[s1artibartfast]

For some reason, these savings never cascade down to the consumer. Solar energy is typically a surcharge, not a cost savings.

When I log into my utility account, I can opt into solar generated power for X $/kwh more, not less.

[immibis]

Solar is also the most democratic, as long as you can tolerate it not working at night. I encourage you to experiment with a small portable system. I did - a 30W panel, 9Ax12V SLA battery, off-the-shelf car inverter, packet of crimp connectors, spool of wire, crimp tool, the cheapest over-voltage shutoff controller I could find (just search for solar charge controller - although lead-acid chemistries are moderately tolerant to charging out of bounds, unlike lithium, which is why I suggest lead-acid).

[mulmen]

I really think home battery power is going to be a standard feature in the near future. Like indoor plumbing and central HVAC.

My utility just adopted time of use billing and by my napkin math a battery system with one day of capacity will pay for itself in 5 years. And that’s without solar at all. The additional solar panel cost would pay off in under 3 years. And I have cheap electricity.