PV Gap

Hector Said:

Does anyone have any fundraising ideas so I can buy several solar panels for our house?

We Answered:

Yard sale/ebay
Sell your blood (or a kidney).
Lemonaide stand.
Sell house. Move to one with solar panels already installed.

Terri Said:

If you live in an existing or newly built 3-bedroom house in the Midwest, can you install solar panels on the ?

We Answered:

To supply your appliances, almost certainly.

To heat and cool your house would probably take more energy than solar panels could effectively provide, unless your your house is freakishly insulated, like buried underground one story, no windows, and with foot-thick insulation all around.

How much it costs, and therefore, how cost-effective solar electricity will be depends on the site of your house. If you're in Texas, that's very different from Michigan. You can look up your area on this map:

http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsr…

to find average hours of sun for your area.

Also, you would ideally have a south-facing roof, tilted at the angle of your latitude, and no trees, buildings, or other obstructions to cast shadows on your roof for most of the day.

A typical net cost would be $10,000 - $25,000, for a house that is already conservative on energy.

The best way to find out how much it really costs, and whether your house is well suited for solar electric, is to contact a professional solar installer in your area. They all give free quotes, and you can always say no. The worst that happens is you get an education on solar panels from it.

We put panels on our house. I can send you more info if you email me.

Julia Said:

Solar panels on my house end of year cost?

We Answered:

Take a rifle in your right hand.Load the shells with your left hand.Locate the customer service rep.................BANG**** etc,etc;

Robin Said:

Install either a windmill or solar panels at my house - which one should I do?

We Answered:

I think you'll get more watts per dollar with a wind system, but it can be considerably more complex to install compared to solar PV panels. I was installing a tower with a wind system at the top but the municipal idiots got involved and the tower is still horizontal. Had I decided solar instead the system would likely be working by now.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.…