Betty,
Do you by chance live in Maryland? My wife and I have been discussing
going solar with our circa 1905 house and an looking for a reliable
solar contractor.
betty wrote:
And what about Windows users who are perpetually in the dark?
>The price for those panels is lower >than some of the new
cable/DSL/ADSL modems. Searched online and found >one that retails
at $44.99, and another for $37.95; will be much less if >bundled
with FIOS service boxes.
Betty: Is this packaged in a way that will allow a DIY installation?
First time I saw photovoltaic trickle chargers for 12V batteries was
at a Volkswagen dealer. They had the chargers plugged into many of the
cars on their lot, with the PV panel on the dashboard. I'd guess they
might have some kind of deal from the German government where
homeowners and businesses are given incentives to install PV panels on
their buildings to generate electricity. These panels are integrated
roofing, like tiles [search SunSlate], not big panels bolted to the
roof, as were used 20 years ago. Initially the equivalent cost of
energy from PV was around 40 cents per kw hour while power companies
charged 10 cents/kwh. Government paid the difference to the customers.
Cost has gone down to 30 cents, 20 cents, and is expected to reach
parity within 5 years. After that the electricity from PV panels will
be free.
I didn't look at the brand that they were using, but I could ask the
VW dealer, or you could ask a dealer that uses them. I got the prices
by using a search engine. These chargers plug into the cigarette
lighter in a car. The laptop chargers were well over $200 when I
looked for one several years ago and are still expensive, but chargers
for cell phones and iPods can be found for under $40.
And, yes, the battery chargers are easy to set up. Some models are
even sold in the online NPR shop and many other places on the Internets.
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