09.25.07

Non true statements I have read about solar and renewable power.

Posted in Solar Power at 1:56 pm by Don K.

There are statements that the sun don’t shine at night or there are rainy days and solar don’t produce during these times, so Solar Power is not worth it. How so very true, however, the statement is uninformed or the posters are not really thinking it over very well.

It may be raining at my house but on the other side of town it is bright and sunny. This is when I tap into the grid to supply power to my home. My good friend on the other side of town with the bright sunlight is feeding power into the grid, which in turn is supplying my electrical needs.

The nighttime part of the statement is not well thought out either, because we have many hydro power plants all over the USA. The use of wind power along with solar and hydro will easily cover our needs. If everyone would install solar and wind power on their homes and business we would not have a need for coal or nuclear or even natural gas power plants. We might not even need to start wars over oil any more. Out kids would be safe because they would no longer be shot at over black gold.

Just my thoughts.

Don K.

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Can you make money from solar or renewable energy?

Posted in Solar Power Grid Tie at 1:56 pm by Don K.

I noticed in yahoo answers, some forums and other blogs that there is a lot of confusion on if solar power is profitable or not. This seems to be a question that is answered over and over. In some places it is not profitable and will only break even. Other places you will land a good return on your investment.

A simple way to look at it is:

If you are using a public utility for your power needs you are renting your power. Have you ever rented a car and later noticed after 4 years having to give the car back or pay for it. You have nothing if you are renting.

You never see people sell their homes because they want to rent a place to live. It is more in the line of renters want to buy a home. So why would you want to rent electricity when you could own it?

Here is a thought, You checked on buying and installing a solar electric system. You was told that it would cost you around $36,000. Your first thought is WOW, that is not worth it. I currently only pay $100 per month electric bill so why would I want to pay that much.

Do the math. A grid tie solar electric system last about 30 years plus with out you doing anything more then sweeping some snow or hitting it with the water hose to get the dust off the panels.

Now back to the math, One hundred dollars a month over 30 years is guess what, Yup $36,000 and then if your add in the lower end of inflation of 3.5% increase per year you are hitting closer to $100,000 in rental utility electric. You could buy almost three solar electric systems for that amount. Or a solar electric system AND a new Corvette to set in your driveway.

Think about the fact that if you after 5 years you wanted to sell your home and move on. You can only recover the cost of your home in the sale if you were renting electricity from the utility. But you could add 20% to the cost of the installed solar power plant and make a profit. Then if your electric bill was $100 per month for the last 5 years, that is $6,000 of free electric.

Sounds like there is a real profit in solar to me.

Check out this page http://www.oynot.com/how-solar.html and find the link “Price and cost Planner” it is an excel spread sheet that will show you your savings over time.Don K.

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