cheap, plug-in solar panels coming

[gride300]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovat....html?hpt=Sbin

if they have a decent warranty i'll buy one for sure. the average roof panels last about 30 years. not sure about the longevity of these.

[ers906]

Read the same article. Seems like it will be a good enry system over time. Maybe drop a couple of grand to set it up to defer some of the midsumer AZ air conditioning bills over time. At lease I will feel better, especially if the technology drops in price.

[74green]

For some $600 still may seem like a lot to power 1 or maybe 2 incandescent light bulbs. But their estimated cost of $4-6 per watt is cheaper than $7-9 per watt which is what I have seen here in TX. I do like the idea of plugging into the wall vs going back to the panel.

[gride300]

assuming the fed. tax credits are still in effect when this product hits shelves you will get 30%, or 180, off that price. not to mention if your state offers any credits. the tech. has to start somewhere and this is alot cheaper than spending 100$ a sq. ft. to do your whole home. and it doubles as a stoop. i mean if you can offset some of your power that easily it will be good for your bill and good for the environment. we all know everyone on here needs to give back considering how much gas we burn in our trucks and boats.

[east tx skier]

I was listening to a podcast with Steve Dressler, the head brewer from Sierra Nevada. Over the last couple of years, they have added a ton of solar panels to the brewery in Chico, CA. He said the time to recoup the cost for them was between 5--7 years (they are continuing to add them). He also said, that at peak production (by the panels), they are generating 85% of their electrical needs at the brewery. Pretty impressive. He also mentioned that Ken Grossman, the owner of SN, offered employees some sort of incentive to outfit their homes with solar panels. He remarked at how cool it was to sometimes watch his meter spin backwards. Not sure how often that happens, but if the price on these things fell into the reasonable range, I would consider it.

[ers906]

I would definitely consider installing, but with the housing market questions, unknown tax benefits, unknown short future political climate etc, it is hard to put tens of thousands of dollars upfront, even if the climate will be better off in the long term.

[gride300]

the average time to recoup costs on installed panels is about 10 years. they typically last 30 years. jay leno's HUGE car warehouse/garage is powered by solar and wind.

[east tx skier]

the average time to recoup costs on installed panels is about 10 years. they typically last 30 years. jay leno's HUGE car warehouse/garage is powered by solar and wind.

The Sierra Nevada example is not typical. Those guys are obviously buying in bulk.

[74green]

I looked at a big job here in Texas. The cost of solar installed was in the millions, and est savings were less than 10% annually and it was over 15 years for them to pay off.

The go green idea is great. But the pay off time period and upfront cost makes it not worth it for most people. I did an estimate based on my utility bill…I will have to refigure it. I figured it to cover my average demand (peak)…. it was over $30k and over 10 yrs to recover the cost. Yes rebates are in place from the federal gov and some utility providers. To them it may be less than 15 yrs, but on avg I would say over 10yrs…probably closer to 15yrs+.

Page 5 here shows 14 yrs estimated for this residence.
http://www.txspc.com/documents/Gener...salPackage.pdf

Again great to go green. Will be even greater when cost comes down as the product you mentioned…

[gride300]

i got my recoup and cost time averages from popular mechanics.

[harddock]

the average time to recoup costs on installed panels is about 10 years. they typically last 30 years. jay leno's HUGE car warehouse/garage is powered by solar and wind.

i don't have Jay Lenos money to invest in this.

[ers906]

I would pay the electric bill if I could afford his garage!

[gride300]

i was just saying. if you don't do this, please do something to give back to mother earth. im not a tree hugger by any means. i drive a yukon and have a wake boat, but climate change is very real.

[harddock]

You are definately correct about the climate thing. The nights are getting colder and next week the lift and docks come out. Seems like such as short season.