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Was this an April Fool?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 1:11 pm
by AE-NMidlands
I suspect not...
https://www.ft.com/content/2ea6bf6d-04e ... 6431cfc7bf
Global glut turns solar panels into garden fencing option

Solar panels have become so cheap that they are being used to build garden fences in the Netherlands and Germany, as a boom in Chinese production saturates the global market.

The panels capture less sunlight when used as fencing than they do on roofs, but the process saves on high labour and scaffolding costs, according to analysts and posts on social media by households that have installed them.

“This is the result of solar panels getting so cheap that we’re just putting them everywhere,” said Jenny Chase, lead solar analyst at BloombergNEF. “Since installation cost — labour, scaffolding — is the vast majority of the cost of installing a rooftop PV [photovoltaic] system, it can make sense.”
there were other hits when I looked for it on Google, but (a bit suspiciously) https://www.reddit.com/r/solar/comments ... _building/ was 1 year ago too!

Re: Was this an April Fool?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 1:29 pm
by Countrypaul
Can't read it due to paywall.

Re: Was this an April Fool?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 1:43 pm
by AE-NMidlands
Countrypaul wrote: Wed Apr 03, 2024 1:29 pm Can't read it due to paywall.
I managed to get round it (enough to read it anyway.) Does the quote give you enough to get a feel for it?
Bifacial panels in fields (Agrivoltaics?) have been discussed here before - and these wouldn't have animals trying to push them over...