"Anthony Matonak" wrote in message
. ..
Jonathan wrote:
: Solar photovoltaic cells on the roof of this house collect the
: sun's energy and turn it into electricity. This unit provides the
: envirohome with about 30%-40% of it's electricity.
This is not all that high. A 3kW array could produce this much
electricity without breaking the bank, especially since it's
integrated into the roofing tiles.
: The Solar PV tiles on this roof will provide up to 40%
: of the annual electricity requirements of this house.
30% to 40% is within the 'up to 40%' so I don't see any major
discrepancy there. Sure, it's likely to be closer to 30% but
it's all estimates anyhow.
Well, the most high efficiency tile they make needs 8mē per kiloWatt, peak.
http://www.solarcentury.com/products...oof_tile_black
So you'd need 24mē of roofspace for your 3kW, and as the house I saw, in the
middle of a hot sunny day, was making about 450W of non-storable energy,
this is why I am skeptical about the 40%