Hi all, It was one year ago today that we installed a 6 kWh, residential PV system (30 Kyocera 200W panels and a SMA 6000U inverter, located in the Los Angeles area). After 365 days, it has generated
It's very cool! But between our dreary winters and lower energy costs I don't think that we can begin to justify it. Maybe in a few years when we build our dream home. -Paul in Grand Rapids, MI _____
Very Cool, Doug! Thanks for the status report. I remember your post from last year. I didn't realize at the time that PV systems had gotten efficient enough to be viable. I've been doing some researc
We don't get the major tax credits in Texas that you get in CA, but I would be interested if it gets down to a 5 to 10 year ROI. The geothermal heat pumps would really be a boost, but system cost is
Something to keep in mind is the new generation of low-cost panels is here. Last December, a company named Nanosolar announced that it has shipped its first low-cost panels ($1 per watt). As more com
It will be interesting to see how long that takes to reach the market. From what I read here, http://www.solarbuzz.com/Moduleprices.htm , that would be a significant reduction. -- Patton Dickson - ht
nanosolar's technology is very promising, but they are on a slow production ramp, and all of their output is already spoken for for at least 12-18 months. end consumers won't see their panels for a c
Keep in mind that a constant price for watt, which is what solar has been for the last 2 or three years, is a price decrease, relative to any non-renewable source. The cost per watt of fossil fuel so
Patton, One nice thing about the PV arrays on your roof is that they sit 4-6 inches above the roof so that air flow underneath them will cool them (they generally are efficiency rated at 68F degrees,