solar panels or electric car?

sazzlebgood

we have some savings which would be better from an environmental point of view solar panels or electric car?

wellused

Depends which direction your roof faces and how much energy your household consumes against how vital it is for you to run a car and how much fuel you consume.

PasturesNew

Solar panels = worth getting the maths done as you'll save a lot of money from getting the right ones, in the right circumstances.

Electric car = not as good/useful as people'd make out. Expensive to buy, limited places you can go (range/where to top up) and the batteries cost a fortune to replace.

In fact, if you got the solar panels, it might even be possible to pay for an electric car (on finance) from the 'profits' you make.... if you want to do the maths and see if you can have your cake and eat it.

DaftyDuck

Short answer: Solar panels.

CLAPTON

sazzlebgood wrote: »

we have some savings which would be better from an environmental point of view solar panels or electric car?

solar panels are unethical, as much of the cost (subsidies), falls on the poorest in our society via their utility bills

Davesnave

CLAPTON wrote: »

solar panels are unethical, as much of the cost (subsidies), falls on the poorest in our society via their utility bills

Although I suspect the OP meant this to go in the Green and Ethical Forum, it didn't.

There has to be a carrot to encourage individuals to install renewables, as many people seem to have dislike the look of them, or question their reliability. Where that carrot comes from matters, but the decisions of government shouldn't be heaped at the doors of individuals IMO.

Living_proof

Solar panels. I have them and have considered buying a Nissan Leaf but whilst it would be good for all my local tiddling about it would mean that the four or five hour journey to see my children would extend to six or eight hours with the time to stop and re-charge the battery. Overall it would be an expensive option as I wouldn't save anything taking into account the capital expense of the car in the first place.

I do agree that the way solar is encouraged isn't altogether ethical but then again some of the privatisations/sales of council houses/tax loopholes in my lifetime haven't been either.

Anything which concentrates the mind on consuming less fuel is a good thing but it does have to make financial sense.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

As said solar panels.


Electric car. you have to rent the battery in order to enjoy the car, youd also use electricity to charge them and depending on tariff can be work out more expensive than the savings youd gain. other than inner major cities there absolutely no where to charge them up, so careful planning of where you go and who has a charge point at every trip!.


lease of battery for the car can be upto £2000k per year! can buy one for cost of the yearly lease ontop of RRP of the car, will you save money if you like to change cars periodically every say 3-5 years answer is no will it reduce the impact to the environment by your use in that time, no.


would it suit you to buy a hybrid? don't know you'd have to work out the sums. but I doubt it would. would solar panels increase your house value? might do depending if you stay there and not up and move, would you save on your energy bills? might do depending on tariff.

Rupe30

Ideally both! Charge your electric car from your solar panels = free fuel!

But Solar Panels first, put the cashback from the feed-in-tariff into a pot for an electric car.

panter

CLAPTON wrote: »

solar panels are unethical, as much of the cost (subsidies), falls on the poorest in our society via their utility bills

It's like getting the 3rd class Titanic passengers to pay for rearranging the deckchairs. Unfair and futile.

Still, at least you can't invest in offshore windfarms where it costs three times as much to generate electricity as via gas. Probably more than 3 times now gas prices are falling.