Regarding my Photo Voltaic system, the total material cost was nearly
$20k, and I did the install myself. I received a subsidy of almost $10k
from the California Renewables program. This subsidy is still available
but at a reduced level of around 25%. My remaining cost was a deductible
business expense since I'm self employed as a systems engineer. So my
actual out-of-pocket cost was around $6k.
My panels are polycrystalline silicon and have an expected lifespan of
20 years. They degrade over time and the expected output at eol will be
around 60%. So I expect a cumulative yield of around 70 mwh. The base
cost of power produced would therefore be around $.29/kwh. With the
various subsidies it's less than $.09/kwh. Even without the subsidy, the
cost is better than my local peak summer rate of $.33 to $.56 (depending
on usage tier). In fact, from May to September my electric bill is
typically negative, and my average cost for power is around $35/month
($400 billed annually).
Inverters are required to have a 5 year warranty and initial reliability
(2003) was questionable. After one free replacement in 2004 my Xantrex
ST2500 has been solid. The system is wired with 8 gauge TW copper, about
50 feet per panel (7 amp peak current). Recent inverter designs are all
high-voltage series wired to reduce wire costs and bulk. So if my
inverter needs replacing I will have to rewire my panels from parallel
48v to series string 300vdc. Best done at night I suppose....
One final comment on CF for domestic electricity. It seems to me that
the most promising solution currently known is direct thermionic
conversion. There's some interesting work being done, with conversion
efficiency slowly creeping up. One in particular that got my attention
is PowerChips:
http://www.avtometals.com/press/AvtoMetals_pr20131118_globenewswire-print.pdf
Alan Goldwater
On 3/13/2014 12:40 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
As I said, I suppose first-generation cold fusion electric generators
will resemble today's standby generators or solar installations. I do
not know much about either of them. Perhaps AlanG can tell us about
the costs and problems with solar installations, with inverters and so on.
