May be time for PV at my house

[dremd]

Few holes in their calculations (Louisiana)

1) Our electricity rate recently went (since my first post) Get this : DOWN 1c/ kwh to 6.9c/ kwh
2) We don't have Property Tax on homesteads.
(State owns lots of oil producing property (offshore) and the money from that takes care of the majority of what property tax would have paid for.
3) as I mentioned above $18~$20 per installed watt. at Those prices they are just subsidizing the installers. (Anybody know how to become a certified solar installer?)
I TRULY do wish this were economical, if it were at least closer (>20 years would work) I would consider this heavily. However at this point I can much better spend my money on conservation (geothermal heat pump would probably pay much better in both carbon and money).


Although the 50% tax credit $ does come from a fund which would otherwise subsidize chemical plants so taking money away from chemical plants is a hidden Bonus.

Quasi-un-related subject:
Oh and the Net metering rule was pushed through by a hydrogen fuel cel project (locally) in 04~05. They ran the fuel cell on Natural gas, used the 5kw of electricity and took the waste heat to power a desiccant wheel. Managed to break even and get a 15 year ROI. And that was when I realized that Hydrogen was going noplace fast.

[Ryland]

I thought that that Nanosolar company sounded pretty good too until I talked to a consultant who worked with them who said that yes, their product is a real product that you can hold in your hands but not to get your hopes up, that it will not meet their claims in the real world.

If installers in your area are getting $18-20 per installed watt then you need to find out what you need to do to become an installer, check out the-mrea.org and look at their class listings.

Originally Posted by fshagan

There are a number of thin film suppliers starting up ... several have proven they can produce PV that they print on film with what amounts to be an ink jet-type printer rather than using the vacuum method with silicone.

Also see Nanosolar Blog

These should bring down the cost of PV arrays in the next two to three years, maybe reducing that 24 year payback to a more reasonable 12 years.

[dremd]

I'm going to have to put off the solar installer until I finnish my current project (2 weeks), but after that I will be looking in to it. And Electrical contractor license, it drives me nuts to call out an electrician to do something I can do just as well (at a customers) with far less trouble for me.

So many certifications so little time.

I've read that NanoSolar is sold out for the next 2 years or so anyway. I'd love a sheet to stick on my cars roof, mostly "Just Cause" but also to augment my battery charging all of my stuff from day to day (Notebook, Drill batteries, other peoples phones, boom boxes mini fridge etc etc) I've had it refereed to as my mobile charging station lol My next thread: What is the most AH's I can cram in to my factory battery location.

[WisJim]

Around here, the current approximate cost for a modest size (2 or 3kw) PV system, installed, complete, ready to go and generating into the grid, is $8 to $10 a watt, according to a friend who is in the business. Tax credits can make it a bit cheaper. Costs vary somewhat according to the size of the system and the details and complexity of installation.

[Arminius]

http://www.dsireusa.org/