Most people do not comprehend the unreliability and limitations of residential rooftop-mounted solar panels in northern climates during the winter months.

Today is the first day since the Nov. 29 snowstorm, 12 days ago, that my solar panels have generated any power. Similar extended snow cover-based outages have occurred every year since my solar panels were installed in 2020.

Obviously, solar panels only function during daylight hours. During the winter, daylight is far shorter than in other seasons. Moreover, frequent cloud cover sharply limits solar power production far below daily usage demand.

Solar companies are now marketing lithium batteries for reliability at $16,000 apiece or leasing them for 10 years, starting at $130 per month with 2.9% annual increases, plus sales tax, a salesman said in a phone call to me. This is nearly three times the current monthly leasing cost of my 14 panels. My daily winter power demand would require three batteries.

However, thanks to the state of Illinois now imposing its 8.5% sales tax on leased solar panels, my annual savings for pursuing green energy last year were only $89. This demonstrates the limited energy tax-credit-supported savings from residential solar panels and the grossly uneconomical cost of residential battery storage. But weather history proves that residential battery storage in northern Illinois will never be reliable beyond a short-term power failure.

David Albers

Crystal Lake