this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2026
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It's probably just AI generated bs.
Generally, solar takes 10+ years to break even in a residential situation, I can't see how things would be 10x cheaper at the TWh scale.
I don't agree with the "AI-generated" claim. Gavin Mooney appears to be a real person working with Kaluza, an Australian company which presents itself as:
(So a financial conflict of interest, but one I happen to agree with.) I just attribute it to a "shitty, token attempt at sourcing because nobody really checks these things" mindset.
When energy prices went crazy in the UK a while back I heard of some people getting under a year payback times. My energy usage is much lower than theirs so it would take me quite a bit longer though. A lot of the costs are fairly static.
At this point a battery alone might be a better investment. Cheaper install and using off peak rates to charge could drop my per unit costs from 24 to 8. But I think even that would take years to pay for myself. It's also annoying because the grid should already be fucking doing this! Why should I have to do it myself in a setup that is going to be far less efficient in costs than doing it at grid scales with bulk buying of batteries?
The tech exists today, I can buy it.
Economies of scale
Maybe.
I can't find any gavinmooney profiles on any socials... even x dot com.
For DYI plug-in small scale solar and meter running backwards (balkonkraftwerk scenario) for 0.3 eur/kWh break even is less than 2 years.
DYI larger/meter not running backwards but with battery buffering it's longer. Anything else requires a licensed electrician, and that does set you back.
The infographic is using 10c/watt as solar panel only. Your 10 year payback is based on tariffs, permits, sales comissions, and a monopoly utility designed to make solar prohibitive. In Australia, payback is about 2 years. But, yes, at utility scale the lack of BS costs make a giant difference. Under $1/watt installed instead of $3+/watt.