Unlike wind and hydro, which require dealing with governments and experts, solar can be sold to anyone with enough money to buy it.

This means that there are a ton of scumbags looking to profit off of those who do not know any better by spreading misinformation and, well, any other tactic they can think of to enrich themselves further.

I’ve started thinking about this because whenever a discussion about clean energy comes up, there’s almost always “solar shills” trying to peddle rhetoric that makes solar out to be the superior option even when it clearly isn’t. I have a feeling this is because those individuals have been manipulated by businesspeople into believing and sharing falsehoods so the next time one of their salepeople tries to sell a layperson solar, said layperson is more likely to have come across some propaganda to tilt them more towards making a purchase.

Money brings out the worst in people. I unfortunately don’t hold the people in the solar industry above what I’m accusing them of, and if you’ve been convinced that solar is some kind of panacea relative to other forms of energy, it’s possible you’ve been subjected to propaganda to exploit our naivete.

  • IWW4@lemmy.zip
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    10 hours ago

    It is easy to sell anything to uneducated customers. That is how Car dealerships survive.

    The vast majority of people have no idea of finances. Car dealerships know how to exploit that.

  • blarth@thelemmy.club
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    16 hours ago

    I will agree with you that the way solar generation for residences is sold is scammy and predatory. This tactics and business models have given it a bad name. However, buying your own setup and installing it? Great technology, 11/10.

    • spongebue@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      Do you know where to start with something like that? I’m pretty handy, love working with electrical stuff, and live in a very sunny area (Colorado)… But I am also afraid of heights and have a really high roof on my split-level house. Is there any reasonable way to buy the material, hire out anything that involves a ladder, and do everything on the ground myself? I always thought it would be pretty much all or nothing (DIY vs having it done) but now you have me thinking…

      • blarth@thelemmy.club
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        6 hours ago

        I haven’t done it myself, but I watch a lot of YouTubers who build off grid with solar power as part of their setup. I’ve found they are a great source of practical knowledge representative of real world performance and challenges.

  • psx_crab@lemmy.zip
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    15 hours ago

    I’ve started thinking about this because whenever a discussion about clean energy comes up, there’s almost always “solar shills” trying to peddle rhetoric that makes solar out to be the superior option even when it clearly isn’t.

    What makes you said so?