PV Gap

Billie Said:

How much do solar panels cost? how many would I need to power a 2100 sq/ft house, also?

We Answered:

Enough Solar Panels to go 100% solar in a house that size is incredibly expensive. I do not know the exact price, but I guarantee if you did some research you would not consider it. BUT if you connect yourself to the grid and let any surplus energy goto the city they are obliged to reimburse you, but only slightly, so you could get your money back. In a number of years, though.

Oh, and I highly doubt you need a permit. Just the know-how and the money.

Clara Said:

how much money do solar panels cost?

We Answered:

In the US, the average electric cost $.15/kw-hr. $2500 means you are using 16700 Kw-hr/month or 550 kw-hr/day.

Since solar panel only make peak kw for about 5 hours per day (in sunny places like (AZ) you will need a 110 kw system. Solar systems cost about $7/watt so your system will cost about $750,000. The government my pay for about $250,000, so be prepared to spend one half a million dollars.

You will also spend about $250/month on maintenance of the system. The system will lose about 1%/year of it's efficiency, so the system will be paid for in 240 months, or 20 years. With in 5 years after the system is paid for, they will have to be replaced, the cost will be another 2 million dollars.

Tyler Said:

Why do solar panels cost so much when they're so good for the environment?

We Answered:

Because they're expensive to make! Costs are falling - silicon panels cost about $7.50/Watt-peak in 2007/08. First Solar's new thin film Cadmium-Telluride cells are being installed at about $3-3.50/Watt-peak and they cost under 90cents/Wp at the factory.

As production increases we'll get economies of scale and costs should continue to fall. Give it a few more years - by the end of the 2010s they should be cost effective in most sunny countries :)




Nate: we might one day get 50%, we already have ~42% in labs. But I don't think they'll be in the first wave of mass market panels. The highest efficiency you can get from a single junction solar cell is 31% or so - this is a fundamental, physical limit (explanation on request). To get higher efficiency you need more layers (ie junctions), which is more expensive. It looks like thin film solar cells will be cheaper for quite some time - dye sensitized ones should be too, and maybe organics if we get a few more breakthroughs.

Even at 10% efficiency, provided your cost is low enough, solar power is good enough to go commercial. Look up the company 'FirstSolar'!

Jackie Said:

how much did your solar panels cost?

We Answered:

Hey Iona, we live in a home that is powered primarily by the wind and sun. Our panels alone cost $5,200 when we installed them 11 years ago, they make up a 1.4 kw solar array, small for home use by most standards. Our home is only 1200 square feet, and is fairly efficient. We spent 2 years changing lighting, appliances and some other features. Prior to putting in the solar array, our average electric bill was probably 35 to 40 dollars per month, now it is less than 5. Our entire system, solar panels, wind turbine, batteries, inverter and other controls cost around $13,000. We received grants and tax incentives for about one quarter of the cost at the time. Have we gotten our money back? Probably not, but I'd do it again in a heart beat. First of all, our home has not been without electricity for even a minute the last 11 years, what would be the price tag on that? Second, when we do a load of laundry or run the TV, we don't add pollution to the air at our coal fired power plant down the road, most of our neighbors do. Third, with the knowledge we've gained over the years, we now teach solar power seminars at the local schools here, and they bring out a bus load of kids from time to time for a field trip to see an actual working solar and wind powered home. The idea is that one day, they might have a choice how to build their home, and I expect at least some of them will do what we have done. Lots of people grow tomatoes instead of buying them at the store, even though it costs more in dollars and time to maintain a garden, we just grow electrons in ours.

If you're really curious about this stuff, I would suggest not wasting your time asking hacks like us online for information, go to the source, or sources, I will list some below. The one thing the renewable energy business has in vast supply right now is misinformation. Take Yes Man's answer, I'm guessing he has never laid a finger on a solar panel, yet he is willing to offer his advice on the matter to you. Solar panels do earn back their, "embodied energy," in their lifetimes, generally in 2 to 6 years. Embodied energy refers to the amount of energy it takes to mine for raw materials, ship to the factory, build the device, ship to the user point and install it. Studies have been done on this by several sources, but it really makes no difference, I'll explain why. Let's say you make a solar panel that generates 500 watts, then put it along side a coal or natural gas generator of the same size, which will earn back it's embodied energy faster? The answer is the coal or gas generator never does, because once you manufacture and install it, it then has to be fed more coal or natural gas the rest of its life, so it keeps on digging itself a deeper and deeper energy hole that it can never crawl out of. At least the panel has a chance to get even environmentally. The same is true for wind and biomass power.

Virtual Guys story is a no brainer, anyone facing a line extension fee is always farther ahead with renewable energy. I made the same mistake 21 years ago when I spent almost $3,000 extending lines to my property. If I knew then what I know now, I would have spent the money on solar panels instead, and not had to deal with an electric bill every month for the rest of my life. Good luck Iona, and take care, Rudydoo