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Solar Research for Solar Project, Solar Power
Posted On 01/23/2009 01:13 PM by ecogreenglobe

I have been researching solar for the past year now and have learned how it works. I have been researching several solar companies that have sparked my interest.  I hope that you guys could help me in narrowing down the company i will choose to go with or help me learn about each component of the system and narrow down some of the brands and products tht go into a solar system if i am to do it myself installation.

So far i have come across 2 kinds of solar companies.

The first kind is the expensive way in, but you purchase the system and installation costs if you don't install it yourself and you own the system. this runs you about 10 to 20 grand from what i'm hearing. This is if you are powering your hole home.

The second kind of solar company is ones where you rent the solar system, there is no installation cost. Theonly cost is a monthly electric bill which is the same amount as you would normally pay, but it comes from the sun. This is a very affordable way of installing a solar system on your home.

The renting companies are a great way to get started, but i'm more of a want it now, and not have to pay an electric bill. So i was leaning more towards the expensive own your own system.

I know solar panels are about a little less than $800.00 per panel for a 180watt panels. I calculated my consumtion of energy in the house and use about 20killowatts which is 20,000 watts a day. so i would need a 21killowatt system, so about 12 panels of 180w solar pv panels.

Thats about $9,000.00 for 12 panels

Since a solar system not only includes panels,but requires mounts, wiring, and ac/dc converters and possibly a couple batteries for energy storage for later use I believe that i should purchase those first and maybe a panel a month and work my way up to 12 panels.

I need pricing for batteries, converters, and whatever else i need to be plugged into the sun. If you have any suggestions, products i should check out and research, or andy advice please feel free to leave a comment.

I have started my solar fund not too long ago so i have a ways to go before i have enough to start the project. And i'm sure the price will go down by the time i get enough money. I just thought i ould get a head start and start researching and making a list of components, companies, and prices.

Good luck to all who are making the effort to do the same! I will keep you posted on my progress and changes in my research.

tags: renewable energy, solar power, alternative energy

Tags: Solar-research Energy-project



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Viewing 1 - 2 out of 2 Comments

From: Martin
02/03/2009 12:31 PM

Thanks for sharing your research with us. Please keep us updated on your progress.

From: GRIZZbear
01/25/2009 08:02 PM

At present my company is pushing the 210 watt panels for 2009. Last year we sold the 180 watt. 300 watt panels are also available - but after reviewing the square foot of roof space required to cost per watt to labor required to material cost ratios - we decided to stay with the 210 watt panels until the 300 watt panels decrease in price.


Concerning the 2 different ways you are thinking about purchasing your PV system - the "expensive way" is probably the best way if you own your home, pay taxes & don't mind looking at the PV system as a future green $$ investment $$ - see my forum post "Return on Investment". A national cost average to have a renewable energy contractor "fully" install a PV panel system with inverter for grid connection is approx. $8.75 (easy installation - single story home) to $11.00 (difficult installation - 2+ story home) per watt of PV panel out put. Ex: at $10.00 per watt a 1 KW pv system would cost $10,000.


Your 2nd way to purchase was leasing/renting the PV system from a leasing firm. Normally these firms like to lease a system that can installed for $7.00 to $7.50 per watt. To get the cost per watt that low a large system installation is required - probably> 50KW. Of course if you lease a system the firm grabs the tax credits & a potential home equity increase would probably be less than if you actually purchased the system.


The average home in the US uses approx. 10,000 to 12,000 KWH per year. If you are using an average of 20 KWH per day or 7300 KWH per year - you are well below the average.


You may now want to ck. your math --> 12 X 180 watt panels = 2160 watts of output of DC current or 2.16 KW not 21.6 KW - in a rush sometimes I'll make the same mistake. Based on your average of 20 KWH per day a 1 KW to 2 KW PV system -I believe would start you out just great. If you have enough roof space you can always increase the size of the system later.


Let's compare electric energy usage to a PV system. If you have an electric water heater (tank type) the water heater element is probably 4500 watts or 4.5 KW - when a water heater kicks on it sucks some juice real fast. A 5 KW PV panel system puts out 5 KW DC current and by the time the current is changed to AC & enters your house electric panel the 5 KW drops by approx. 15% & you now have 4.25 KW to use in your home.


I hope I was able to help you on your journey - feel free to ask me more questions.


Grizz

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