Electric car efficiencies

[Frank Lee]

It would cover my 120 kwH/mo consumption AND I'd be able to tell the coop to shove it where the sun don't shine!

[TheEnemy]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

James I'll take a 1000 KW array for $1000. I have the cash in hand and can install it myself. Just tell me where to go to get the panels.

That should cover my average 1200 KW per month consumption, right.

regards
Mech

Dang, thats almost double my peak summer consumption with refridgerated air and a swimming pool.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

It seems an EV makes the most sense for multi-car families. The EV can be used for everyday short trips, and the conventional vehicle for the road-trips or other long drives. I'm a single guy that needs 1 car to do it all, so EV is out.

I'm also single and I've thought about selling my gasoline car and only owning an EV, when I replace my current EV with one that is less then 30 years old and goes over 40mph then I'll most likely be an EV only single guy... so I don't really agree with you that you can't have an EV as your only vehicle.

This leads me to my next point, EVs are uncool. Even if they make economic sense, they must also make "emotional" sense for the majority of people to purchase them. Men purchase cars that are fun to drive and project a certain image to women.

Funny, I've had a few people laugh at my electric car, then I had a woman I know come up to me and tell me that she's had a photo of it framed and hanging on her wall for the last 4 years... turns out she was really impressed by what some people think of as a dorky little wedge shaped car!

EVs don't have just economic hurdles to overcome, but also image problems. They have to appeal to more than just wealthy older couples and environmental zealots before the other 90% will purchase them.

I guess I do know a few older couples (in their 50's) with EV's... but most of the people I know with EV's are young or have kids and I only know a handful of people who have EV's who have very much money, most are like me and have part time jobs, but maybe that is just me, I only know 20 or so people with EV's, card carrying member of the Electric Auto Association.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

That is discounting the fact that things happen, hail, accidents etc...

I've never heard of someone having their PV panels taken out by hail, the friends who were over earlier today were telling me about their house getting hit by 2.5" hail a years back that took out their green house and dented their cars but didn't harm their PV panels that charge their electric car, electric tractor and off grid house.

can you find me panels at $1/w

The solar installer I was talking to last week offered me some name brand PV panels for $1.50 per watt (25 year warranty too) but I had to turn him down because I have my name on some that are $.89 per watt due to a liquidation sale where 1,000's of pallets of them were sold off at that price, with a flood on the market like that the price is coming down.
In 1984 we paid, what would be close to $18 per watt in todays dollar for panels that have held up to hail, wind, being removed and re-installed on other buildings and are working just as well today as they did 28 years ago.

[TheEnemy]

Guess I'm just a little pesamistic about how long they will last, after every solar system PV and thermal, and skylight in town was taken out by hail a few years ago. It really made a mess of town.

Edit to add: Are you converting to DC or are you still needing to buy inverters?

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

Guess I'm just a little pesamistic about how long they will last, after every solar system PV and thermal, and skylight in town was taken out by hail a few years ago. It really made a mess of town.

Edit to add: Are you converting to DC or are you still needing to buy inverters?

Enphase grid tie micro inverters will be the most likely route because they add around $.50 per watt to the system and also have a 25 year warranty.

If you had the kind of hail that can take out PV panels then I'm sure your area got natural disaster relief, the last system I saw time I saw PV installed (3 blocks away, a few months ago) the installer was stepping on the panels while installing the system, it's not recommended, but the laminated safety glass is pretty impressive stuff, but if you get hail, like you had, that destroys everything in it's path then sure, it's going to destroy everything in it's path!!

[TheEnemy]

Nope it took too long to get the estamates in because we didn't have any infrastructure to handle that many housholds. For me it took over a month to get my truck looked at, then another 2 weeks to get the windshield replaced. $4,500 and I got lucky. We only had 1 week to turn in the forms. Then the fly by night groups set up shop and took off with quite a few peoples money.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

James: can you find me panels at $1/w let alone $1 kw everytime I look for a system (inverter wiring instalation) I have a hard time even getting down to $20,000 for a 5kw system, that comes out to $4 per watt.

Google.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by TheEnemy

Guess I'm just a little pesamistic about how long they will last, after every solar system PV and thermal, and skylight in town was taken out by hail a few years ago. It really made a mess of town.

And how often does that happen? Get an 8.0 earthquake in California, or a tornado in Kansas, and sure enough, it will take out your solar panels, along with the rest of your house. Insurance covers the replacement cost, and the chance of it happening in any particular place is figured into the cost of insurance.

Though we did have a bit of a fire hereabouts the other week, and as far as I can tell from casual glances, the places with solar (or wind turbines) seem to have survived quite well - certainly better than the ones with shake roofs.

[NeilBlanchard]

Both of my nephews are working for a solar installation company called Astrum (they are hiring!) and they have various financing packages, including a zero down installation, and you pay over time an amount that is about half of what you are currently paying for electricity.

There are several other companies out there doing the same thing; here in the USA and in England, too. Essentially, they lease your roof space, and you get the electricity for a very low rate. They pay for installation, and they get the carbon credit, because they can reduce the electricity they need to generate with carbon fueled plants.