Just when I thought it might have learned not to, The Bulletin publishes another uncritical story on Oct. 24 promoting the economic benefits of solar electric power. It reports that the Redmond dentists’ new solar panels are expected to produce about 21,157 kwh/year — about 84 percent of the office’s electrical needs — which currently range from $340 to $435 per month. The spokesman for the company that sold the system reports that with the various rebates and incentives, the system will pay for itself in four to five years. This does not seem possible.

My Pacific Power residential rate, which is higher than the business/commercial rate the dentists should be paying, is $0.11/kwh. Even using this higher rate, I calculate that saving 21,157 kwh/year will save about $2,327/year or $194/month. Since the system’s net cost was $35,000, the payback time would be at least 15 years, not four to five. But the system’s real cost — without the various federal, state and corporate handouts — is reported as $90,000, which means the real payback will be at least 39 years.

But even if we accept the story’s rosy predictions and the dentists recover their investment in four to five years, what about the rest of us? When will the federal and state taxpayers and Pacific Power ratepayers recover our investment? I, for one, am not holding my breath.

Jeff Keller

Bend