On: Solar Just Hit a Record Low Price in the U.S

[refulgentis]

You're replying to a comment about the true cost of solar being the battery + the panels, asking why anyone would think of buying a battery.

That's why.

[petersellers → refulgentis]

That still doesn't answer their question. Why does the sun going down at night matter for people who are still tied to the grid?

[another-one-off → petersellers]

If I move into a house with a grid connection only, I budget on power costs = cost of grid connection + grid power price.

If I move to a house with solar panels, I budget on power costs = cost of grid connection + X * grid power price + (1-X) * solar price (which is the capital cost of the panels smoothed out over their useful life).

The issue here is that I can't maneuver into a situation where my power price = solar price without sacrificing my ability to do anything after sundown without candles. Clearly, the true cost of power in a solar-enabled house is going to be higher than the cost of the solar panels.