Solar energy kits & Wind turbine kits

5 Comments

1. N a e
   Posted September 5, 2009 at 9:49 am | Permalink

   Cost: 5$ / Watt.

   So to run a 100 Watts incandescent lamp, it requires a system that costs 500$.
   Check the power load required at this house.

2. Edesigner
   Posted September 5, 2009 at 9:49 am | Permalink

   Well are you sitting down…..A recharge system for a battery system is going to come in at about 3-4 watts per square foot..so lets use a system that works at 50% that’s 3 x 800 sq ft= 2400 watts .. a good panel at 150 watts is about 300 dollars connect them all together that’s 16 each ..the controller will be about 395 for a cheap one and the batteries and inverter will get upwards of 800 ..all total for materials your at 5695 add enough for racks wiring and the incidentals . your over the 6k mark..Now if that is 40% of the job an the labor is 60 % your looking at 9000 labor ..So about 16000 is not to bad an estimate…still awake ,,smelling salts anyone…here’s some help ..the US Govt, Is going to give you a 1 to 1 tax break in the near future for you efforts by the time your through and take the tax credits you may be able to live with the cost..I am a member of the Texas Solar Energy Society try contacting Lucy at the home page for some ideas on the tax credits….Have a good one…From the E

3. protoham
   Posted September 5, 2009 at 9:49 am | Permalink

   First thing you should realize is that it takes 20 years of energy to make a solar panel. Solar panels last about 40 years. So until they come out with a new process that uses less energy I would not waste the time. This is a bad solution at this time.

   These numbers come from a BP Solar engineer, formally Solerex, in Frederick MD

4. AltE Solar Panels
   Posted September 5, 2009 at 9:49 am | Permalink

   There are many variables involved into this equation, and in my experience, you need all the help you can get !

   This is a very useful Load calculator : http://store.altestore.com/calculators/load_calculator/

   The expertise and knowledge of the team at http://store.altestore.com/ is second to none.

5. roderick_young
   Posted September 5, 2009 at 9:49 am | Permalink

   How much a system costs depends mainly on how much electicity the house uses, and where the house is located. There can be a difference of 50:1 between a super-efficient home, and one that has central electric heat and air, and a pool. Solar electricity is dear, so a system will be carefully sized at only what makes sense, unlike grid electricity, which simply hooks up a lot of power, whether you use it or not. The only way to get a decent estimate on price is to gather up a year of electric bills, and get a solar contractor to do a free quote.

   Our system is 3 kW, and cost $12k net to put up. We are relatively light energy users, and live in the San Francisco bay area. Further north, a bigger system would be required for the same energy, further south, smaller.

   Solar panels have come a long way. In the 1970’s, a panel would never pay back the energy required to manufacture it. Ten years ago (1999), the US National Renewable Energy Lab put this sutdy out http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35489.pdf estimating the energy payback time as 4 years max for crystalline silicon, 2 years for thin film. Contemporary panels such as First Solar’s, which use no silicon, are likely to pay back their manufacturing energy in less than a year.