DIY Solar PV panels sold at Lowes

[solarguy]

If you count the inverter, five bucks a watt is not expensive at all. If they are monocrystaline panels, that would be dirt cheap in fact. In ballpark terms, you figure the balance of system components cost as much or more as the panels themselves.

HTH,

troy

[luvit]

$5/W is very high unless the inverter supports other panels in a series...

[smokeyj]

Not to hijack the thread, but I would just like to point out. Before you spend your eco-dollars on this kind of thing you should first consider caulking, insulation, CFL lamps, water heater blankets, insulating your pipes and so on.

These mods pay for themselves quickly and frequently improve the comfort of your dwelling. At $4W for a solar panel you get about 1.6kWH per year with a retail value of 25c or so. So in 16 yrs it pays for itself. In fact with all the various rebates and so forth your cost will be lower so the payback improves, but it still isn't super.

[Christ]

That's what I'm figuring, as well.

I don't know much about grid-tie inverters, so I can't really say anything there, but barring that, assuming that the inverter is even 25$ of the cost of the kit, $3 a watt and I still have to install it? Not a chance.

Also, I think most of the rebates are for having them professionally installed, not DIY kits.

[solarguy]

Grid tie full sine inverters are furiously expensive compared to cheapo modified sine wave stand alone inverters. And yes, the integrated inverters in the product under discussion are plug-n-play scalable. Up to a certain number, you just plug another one in and you're good to go. Labor costs and parts count are much lower than the traditional way of assembling a system. That's the whole point of the system.

I would like for anybody to show me monocrystaline panels selling for under 3 bucks a watt that are available to me right now. Or even 4 bucks a watt.

I believe, I just want proof.

Whether or not this is the best way to invests your green money budget is a whole other conversation. Electrical conservation methods will typically give you 3x to 5x the return on kwh's saved per dollar invested.

Finest regards,

troy

[Jethro]

I'd love to cover the front side of the roof with Solar Panels. (South facing)

But it's not my house (I'm living with the parents to pay down student loans etc from my undergrad while working FT and getting my MBA). My dad is all about simple little things like CFLs, but when I start talking about replacing the picture windows on the north side of the house (view to colorado border) with something thats double pained he rolls his eyes.

Solar is a really trick idea. I've always wanted to make a carport that has solar cells as 'roofing' just seems like a double + cause you still get SOME light through it, but it'd keep your car WAY cooler, and help offset your E bill.

[G2TDI]

Are there federal credits for these also?

[gone-ot]

...the new "eco" efficiency coefficient: nu = (money OUT / money IN)

[rmay635703]

Although I don't see it on the net much there are places that make solar cooling systems. They do not use electricity to make the "cool" and are much more efficient/cost effective than using PV to make solar cooling, in fact there is one place making both portable solar vacine refridgerators for 3rd world countries and large scale business solar cooling systems in the Wausau business incubator.

If you have a junked out gas powered refridgerator you can use the sun coupled with a big screen magnifyer to make your own passive AC albeit much less efficient but still cheaper than PV cooling.

Cheers
Ryan

Originally Posted by cfg83

NeilBlanchard -

I will go check them out. How many panels would it take to run one 110 volt wall-mounted AC unit like this? :
Quick calcs :

5,050 BTU AC uses ? watts/110 volts = 20 amps
=> 20 * 110 = 2200 watts
=> 2200 / 175 watts per panel = 12.5 panels
=> 13 panels
=> $11,700
=>

Nevermind ...

CarloSW2

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by solarguy

I would like for anybody to show me monocrystaline panels selling for under 3 bucks a watt that are available to me right now. Or even 4 bucks a watt.

I believe, I just want proof.

troy

??? SolarMaxDirect.com - Lowest Prices Solar Panels Photovoltaic Modules Wholesale Inverters Racking Mounting System For Sale Power Commercial Installation PV Solar Energy Installer ???

No offense but the going rate in bulk has been hovering in the $2.25 per watt area for some time now (on both poly and mono), price kinda got hung up there though. Also most poly panels are getting into the same efficiency range, some even higher depending on who you are comparing when compared to mono crystal panels and yes they both can be had for the same prices.

$1 per watt solar panels have been coming and going also, key is you better be able to pick the stuff up as shipping is very high.

Cheers
Ryan