PV Gap

Jerome Said:

How much does it cost to install a solar-powered pool heater for an indoor school pool?

We Answered:

To achieve total solar heating, the panel square footage must equal 50% of your pool's square footage (length x width). The panels are usually 2x20, 2x12, or 2x10. So really it would depend on the square footage of your pool and what size panels you plan to use. Try the website below that sells pool heaters. There is more info there.

Douglas Said:

how much does it cost to establish a wind turbine and solar power?

We Answered:

Your question is very general but I will try to give you some info.

Solar power is very expensive, far more expensive than wind generated power.
The average cost is about $10 per watt of power or about $0.25 per kWh.
This is because it is very costly to manufacture the photovoltaic panels and many
are needed around 25,000 for a two MW installation.
The cost will be less as new materials are developed such as: flexible solar material
50x thinner than today's solar panels that can be painted on.
This may eventually reduce the cost to $1 per watt of power.

The blades for wind power can be made of lightweight fiberglass and carbon and
can range from 60 to 200 feet in length. The towers must be constructed from sturdy steel trusses. And these structures can be from 200 to 600 feet tall.
The blade tips can turn as fast as 100 mph. And the power generated is proportional
to the cube of the speed. At the present time, about 1 to 5 MW of power can be generated by the wind, enough power for 2000 homes at a cost of $0.05 per kWh.

Hope this helps!

Tamara Said:

About cost of setting up solar power plant!?

We Answered:

Its about Rs 200 per watts. For 5 mega watts, its 1 billion rupees ( rs 100 crores!) Its too high, is it not? The load factor is not high ( u don't produce electricity at night). If u take interest cost of remaining 20 crores, which u have to put, and with an overall load factor of 20% at best, your energy cost would be close to Rs 15 per kWh.

Are there any buyers at this cost?

Melanie Said:

Will solar & wind power ever be cost effective on a large without government subsidies?

We Answered:

Not only cost effective, but profitable to the participants.
I am currently (no pun) building a wind turbine generator, for under $500. I had to buy a welder (got a deal) and if it works out, I'll be building more of them, for sale.
If you have the proper type of electric meter outside your home, it will run backwards as you generate your own electricity, if you generate more than you use. Thus, you can actually make money doing this. If you end up with an electric vehicle and charge it at home...
You get the picture.
Here's a search results page for this, called "Distributed Generation"-------
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=distrib…
The wind turbine generator:
http://www.otherpower.com/trips3.html
Check it out. They also have a 20 foot diameter version for greater output (more involved, more costly initially) that I may build later on.
I also have plans for a personal solar-trough type generator
that involves a closed-circuit water/steam system.