http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/business/27novel.html?em
....yes, these numbers are in line with present quotes: A system meets half the power needs of a typical California home costs roughly $20,000 to install after rebates... .... assuming rebates will return, which they have not, to date. In sunny CA this will generate about 2,400 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, enough to cover a quarter to a third of a typical electric bill... (in a home heated by natural gas, with no AC). The average power rate is about 11 cents per KWhr so your $20,000 investment will give you a savings of a whopping $250 per year for many years to come .... but oops, that is if you do not include interest. IOW there is a severe negative return every year, the cells will never pay-off, not ever, even if they last 50 years (they will not) since the accumulated interest, by the time the power rate quadruples (it may quadruples in about 25 years) will have put your real investment into the stratosphere ... You would be better off to invest in some beach property in Alaska ;-) At least they might find oil under it... or better yet, convert your swimming pool into an Algoil pond. That might actually pay off in a few years ... Jones
