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Old 09-15-2011, 09:16 AM
RandyWayne RandyWayne is offline
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Going Solar

Not to take away from other Standards threads, but we are on the verge of pulling the trigger on our (first) solar photovoltaic system. We ran the numbers and a 5kw system would set us back 7300 after rebates and tax credits with a payoff in (only) 5 years -and 5 REAL years. Not 5 years assuming a 20% increase in electric rates from the power company or other Obama-style budgeting tricks.

We can also get a 2.15kw system for 3800 after rebates. It is much smaller and won't make nearly the same dent in the bill but the payoff is the same 5 years and it is of course half the price.

Note: The biggest reason the payoff is so short is because the unbelievable amount of sun we get in here in Arizona. This same system at the same cost would take 2-3 times to pay off in a Midwest state.
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Old 09-15-2011, 09:21 AM
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Re: Going Solar

Randy...you are awesome...
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Old 09-15-2011, 09:30 AM
RandyWayne RandyWayne is offline
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Re: Going Solar

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sister Alvear View Post
Randy...you are awesome...
Well, I know that.

I would imagine that there are quite a few panels to be seen in the mission fields given the unreliable electric grid?
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Old 09-15-2011, 09:31 AM
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Re: Going Solar

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Old 09-15-2011, 09:33 AM
RandyWayne RandyWayne is offline
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Re: Going Solar

Of course the system is also a hedge against any possible massive spike in electric rates due to Obama's EPA.
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Old 09-15-2011, 10:50 AM
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Re: Going Solar

Will the 10 Kw system cover all your power needs, most of the time? Will you be turning the meter backwards, sometimes? Got batteries?
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Old 09-15-2011, 11:02 AM
RandyWayne RandyWayne is offline
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Re: Going Solar

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Originally Posted by Timmy View Post
Will the 10 Kw system cover all your power needs, most of the time? Will you be turning the meter backwards, sometimes? Got batteries?
Even the 5kw (or 4.95 specifically) will turn it backwards during the brightest 5 hours a day. It will actually cut our annual electric bill by 60%. When the meter spins backwards it is applied as credit on your utility bill -you never actually get money back from the electric company which is why you want to be careful and not get a system too big otherwise your just throwing money away.

Our electric rates are not that bad here. We only pay about 11 cents per kilowatt hour compared to rates nearly twice that on average across the state line in CA.
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Old 09-15-2011, 11:08 AM
NorCal NorCal is offline
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Re: Going Solar

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Originally Posted by Timmy View Post
Will the 10 Kw system cover all your power needs, most of the time? Will you be turning the meter backwards, sometimes? Got batteries?
With a the nature of Solar, you have to run batteries for it to be effective (as most people are not at home during the day to consume that power). Solar panels are actually fairly cheap. However it is the dc/ac inverter and the batteries that are the expensive part.

You can spend up to 30k just on the inverter and batteries. Most homes that do not have the batteries are just providing power to the grid and earning credit for the Grid Power they use at night.
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Old 09-15-2011, 11:12 AM
RandyWayne RandyWayne is offline
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Re: Going Solar

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Originally Posted by NorCal View Post
With a the nature of Solar, you have to run batteries for it to be effective (as most people are not at home during the day to consume that power). Solar panels are actually fairly cheap. However it is the dc/ac inverter and the batteries that are the expensive part.

You can spend up to 30k just on the inverter and batteries. Most homes that do not have the batteries are just providing power to the grid and earning credit for the Grid Power they use at night.
I actually asked about batteries, which they do supply, but it adds a huge amount of $$$ to the system. The sales guy who came over for our initial estimate told us to wait a few years for the costs to drop before even thinking about it. Right now, with our typical grid-tie system if the power goes out from our utility it will go out in our own home as well. This is actually a safety precaution to keep solar panels from backfeeding into the grid while electric company employees are working on the lines.
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Old 09-15-2011, 11:39 AM
NorCal NorCal is offline
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Re: Going Solar

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Originally Posted by RandyWayne View Post
I actually asked about batteries, which they do supply, but it adds a huge amount of $$$ to the system. The sales guy who came over for our initial estimate told us to wait a few years for the costs to drop before even thinking about it. Right now, with our typical grid-tie system if the power goes out from our utility it will go out in our own home as well. This is actually a safety precaution to keep solar panels from backfeeding into the grid while electric company employees are working on the lines.
Correct, which is the down side to the Grid Tied System. But if you do not want to spend 30-50k on a complete system, then you are choosing the correct way to go.

Although, spending the money on a inverter that does both Grid Tie and batteries (extra 1k) would be the optimal way to go, so that later you can start adding the batteries to the equation.

The question comes down to: Reduce Bill to Electric company? or Electrical Independence?
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