Lifelong Learning Collaborative: The Economics of Home Solar Panels and Storage Batteries

Coordinator: Robert Sandy
(MANDATORY WAIVER: Since LLC does not maintain insurance for off-site courses held outside of the Temple, participants must sign a mandatory waiver to participate. Look for the waiver link in your registration confirmation email.)
Is installing a home solar system cost effective? How does it affect a home’s value? Does installing solar even make sense for a retiree? I researched these questions before having solar installed last January.
Classes will be held at my house so that participants can see what solar looks like. My benefits include selling excess electricity to Rhode Island Energy (RIE); RIE paying me to draw from my batteries during peak demand; charging my two electric vehicles (EVs); a 30% federal income tax refund. Each homeowner’s situation is different. Although I benefitted from a south-facing roof with no shade, I needed a new roof to last the 30-year life of the panels. I calculated my internal rate of return (IRR)—the most accurate way to assess an investment—and moved forward.
Format: The course will begin with background lectures by me on the basics of solar andthe IRR. Members of the class who already have home solar systems and/or expertise in solar panels or battery technology can also make presentations on technical topics. The remaining class sessions will be presentations on potential solar installations for participant’s homes, based on free quotes from solar companies. We
will calculate IRR for each home based on the figures from the quotes and assumptions about future electricity prices and then determine
whether solar would be cost-effective for each participant’s home.
Resources/Expenses: None anticipated.

Coordinator: Robert Sandy has coordinated Jewish Style Breads and Rolls, Battery Electric Vehicles, and Concerts and Conversations

Monday afternoons   REGISTRATION OPENS July 22
Bob Sandy’s Home on the East Side
1:00-3:00 PM
10 weeks
Sep 30-Nov 25 (No class Sep 16 or
Sep 23)
Fee: $55
Class size limit: 25