should be a lot less as well. Some contractors are still charging the old high panel prices, so be careful and check around! Solar power contractors have a high rate of bankruptcy including the one we dealt with. Once the system is up and running, it does not really matter, as skilled electricians should now be able to fix things like electrical shorts and blown fuses at a reasonable cost.We did have this happen a couple of times due to thunder storms causing power surges. It helps to have a couple of spare fuses on hand, and you can learn to replace them yourself.
We did purchase a long expandable handle for a soft horsehair broom so that snow could be cleared off most of the winter. This proved difficult when the snow was preceded by freezing rain.
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