Cheap Energy

I was working with some cost and energy use estimates to power a wi-fi shot at a ski resort. For kicks, I looked up what it might cost to install a solar system on my own house.

Using the web site’s calculator at http://www.wholesalesolar.com/ I came up with an average usage of 1245.385 KWH/Month. For me, most of that is in the summer when the AC bills are brutal.

I then estimated that I would like to produce 50% of my home’s energy needs via solar power and that according to the solar map I would receive 5 hours of peak sun per-day (obviously we get more, but this is the peak solar time).

The calculator estimated I needed 4151 Solar Watts to hit my target of 50%. Using the handy-dandy chart I looked up that a “complete” system would run me between $17,500 ~ $25,000!!!! Those costs don’t include freight (and there is a LOT of weight involved), tax (if any), installation, or battery backup. In all fairness there is a $2000 federal tax incentive.

If I keep using their averages I would need 23 175watt solar panels which gives me a size of 3,909 sq. feet (bigger than my house).

Let’s be nice and take into account the tax break, go with a “middle of the road” estimate and assume that I’d be enough of a moron to get up on my own roof and cover the entire thing in solar panels as well as part of my yard all on my own (i.e. no installation costs) which brings me to about $20,000 in costs.

If I saved 50% on my electric bill during maximum usage it would take me 200 months (or 16 years) and that’s a best case scenario. Of course, if we have a hailstorm which is not uncommon here I can expect to spend even more money repairing the panels and I’m not even taking that into consideration.

One added benefit may be that covering the entire house could conceivably keep it cooler as it would no longer get any direct sunlight on the roof.

Somehow I don’t see this as a practical scenario.

In CA they are going cover 12 square miles in solar panels to try to draw enough solar energy to meet the new 20% mandate of renewable energy that CA is forcing electric companies to meet.

Think about it. 12….square….miles of solar panels. You don’t think that impacts the environment?