Disclaimer: The raw usage numbers are from my EV and Solar apps. I used ChatGPT to calculate the percentages and come up with CO2 values for ICE cars and fossil fuel power plants. I didn’t double check its calculations so those values could be off. (13/12)

📣 Final Thought:
Solar and EVs are great steps forward, but they’re tangled up in systems and individuals whose goals don’t always align with what my vision of a better future is. But that’s true of pretty much *every* aspect of consumerism

It’s complicated. 🌍🛠️ (12/12)

But…
Solar isn’t for everyone. It’s an investment with long-term returns.

But if you care about reducing your reliance on the grid, lowering your carbon footprint, and future-proofing your energy costs—it’s worth a look. (11/12)

🤔 So, Is Solar Worth It?
For me: Yes.
• I’m saving money (slowly).
• I’m driving cheaper and cleaner.
• I’m reducing my carbon footprint.
• And there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing my roof powers my life.
• The battery backup means we don’t really worry about power outages. (10/12)

💸 The Societal Cost of buying that brand:
The cost of putting money in the pocket of someone I believe is harming the world through their wealth can’t be ignored—or easily quantified.

It’s something I struggle with every time I consider my energy & transportation choices. (9/12)

🚗 What About the EV?
• Model Y: 5.03 miles per kWh efficiency.
• Cost per mile: $0.026 (EV) vs $0.125 (Gas SUV)
• Carbon impact: 97% lower emissions than a fossil-fueled car.

It’s cheap. It’s clean. It works. (8/12)

🛠️ The Reality Check:
• Financial break-even on solar install is still many, many years away.
• Solar isn’t a “get-rich-quick” scheme.
• But it’s a cleaner, more resilient energy source, and the environmental benefits are immediate. (7/12)

📊 Home Energy Breakdown:
• 83% Grid (Nuclear, low carbon)
• 11% Solar
• 6% Battery (stored solar)

While the grid still plays a big role, solar covers key hours, reduces strain, and cuts my reliance on external energy. (6/12)

🌍 The Environmental Impact:
• My solar setup prevented 2.36 metric tons of CO₂ emissions—like driving 5,800 miles in a gas car.
• My car powered mostly by solar and nuclear grid, emitted just 2 g CO₂ per mile.
• Fossil fuels would’ve meant 80 g CO₂ per mile and more power plant emissions. (5/12)

💸 The Financials:
• I saved $628 on my electricity bill through solar (and battery).
• Charging my EV cost me $336 for 12,990 miles driven.
• An equivalent gas SUV would’ve cost $1,624 in fuel.
• That’s a savings of $1,288 just from driving electric.(4/12)

🔋 The Basics:
• I generated 5.9 MWh of solar energy in 2024.
• My home was 100% solar-powered for 1,928 hours (22% of the year).
• Solar and battery combined, I was self-powered 38% of the year.

🚗 EV Charging:
• Solar: 10.6% (274 kWh)
• Battery: 6% (154 kWh)
• Grid: 83.4% (2,157 kWh)(3/12)

First some background. I live just outside of Chapel Hill NC.
• My house has some trees around it and faces east/west.
• I have a 6.24 kW roof panel system with a battery backup.
• The battery and EV is made by that company that starts with T.
• Grid power is nuclear. (2/12)