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Thread: Using solar panels to go green

  1. #1
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    Default Using solar panels to go green

    I'm wondering if I should install solar panels. I really want to go at least partially energy independent. I haven't started my research yet so I don't know much about it. I have some misgivings about using solar panels. What happens when it rains for days? Also, I want to know if any of you has solar panels installed. How many do you have installed? Are you completely off the grid? How soon were you able to recoup your losses?

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    Hi Marie,

    Not sure you'll get a lot of replies on this topic. I like the idea of solar energy but a lot of it has to do with surface area you can use for it and the direction it faces. My house is too small to have the panels otherwise I'd do it. I got something in the mail about our local gas and electric company installing them for people to take pressure off the grid. If I had the roof space I would have done it. Pretty forward thinking for an energy company. I recently bought some land out west. If I decide to build on it I might look into solar.

    Cheers,
    Chris
    Christopher Covington

    Daito-ryu aikijujutsu
    Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu heiho

    All views expressed here are my own and don't necessarily represent the views of the arts I practice, the teachers and people I train with or any dojo I train in.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by scourgegin View Post
    ...I want to know if any of you has solar panels installed. How many do you have installed? Are you completely off the grid? How soon were you able to recoup your losses?
    Some friends of mine live across the highway from where last year's deadly mudslide (Oso, WA) happened. The slide took out the main power line. They ran a generator for a few months and then decided to install a solar array. By the time it was installed, power had been restored, but they went ahead with the project to provide back-up power in the even of storms and such.

    The array is about 15 feet wide and 10 feet high, and is placed in a clearing 50 yards from the house, with a buried cable running to inverters in their shop and A/C from the inverters running to the house. For nights and cloudy days they have battery banks that will provide power for a day or two, then it would be back to the generator. The array is sited to face solar south, and tilted toward the mean solar azimuth for their latitude of 48 degrees. (A tracking mount for such a large array would have been too costly, they felt.)

    With tax credits, low interest loans, some DIY labor and some contracted, selling surplus power back to the utility, etc., they figure payback will be about 15 years.

    They still don't have landline telephone restored, and cell coverage is spotty way out where they live, but if you'd like I can try to get more information as to the make and model of solar panel and related equipment, how much they spent, etc., but it may be several weeks before I can reach them.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

  4. #4
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    By the way, even on cloudy days a solar panel will generate some power, which is a good thing for my friends since our county is so rainy and cloudy.



    If you live in Arizona or someplace like that, or places where electric rates are higher (we have a lot of hydroelectric power here), payback can be even faster.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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    I live in NJ and I know two people that got it done. They love it. It brought their utility bill way down. they actual sell back the overages to the utility company. So, they're making money. The both said that withing a few years the panel paid for itself.
    As far as specs, costs, and the like I do not know. I do know that there are companies that will come out to do site surveys for your for free and go over any of your concerns.
    Good luck.
    Tony Urena

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    It is reliable, safe, and have a much lower environmental impact but it’s not constant, meaning you'll definitely have a problem when it rain.

  7. #7
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    A lot of people around here are doing a deal with alternative power companies that install their own solar panels on homeowners' rooftops at no charge, then sell the energy to the homeowners at a rate lower than that charged by the regional electric power companies. On the surface, this looks like a good deal; however, I've read some reports of the unseen side of the deal, which is that there's no guarantee that you will get power during an outage, as these so-called solar companies take your energy, pool it, and send it back to you and other customers through the same transmission lines as the big power companies. Also, there is some debate as to whether the prices will always be cheaper than/competitive with the big power companies rates.

    I suppose one plus here is that you don't have to pay for the setup, which would be upwards of US$20K, or its maintenance. And you have the good feeling that you're not using electricity that was created by fossil fuels. I'll have to ask my neighbor (who has been on this system as of last fall) how it's working for her.
    Cady Goldfield

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    Again, I do not know how specifically it works but I asked the same thing and from what they told there was no problems as it takes in consideration overcast days. I believe you're still connected to the utility company. What' it's doing is off setting the usage.
    The problem arises if there is a storm and knocks out the power. There is no backup storage for lack of a better term.
    Tony Urena

  9. #9
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    Check your zoning, covenants, and so on, too. Local codes may limit the use of solar panels.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Owens View Post
    By the way, even on cloudy days a solar panel will generate some power, which is a good thing for my friends since our county is so rainy and cloudy.
    It's really mostly sunny where I live. Also I've done some research about this and I've found some pretty great battery and storage systems. There's this one where they even have impressive articles, research and data.
    I'm also looking for government subsidies or tax deductions.
    I'm pretty convinced that my project will be successful. Reading about others' success stories has really inspired me. Thank you all for your comments and support.
    Last edited by Cady Goldfield; 3rd February 2015 at 07:49. Reason: commercial advertising link

  11. #11
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    Great information from the other members already. I will echo some of the benefits.
    There are different ways to configure your system. The power from the PV (Photo-voltaic panels) goes into you house and whatever is not used runs your meter backwards as it goes out into the grid (simplistic explanation). The power from the PV goes into your house and whatever is not used goes into batteries (big ones). If you run out of electricity in your batteries and if you installed an easy switch option, you can switch over to the utility grid. You have options on how to configure, is basically what you need to consider. And as already stated, the PV will still produce electricity, albeit in a diminished amount, on cloudy days.

    I am an architect and we have been installing more PV on commercial buildings. Do look into local and federal tax credits as these may still be available. There is also the option to allow the utility company to install them on your home, no upfront cost to you. They would own and maintain the panels, but you do not get as much bottom line savings.

    Look for a local PV company. They can walk you through your options, design the systems, etc.

    Good luck.
    Hank Recor
    Westwood, MA, USA
    ****************
    )'(
    Feel the Burn.......

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  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by scourgegin View Post
    It's really mostly sunny where I live. Also I've done some research about this and I've found some pretty great battery and storage systems. There's this one where they even have impressive articles, research and data.
    I'm also looking for government subsidies or tax deductions.
    I'm pretty convinced that my project will be successful. Reading about others' success stories has really inspired me. Thank you all for your comments and support.
    I am glad that you are reading a lot about this. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons of it before confirming any installation. After all, the cost involve is no joke.
    Last edited by Cady Goldfield; 3rd February 2015 at 07:52. Reason: remove commercial advertisement in quote

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