A whole new world: Why my electric Kona and 10kW rooftop solar make sense

The Driven

Maybe it’s because my forebears were Greek that I pride myself on rational thinking and behaviour, the ancient Greeks being renowned for philosophy (literally translated as “love of wisdom”).

For me, this means a search for truth and thinking logically about it.

So, let me be right up front – I accept the science and what the scientists say, and I believe we are heading into a climate catastrophe.

This, together with my inquiring nature and willingness to take risks, were factors in ordering a Hyundai Kona electric vehicle and a large (10.2 kilowatt) solar power system to power the car and our 2-person household the Monday after the last Federal election.

This wasn’t a folly, or an act of protest on my part.

Rather, with a background in cost accounting and a high annual mileage, I was satisfied that my decision was both economically rational and environmentally responsible.

The cost of the solar power system (pictured above) and upgrading to the electric Kona from a similarly equipped petrol version was about $45,000, but we should get this back in around 8 years through savings in vehicle running costs and reduced electricity charges.

After that we will be ahead.

I financed the upfront costs by drawing down on our home mortgage and we are paying it back monthly with the money we would have spent on petrol, maintenance and electricity, so there is no impact to our cash flow.

To read the original story on RenewEconomy sister site, The Driven, click here…