relieving electir bill to support more tanks!

[Oreo]

What I would do to have $150/mo electric bills again. I can't get that low even with the air / heat / lights off entirely for the whole month!

The thing is, amazing strides in solar technology are happening right now but they haven't quite made it to mass production yet. I think in another 5-10yrs there will be a major shift in the economics of solar. With the cost of energy going through the roof (no pun intended) and the cost of solar comming down- potentially very quickly over the next few years I think it will be a no-brainer type decision soon. Seeing someone post here about this demonstrates that it's already happening.

It's a good thing every time someone goes solar because they're supporting the solar market's economies of scale.

 

[Knowdafish]

Where'd my post go??

 

[rallysman]

Awesome work!!
I've been eying some of this stuff http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_6970_762991+770399+6228

 

[ilikewomen]

Very nice,but in my house in Mexico, i spent about $8000 USD on panels and it would only support about 1500 watts, 3 400 watt heaters and that was all i would run on it. But it did cut my bill down.

 

[cjfrontlovr]

I'm still interested in knowing the full economics of the system too. But at $1000 per panel, cjfrontlovr has $36000 in just panels. That would still have the system pay for itself in only 4-6 years (rough estimate).


There is a manufacturer in Iceland that is producing broad spectrum solar panels that produce significantly more power than traditional panels. I am surprised that we don't hear about them.

i will have about 40k invested with an EXPECTED rebate of 14k.installation by myself (electrician)..payback is not that quick, but puc(public utilities commision) has added a 10cent tax (yet to be applied) to california electric bills..with energy costs acting the way they are, i thought it best to get involved now rather than later.

europe is WAY ahead of us in use of solar power..our government has their heads way to far up their a@@sses to help..lucky for californians, arnold introduced the california solar initiative to give rebates and get people involved..hopefully it will get more people involved...regardless, now i can add more tanks and such without paying .30 a kilowatt hour! a good deal in my mind!

as far as the icelande thing..theres a big push to get solar panelks made of "green" materials..research is on going and hopefully some great results in the future..people need to be aware and with energy prices as they are, people are finally paying attention..myself included!

 

[King Edward]

Government grants have backfired spectacularily. They were introduced in europe, notably germany, with the express intention of enabling economies of scale to cause the price of solar cells to drop rapidly. They achieve the exact opposite. Solar cells are made of silicon, the best silicon is that used to make computer chips. Government grants led to increased demands for solars cells which led to an increased demand for high quality silicon, which put the solar industry in a direct bidding war with the chip manufacturers and they have deep pockets. A 1 kg silicon ingot cost $40 a few years ago. This soon rose to $400, making solar cells more expensive than when only a few were being made! And a complete waste of taxpayers money.

Dye sensitised thin film solar cells are all the rage at the minute, and will soon be hitting the streets. If our current project works (or someone beats us to it) we will have a very cheap and fast way of manufacturing these without the need for expensive silicon. Though the dye we use cant be called cheap at £20,000 a gram!!!!!! Thankfully it goes a LONG way! Cheap cells will be here within 5 yrs...or I'll have been sacked!

 

[drgnfly829]

is it worth it in a year or two to get a home equity loan and do the solar thing/
I am technology impaired so would be paying for all work done.
it makes sense to me to have both grid tied and battery( or the capability to do so in case the power goes out)
ah well first step is doubleing the insulation
next would be to get an estimate

 

[cjfrontlovr]

is it worth it in a year or two to get a home equity loan and do the solar thing/
I am technology impaired so would be paying for all work done.
it makes sense to me to have both grid tied and battery( or the capability to do so in case the power goes out)
ah well first step is doubleing the insulation
next would be to get an estimate

if your bill is 800 a month, i'd say its worth it..

 

[King Edward]

is it worth it in a year or two to get a home equity loan and do the solar thing/
I am technology impaired so would be paying for all work done.
it makes sense to me to have both grid tied and battery( or the capability to do so in case the power goes out)
ah well first step is doubleing the insulation
next would be to get an estimate

In the very near future the price of cells will shrink rapidly, you need to keep an eye on whats coming before investing a sizeable amount. Its like buying a computer!

If you want them installed/quote my grandad runs a solar cell installation company in PG county. Hes like my first 70's fluval filter...refuses to stop working ....

 

[soggysandwich]

thats sweet. now where there is a power outage in your area you'll still have power and wont loss any fish.