Have you been waiting for PV panels prices to drop?

[Xringer]

After seeing the chart (on the right side of this page),

Solar Photovoltaic, PV Module, Panel Prices

I'm somewhat discouraged. It looks like prices are stuck in the 'expensive' zone and aren't likely to move until someone finds a cheaper way to make them and starts selling at $2 a watt.. (Unlikely to happen in my lifetime).

So, if you (like me) have been thinking of installing PV on the roof, you are probably not on thin ice if you remove the, "what if the prices drop" factor..

[roflwaffle]

Here are some Kaneka 60W thin film silicon panels for ~$3.50/Watt, so prices look to be dropping. If ya wait, there may even be some in the neighborhood of $3/Watt in a year or so.

[Xringer]

Originally Posted by roflwaffle

Here are some Kaneka 60W thin film silicon panels for ~$3.50/Watt, so prices look to be dropping. If ya wait, there may even be some in the neighborhood of $3/Watt in a year or so.

If you buy 25 of them, then it's a pretty good deal.. ($211 vs $240 in smaller qualities).
The panel cost listed on that website was for 125watts & over it was for single panels. Not by the pallet.

I've been looking at those K60 panels for a while now and they seem pretty good.
I'm wondering why they are such a deal.?. Maybe I should buy one and check it out.. See how it looks on my roof?

[Christ]

Another form of solar energy (You just might LOL)

• Lay rubber on your roof.
• Build up your roof's edges approx 3".
• Drill water vents about every 3" (1" pipe leading into whatever you have for a gutter system).
• Add top soil.
• Plant grass and other small greenery.
• Care for it as normal, except mowing, obviously.

Chemical reactions in the soil create heat (only a little bit), which insulates the house better against heat loss in the winter.

The soil is constantly somewhat wet, making it perfect to insulate against heat soak from the sun in the summer.

Plants naturally dine on CO2, so the more of them we have (or the less we displace, however you choose to see it) the better!

EDIT - This, of course, assumes that you're not going to cover your roof in PV cells.

[Xringer]

Originally Posted by Christ

Another form of solar energy (You just might LOL)

• Lay rubber on your roof.
• Build up your roof's edges approx 3".
• Drill water vents about every 3" (1" pipe leading into whatever you have for a gutter system).
• Add top soil.
• Plant grass and other small greenery.
• Care for it as normal, except mowing, obviously.

Chemical reactions in the soil create heat (only a little bit), which insulates the house better against heat loss in the winter.

The soil is constantly somewhat wet, making it perfect to insulate against heat soak from the sun in the summer.

Plants naturally dine on CO2, so the more of them we have (or the less we displace, however you choose to see it) the better!

EDIT - This, of course, assumes that you're not going to cover your roof in PV cells.

I see.. And I get the grass seed from

Marijuana Seeds, Weed Strain Reviews & Ratings, Kush, Cannabis Sativa, Indica | Marijuana Seeds

Sit back and wait for these guys to show up?

Humm, where are their dark glasses???

[Christ]

LOL - not exactly... there are a few bio-gas stations in the country that have grass or plant roofs on them... I thought (why not) use the same idea on a house? It can't hurt...

I might even try it when I build my house... right after I get married, raise a football team, and retire... maybe just before I die.

[Xringer]

I was just pulling your leg..
I've seen those planter roof tops on the HD eco-Green channel. The did them on flat roofs. Mine is steep and this week, mostly covered in snow and ice..

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by Xringer

If you buy 25 of them, then it's a pretty good deal.. ($211 vs $240 in smaller qualities).
The panel cost listed on that website was for 125watts & over it was for single panels. Not by the pallet.

I've been looking at those K60 panels for a while now and they seem pretty good.
I'm wondering why they are such a deal.?. Maybe I should buy one and check it out.. See how it looks on my roof?

Lower production and material costs AFAIK. Considering the cheapest similar product was ~$3.25 according to the article you linked, those are some cheap panels.

The lowest thin film module price is at $3.27 per watt (€2.35 per watt) from a Germany based retailer. As a general rule, it is typical to expect thin film modules to be at a price discount to crystalline silicon (for like module powers). This thin film price is represented by a 60 watt module.

[Ryland]

I've seen low quality PV get cheaper and I've seen stuff made in China become avalible, but personally I'd still spend my money on the stuff that has been proven to work, made by people who will still be around if something does happen to it, I just wish I would have bought some PV while the raw materials that they are made out of where cheaper and demand was down and when the economy was doing well enough that they felt cheaper, but then again everyone was waiting for the price to drop in 10 years.

[Christ]

Everyone is always waiting for the price to drop in 10 years... the problem with that is the company making them can't build operating capital if everyone "waits" and noone "buys."

It's kinda like saying "I almost donated those old shirts, but I threw them away instead."

To us, it's a simple choice most of the time, because we aren't as consumer-driven in our lives as most people tend to be... at least that's how I see it. Either way, the price will never come down, and the company will never thrive if everyone just waits on the sidelines... conversely, some companies might be better placed to benefit their initial customers with such things as cheaper upgrades on new technology, or free service calls, etc. To "sweeten up the deal" for the people who are getting the 1st runs (which obviously still have bugs, and aren't as good as the same re-developed, cheaper product we'll all buy 10 years from now.)