Bob, I *never* consider your posts as "Off Topic"! As others have replied, it varies greatly state-by-state. I have a very good friend who installed a grid-tie system at his house. He was $30,000 out-of-pocket, and got some fraction of that back in tax credits. Where he lives in California (Orange County), the utility DOES NOT buy power back from him; he only reduces his bill, a significant amount in summer, and less in the winter. IIRC, he told me his lowest power bill was a few dollars, and his highest was $45~$50. His bill *was* running $200 and higher before he bought his system. Jim KQ6EA
--- On Thu, 10/1/09, Robert Bruninga <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Robert Bruninga <[email protected]> > Subject: [amsat-bb] Solar Power (I was wrong) > To: [email protected] > Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009, 5:37 PM > Since Satellite design is heavy into > Solar power, and I talk > about that a lot, you may have heard me compare my Solar > car to > Solar panels on the roof of your house as not economical, I > WAS > WRONG. I was overlooking many recent changes in the > environment: > > 1) Solar panels (PV) are 1% of what they cost in 1970 > 2) PV dropped 40% this year due to 2007 Energy Boom and > 2009 > economic bust > 4) $5,000 to $20,000 tax and cash back incentives for YOU > 5) Grid-tie systems operate at 95% efficiency compared to > 70% of > battery systems > 6) Local electric rates DOUBLED in the last 2 years > 7) Laws require utilities to pay you the same peak rates > they > charge you. > 8) Solar Energy credits can gain an additional $275 per > 1Kw > system per year > 9) Payback is at least 10% per year or better > 10) The same money in the bank gets 1% interest > > So I was wrong in not keeping current with all the > changing > environment, and now I am full speed to get my system > approved > and built and correct any miss-guidance I may have helped > propagate. > > Sorry. I am claiming this particular email is on-topic > because > of public statements to the contrary I have made at > satellite > forums. But this hot topic should probably spin off > elsewhere. > We need a HAM Solar Power group somewhere...? > > Summary: Do NOT make the mistake (as most of us do) > of thinking > in terms of stand-alone Battery back-up solar power systems > . > They cost more and you don't need it in most places where > you > have access to the grid. They cost $5 to $10,000 > more, are only > 70% efficient (compared to 95% for grid-tie) and are a > never > ending maintenance headache. Instead, most any > enterprising ham > should be able to provide his own backup power using a > cheap 1 > kW inverter for about $150 from any auto store or radio > shack > running off his car's 12V system for any power outages. > > That, a few deep cycle batteries, (and using CFL lightbulbs > in > your house) will give you enough emergency power to operate > your > full Ham station, all the lights in the house you want plus > your > refrigerator for as long as you can buy gas. But the > other > 99.99% of the time, sell your solar power to the power > company > (at peak rates during the day) and buy it back cheap at > night > (you win and you don't even have to worrry about > batteries)... > > And even if your grid-tie solar array produces nothing (in > the > way of AC power) when the grid goes out, you still have > many > Killowatts of DC power on your roof, that you can surely > find > lots of things to do with until the grid comes back. > For > example, have the electrician wire a 250 volt string of the > 200 > Watt solar panels in the array to a DPDT switch so they can > be > disconnected from the Grid Tie system and the 250 VDC can > be > available to you. THen you can plug in as many modern > DC/DC > pwer supplies into that 250 VDC to give you LOTS of amps at > 12 > volts, or ... almost any modern gizmo has a universal > power > supply input that will run on anything from 110V to 330V DC > as > is. > > Anyway, for similar hints www.aprs.org/FD-Prius-Power.html > > Sorry for the off-topic. But I was wrong. PV > works! (even in > Maryland). If you live in the SW, you are lucky, and > it works > TWICE as much or at HALF the price! > > A Born-again Home PV junkie > Bob, WB4APR > > > _______________________________________________ > Sent via [email protected]. > Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur > satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb > _______________________________________________ Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
