Quote:I think you can get panels installed for some of your individual appliances. For example, you can buy one panel and have it focus on your high energy consumption products like your hot water heater. I also believe they back up to electricity so if a hurricane blows through you aren't without hot water after a few days with clouds. It might be worth it over the long haul, and you can start adding panels if you find it beneficial.
absolutely that's what the majority of solar systems are, strictly for a sole purpose systems. From the "solar" guys I've talked to in florida people use them for mostly warming a pool, attic fan, or hot water heater.
It would be great to have it just to run your a/c system...that's where most of your money goes toward the bill here in Florida.
Quote:It would be great to have it just to run your a/c system...that's where most of your money goes toward the bill here in Florida.
you could but your average A/C central air unit runs on 5,000 watts per hour of operation. Say you run it only 12 hours a day that's 35,000 watts per day. To get that production from solar wattage you would need 41 (250 watt) solar panels at about $200 bucks a pop so about $8000 in just the panels.
Quote:you could but your average A/C central air unit runs on 5,000 watts per hour of operation. Say you run it only 12 hours a day that's 35,000 watts per day. To get that production from solar wattage you would need 41 (250 watt) solar panels at about $200 bucks a pop so about $8000 in just the panels.
Dang...lol
I'm waiting for the home nuclear reactor kit.
Quote:I'm waiting for the home nuclear reactor kit.
They sell those at Taco Bell.
I use a solar powered battery charger to keep the battery charged on my gas powered generator.
So I got that going for me, which is nice.
Quote:Some things to consider:
1. How often do you need to climb up on the roof and clean the solar panels?
2. Is a payment by the electric company for excess generation part of the savings? If so, are you sure that such policy will continue?
3. How long will the solar panels last? Is the warranty provider likely to be in business all that time?
4. Does performance degrade with time? Is this covered under warranty?
5. Are solar panels insured against wind damage? Hail? Lightning? How will this affect your homeowner's insurance cost?
Eric is right. If you do this, don't buy it from the guy who sell it door to door. Research the companies.
Personally I'd love being off the grid. But until electrical storage (battery) technology makes a huge leap, I'll wait.
It is a long term investment but a sound one at that. I linked a review of a video that has some basic information.
http://k0lee.com/2012/11/power4patriots-review/
I have a solar powered calculator.
Quote:I have a solar powered calculator.
Me too. But do you have a solar powered flashlight??
Quote:I have a solar powered calculator.
I just ordered a solar powered phone charger...:thumbsup:
I do have a Solar powered weather radio, when we had the tornado's that knocked out power in Flagler county a few weeks ago it came in real handy. it was charged up and ready to go. I like Solar tech, just need to wait for it to improve a little and bring the cost down.
Quote:I do have a Solar powered weather radio, when we had the tornado's that knocked out power in Flagler county a few weeks ago it came in real handy. it was charged up and ready to go. I like Solar tech, just need to wait for it to improve a little and bring the cost down.
Capital costs are the most significant obstacles to widespread use of solar. Why are capital costs so high? Because oil, natural gas, and electricity are much cheaper alternatives. If the costs of other energies were higher, research and development of solar would flourish. The thing is, oil, coal, plutonium, and natural gas are finite resources which will be depleted at some point. Alternatively solar is infinite.
Companies that have shareholders to answer to don't want to invest in the necessary research to develop solar technologies that will bring the costs down as efficiencies increase because it is a long term process versus short term shareholder tolerance for returns.
Regards..................the Chiefjag
I have a solar powered tanning bed.
Quote:Capital costs are the most significant obstacles to widespread use of solar. Why are capital costs so high? Because oil, natural gas, and electricity are much cheaper alternatives. If the costs of other energies were higher, research and development of solar would flourish. The thing is, oil, coal, plutonium, and natural gas are finite resources which will be depleted at some point. Alternatively solar is infinite.
Companies that have shareholders to answer to don't want to invest in the necessary research to develop solar technologies that will bring the costs down as efficiencies increase because it is a long term process versus short term shareholder tolerance for returns.
Regards..................the Chiefjag
All very true. It's only when those finite resources are about to become depleted will such companies, and their shareholders, be willing to invest in solar.
So, if we can hang in there for another hundred years or so we'll all be going solar. (I may not make it.)
Quote:All very true. It's only when those finite resources are about to become depleted will such companies, and their shareholders, be willing to invest in solar.
So, if we can hang in there for another hundred years or so we'll all be going solar. (I may not make it.)
Five years ago when gasoline was over $4 per gallon and rising it spurned the research into electric cars and hybrids. Carbon monoxide pollution wasn't enough to drive those efforts, it was driven by costs of oil. That's what will drive the efforts of solar technologies too.
Regards................the Chiefjag
I remember watching some program on the discovery channel about 4-5 years ago. The guy was talking about the technology they have today only harvest about 2-5% of the energy the sun produces, they where researching materials trying to find the right element or combination of materials that could harvest 30-35% of solar energy, he said when they find that element or even create the element that's when the switch to solar will be done.
Just always stuck in my head, don't know why......
Quote:I remember watching some program on the discovery channel about 4-5 years ago. The guy was talking about the technology they have today only harvest about 2-5% of the energy the sun produces, they where researching materials trying to find the right element or combination of materials that could harvest 30-35% of solar energy, he said when they find that element or even create the element that's when the switch to solar will be done.
Just always stuck in my head, don't know why......
They've found it. It's called George Hamilton's skin.
Quote:I remember watching some program on the discovery channel about 4-5 years ago. The guy was talking about the technology they have today only harvest about 2-5% of the energy the sun produces, they where researching materials trying to find the right element or combination of materials that could harvest 30-35% of solar energy, he said when they find that element or even create the element that's when the switch to solar will be done.
Just always stuck in my head, don't know why......
Sounds about right. That would suggest we are at least 15 times less efficient than what is needed. Unfortunately, only start-up companies with limited resources are invested in it.
I saw a documentary many years ago, probably in the mid-90s, where it was suggested we could launch a massive concave mirror (so to speak) into space which would capture solar light and concentrate it's energy into a beam directed at a single point on the earth where the highly intense energy could be captured for power consumption. Since there would be no power lines from the energy source to it's destination there would be no loss of energy in transmission. I wonder if we have the technological materials to absorb that much power?
Regards...............the Chiefjag
Quote:Five years ago when gasoline was over $4 per gallon and rising it spurned the research into electric cars and hybrids. Carbon monoxide pollution wasn't enough to drive those efforts, it was driven by costs of oil. That's what will drive the efforts of solar technologies too.
Regards................the Chiefjag
Yep. It's going to have to get worse before it gets better.