PV Gap

Alfred Said:

Wind generators on cell phone towers -- are solar panels too expensive?

We Answered:

1. If they're 6 foot in size they must be for electricity.
2.So they can be used in low wind.
3.Wind is cheaper and makes more power. Solar has good pr from people who know really nothing about it.

Size of th battery would most likely be the same seeing you can run out of wind just as long as you run out of light on rainy days.

Edwin Said:

What is the best electrical estimating book available?

We Answered:

Go to http://rsmeans.reedconstructiondata.com/

Louis Said:

Solar Panels: How many sq ft. of panels would I need...?

We Answered:

While installing solar panels, the size of your house doesn't count for much. What counts are:
- Your location (northwestern NJ in your case)
- How much sun you get per day
- How much of pure solar power you intend to use
- Any tax rebates you're likely to get for installing a solar unit

To work best solar panels need to be aimed South, tilted at around 15-40 degrees (depending of course on your specific location).

The average installation cost of the system if you do it yourself works out to around $7 per watt, or $9 if you have it installed by a licensed contractor. That includes the cost of panels, inverters, wire and other hardware.

Pedro Said:

What are some energy problems in NJ?

We Answered:

The biggest problem that I know of is the difficulty in building new high tension power lines to carry the increasing load.

Claudia Said:

Saving Money / Green Geothermal vs Solar?

We Answered:

Research; "energy envelope", air penetration mitigation, check your current level of insulation and look into beefing that up, new windows in older homes can save more too... just going out and buying the latest and greatest won't be your best solution with out looking into some of these other things that are so basic many people over look them!

Now that you've done all that you can to SAVE energy, look into the alternatives for generating power and or geothermal for heating and cooling. These are 2 different issues... does that make sense?

You don't have to go out and buy a new home, fix the one you have! There is lots of great info out there, look at case studies that fit your situation and do what they have done...

The link below is just a place to start, good luck!