Cyndi wrote:
>Since I want the grid-interconnection option, Backwoods isn't
>the place for me to get my system.
Yes, i agree. There are lots of places in California that should have
what you need.
>Btw, I discovered Mr Solar when I was searching for info on tankless water
>heaters and bookmarked their page. I'll take a closer look when I get a
>chance.
Mr Solar sent out an email newsletter at one time.
That might be interesting if they still have it.
>Is there anyone here using Hydropower or Wind Power in your
>electrical systems? I doubt that either would be practical
>for me (read: cost effective) but I hate to dismiss the
>options out of hand either.
Yes we have a multiple power setup, but the description of your
location does not sound like either wind or water will be of
interest. It takes a lot of water and the same with wind.
It is difficult to be sure, but i'd be willing to wager a
small sum <grin>.
It is easy to do the math on water power. Either a large
drop is needed or a lot of water with momentum. In either
case it has to be a moderately fast moving stream.
With wind, gusts usually won't do it. It needs to be steady like
water.
>Green Mountain is my electric provider (actually it's PG&E
>but here in Calif you get to choose the company that
>procures the electricity. I mentioned here a few months ago
>that GM had a $5000 (after rebates) solar system that hooked
>to the grid. Well the lowest is $6000 now but that includes
>installation.
I looked at their web site and could not find details on the
components. It takes more than just solar panels to make up
a system. The price looks reasonable, and i would guess that about
$1000 is installation plus overhead.
Roof mounting brackets and sealing everything can be work
so labor costs are a big part of the costs.
I would guess that the Green Mountain panels are connected
to an inverter (probably made by Trace) and the inverter is
connected to the grid. This is the traditional way to do
these systems.
There is another option. This is the guerrilla solar i was
talking about a few weeks ago. With guerrilla each panel
has a small inverter and can be connected to the grid. You
can add panels at any time and remove panels at any time.
Each panel costs around $900 and pushes about 86 watts out
of the inverter. For a large system this works out to be
more expensive than the Green Mountain option, but rebates
might change this.
>They also sell battery backup systems but they aren't on the
>website.
Don't consider this option unless you are willing to study and
understand batteries. The lead acid types often require constant
attention and can be very dangerous. They may need venting and
are not cheap.
>Thin Film system producing 1.2 kW
>kWh in SF area per month = 164
>Installed cost $6-7000
>Roof area = 10' x 50'
Not a bad deal if you have the money.
>The Real Goods systems I saw were cheaper with much less output. 6-8k is
>an awful lot of money so we will probably start a lot slower.
Look at http://www.alt-energy.com
They have everything we have been talking about and are usually
lower in price than Real Goods. Or tell Real Goods that you are
considering a competitors product. They used to meet any competitors
price. Don't know if that has changed.
jeff
