climateXchange

marea said:

Is it more “green” to install solar panels than to buy greenpower?

I am in a complex of apartments so putting panels on the roof presents extra difficulties.

Even if that had not been the case, I would probably still have chosen Greenpower. I am now on 100% Greenpower. I held back for a long time because I doubted the suppliers were on the level. These doubts were dispelled when I attended a presentation by ACTEWAGL at the 'Switch to Green' conference. They gave details about where and how they purchased greenpower, and of the government auditing process in place. At that time 70% of Canberra's alternative energy was coming from windpower. The rest may have been hydro, and there may have been a thin slice of a third source. 

I buy greenpower because there is no capital outlay for me, and no hassles, and it is generated in industrial scale facilities. I want to encourage the building of more large scale facilities. Only large scale facilities will solve non-domestic power needs. 

I have doubts about panels on the roof. Firstly, it is still the most expensive way of producing alternative electricity. The cheapest at present is wind power. However, I salute those who choose to install panels. By supporting the PV industry they are increasing that industry's economies of scale, thus keeping the manufacturers in business, and PV technology is improving rapidly. I have seen a media report suggesting that before very long it may be cheap enough to compete with coal fired electricity. 

it's all good.