Adrian--
$17,600 plus about $5,000 for roof replacement (it was 28 years old with
three layers of shingles). The design work was about 2000 and the panels
and installation about 15,000. It will take about 5 years to get my
investment in the solar panels back. The panels are warranted for 25 and
the WA state payment is good at a decreasing rate after 2020 until 2032 I
believe. Each panel produces 275 watts at full sun. On May 10 at about 12
noon they were producing 4300 watts. This seems like it was above the
rated output which surprised me. The cost included a internet bases
monitoring system at $600. After it is paid off, it should add value to
the worth of the house depending upon the going cost of electricity from a
grid. LENR I hope will make it become nearly worthless, but in the mean
time......
Each micro inverter is connected via a modem in my basement to a company and
a computer that keeps track of the integrated production of each panel. The
monitoring serves as a continuous gauge of the health of each panel and the
micro inverters. One inverter serves two adjacent panels and produces a 240
AC current synchronized with the grid.
There are two meters for the power generation that the Utility Co. installed
for no added cost. One monitors the total power production of the panels
and the other monitors the net out put to the Grid and hence what I use in
the house using some arithmetic . At the current time I am producing about
twice as much energy as I use in the house per day. The house meter runs
backward most of the time during the day and when I take power from the grid
at night it moves forward. The link to the grid is via the breaker box in
my basement.
If the system works as reliably as my on-grid system in Alaska--now 16 years
old with no apparent degradation--I will be delighted.
Bob Cook
-----Original Message-----
From: a.ashfield
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2016 10:19 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Vo]:Re: Cheap Solar Power (harvard.edu)
Bob,
How much did the 16 panel installation cost?
