PV Gap

Tanya Said:

Can you give me some info on Solar Panels?

We Answered:

1. Will save the householder money on energy bills.
2. Unfortunately solar panels in common with wind powered generators and solar water heaters are during their lifetimes net contributers to CO2 emissions, ie for every unit built more carbon products are created than are saved during their lifetime.
Think, digging the raw materials out of the ground, smelting into useful materials, manufacturing the product, transportation of the product, installation, maintenance and eventual scrapping of the devices, all results in a net increase in carbon products. They also consume energy during all of the above.
I realize this is not what your teacher wants you to write but it is nevertheless the truth.
3. in view of the above-none. The only people who will seriously disagree with the above are the manfacturers. Proponents of these devices I'm afraid fall into the same category as those who drive to the bottle bank, well intentioned but sadly misled.
Sorry to burst this particular bubble.
Andy

Sharon Said:

i need firsthand info on solar panels.?

We Answered:

Sorry but I have to ask you a question.. What firsthand info do you want?

I have them in my back yard running my shop, drill press, grinder, lights etc.. I have the same set hooked to my home and they run everything from a microwave to the large tv set and computers.

Bonnie Said:

info on solar panels???

We Answered:

The system that I have experience with is a 3kilowatt system that my colleague installed on his home two years ago.

The cost of the system was a little over $30,000. The annual production of electricity for the year 2006 from January 1 to December 31 was a little over 4,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.

He financed the system with a 6% interest rate loan on his house. the annual interest cost of the system is $1,800 per year.

Based on the cost of the interest alone, the cost of electricity was a little over 45 cents per kilowatt hour.

That is not including depreciation or maintenance of the system.

That is a rather expensive way to produce electricity. I do not know of any utility that charges anywhere nea as much as 45 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity.

If the electric utilities raised their electric rates to 45 cents per kilowatt hour, there would be massive protests all over the United States.