Best Place to Live for Solar in U.S.

Kenny_ · Oct 18, 2023

Probably posted/discussed before, but ... here's a ranking of the Sunniest Cities in U.S.

I was surprised to see that Denver (where I am) was 20th on the list. I knew we have a lot of sunny days, but was still surprised.

Here Are the Best (and Worst) Cities for Endless Sunshine | Move.org

Whether it’s winter where you live or you just can’t get enough sun, take a look at the best (and worst) cities for endless sunshine.

www.move.org

Nobodybusiness · Oct 18, 2023

Kenny_ said:
Probably posted/discussed before, but ... here's a ranking of the Sunniest Cities in U.S.

I was surprised to see that Denver (where I am) was 20th on the list. I knew we have a lot of sunny days, but was still surprised.

Here Are the Best (and Worst) Cities for Endless Sunshine | Move.org

Whether it’s winter where you live or you just can’t get enough sun, take a look at the best (and worst) cities for endless sunshine.

www.move.org

My same exact setup would produce 6,000 KW more per year in Phoenix than here.

30% more. Throw up a panel and bang instant energy.

lscotte · Oct 18, 2023

While Arizona is indeed great from an irradiance perspective, it's a terrible solar market since our ACC (the government entity that regulates utilities) is very much anti-solar. Setting up for off-grid/100% self-consumption will be the only viable path soon, in my opinion, with export rider rates likely to drop down to just a few cents per KwH over the next couple of years.

Lt.Dan · Oct 18, 2023

I live about 45 min from #10 on the list. Sweet.

740GLE · Oct 18, 2023

I love how there’s no listings in the North East yet
it seems like every tract of land a stones throw from a utility line is trying to interconnect 20-60MW of solar fields. Waste of land IMO.

Kenny_ · Oct 18, 2023

740GLE said:
I love how there’s no listings in the North East yet
it seems like every tract of land a stones throw from a utility line is trying to interconnect 20-60MW of solar fields. Waste of land IMO.

What?

Solarcabin Channel · Oct 18, 2023

The downside is many of those places are desert and not having access to a secure water source can be more of an issue than not having lots of sunshine.

My grandparents were original homesteaders and got land under the homestead act that I now live on and they were smart people.

They chose land that was not too hot with a decent growing season and close enough to mountains with snow for irrigation and my well here is artesian free flowing.

I still get about 5 hours of good sunshine in winter and more than I need in summer and I adapt to the seasons and put away my heavy use appliances in winter to conserve power and grew my system to have a decent balance.

Kenny_ · Oct 18, 2023

Solarcabin Channel said:
The downside is many of those places are desert and not having access to a secure water source can be more of an issue than not having lots of sunshine.

My grandparents were original homesteaders and got land under the homestead act that I now live on and they were smart people.

They chose land that was not too hot with a decent growing season and close enough to mountains with snow for irrigation and my well here is artesian free flowing.

I still get about 5 hours of good sunshine in winter and more than I need in summer and I adapt to the seasons and put away my heavy use appliances in winter to conserve power and grew my system to have a decent balance.

and where is that?

Quattrohead · Oct 18, 2023

Florida is very sunny....until it's not.
But I love me a good thunderstorm.

Solarcabin Channel · Oct 18, 2023

Kenny_ said:
and where is that?

Rocky mountains high desert country just south of the Green River and Flaming Gorge dam.

SilverbackMP · Oct 18, 2023

I’d be scanning for IEDs in most of those places out of habit. Nope. Green grass and trees please.

Kenny_ · Oct 18, 2023

Solarcabin Channel said:
Rocky mountains high desert country just south of the Green River and Flaming Gorge dam.

Ah a bit northwest of me.

timselectric · Oct 18, 2023

I can't even see the bottom of the list, from my location. But, I'm still getting by just fine.

wdwtx2.0 · Oct 18, 2023

But there's no place like home.

rhino · Oct 18, 2023

You may have more irradiance in Phoenix but how much decrease in PV output would there be from the excessive heat?

Solarcabin Channel · Oct 18, 2023

rhino said:
You may have more irradiance in Phoenix but how much decrease in PV output would there be from the excessive heat?

That's a good point!

Then you can add in reflective sunlight from snow and cooler panels in winter and summer in my location.

chrisski · Oct 18, 2023

rhino said:
You may have more irradiance in Phoenix but how much decrease in PV output would there be from the excessive heat?

I'm getting a 9.6kW system, and the dip you see in the middle of the year has got to be caused by heat since the days are sunny and monsoon weather is extremely infrequent, usually only cloudy for a few hours and usually at night.

I know the off grid calculator in my signature block takes into account weather patterns, but I highly suspect the dip is from heat on the panels.

glandpuck · Oct 18, 2023

Best place for solar doesn't have the same meanings as in the recent past. Many states besides California are neutering net metering and solar should now be though of as a self consumption system equipped with battery backup up system for grid outages. The cost of this system in your locale, the rebates available at Federal and State levels for all of the equipment, the total cost to you and the payback period on your investment are what determines where the "best place" for solar is located. And this has to be weighed against your current cost for grid electricity.
This is way too much work for most people.
Simply put, for many, many people without solar, the benefits of a whole home generator are superior and cheaper.

740GLE · Oct 18, 2023

Kenny_ said:
What?

If solar production is lowish for an area is it worth tying up the land? I’d be like putting a wind farm where data clearly shows the wind doesn’t blow.

I guess the bean counters still calculate a reduced MW output per acre, factor in construction costs of a solar farm and make the numbers work somehow.

rhino · Oct 18, 2023

740GLE said:
If solar production is lowish for an area is it worth tying up the land? I’d be like putting a wind farm where data clearly shows the wind doesn’t blow.

I guess the bean counters still calculate a reduced MW output per acre, factor in construction costs of a solar farm and make the numbers work somehow.

I have trouble with solar farms clear cutting large swaths of forests to put up solar panels. I believe Apple Inc. did that for a data center in the north east. Seems counter intuitive in the big picture of things.

chrisski · Oct 18, 2023

740GLE said:
I guess the bean counters still calculate a reduced MW output per acre, factor in construction costs of a solar farm and make the numbers work somehow.

My guess is government subsidies make the numbers work somehow.

pvgirl · Oct 18, 2023

Also you can't ship power across the country, you still need power production locally, they must be making enough power over their lifetime to make those solar farms worth while, and hopefully reduce our need for coal power, and the pollution many of these plants produce.

Farm Boy · Oct 18, 2023

I seen some where a while back that Ohio has some thing like 173 sunny days per year. So is a good reason to have more panels up for the cloudy days for charging.

Nobodybusiness · Oct 18, 2023

pvgirl said:
Also you can't ship power across the country, you still need power production locally, they must be making enough power over their lifetime to make those solar farms worth while, and hopefully reduce our need for coal power, and the pollution many of these plants produce.

I lived right across the river from Marshall steam station years ago and didn’t even know if was a coal fired plant until someone told me.
Thought it was Nuclear like the one in Charlotte.

timselectric · Oct 18, 2023

They absolutely can and do ship power across the country.
I done some (a small portion) of the wiring for a new nature gas power generation plant. It was built in Crestwood Kentucky. All of its power was sold to Texas customers.

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