On Apr 26, 12:55*am, mike wrote:
wrote:
On Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:51:38 -0700 (PDT), harry
wrote:
On Apr 22, 6:26 pm, Frank wrote:
On 4/22/2011 9:44 AM, Mark wrote:
My grid linked solar power plant is up and running as of *yesterday.
It has *little display panel on the inverter where you can see the
cash being ratcheted in.
Caching,caching,caching. (cash register noise:-)
As well as supplying my own power through the day, I am supplying
several of my nieghbours. *My home is now a net energy exporter. (And
cash importer)
how about some numbers,
how many kW does your system produce peak?
how many kWh do you use a day?
how much did it cost you to install?
what subsidies did you get?
how long will it take you to break even?
Mark
Article in local paper about installing system in a church.
They said half the cost of $738,000 was subsidized by a state grant and
it would pay for itself in 10 years.
There was a similar article about a home owner doing it a few years ago.
Can't remember subsidy but they said it would take 30 years to recoup..- Hide quoted text -
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May well be right. There was previous scheme over here where they
subsidised installations in private homes. But our gov. is bust now.
So they are doing this scheme that costs them nothing now.
There is a new scheme coming out next year to encourage heat pumps &
solar thermal. I'm looking out for it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_Heat_Incentive
I have a proposal on my fridge for 2.3KW of solar for $17,250.
They are only really willing to say I will average about 13.8 KWH a
day over a year (5037 KWH a year). I pay 13 cents a KWH so that is
$654.81 a year. That pays back in 26.34 years if it doesn't break or
get blown away by a hurricane.
I never understood this kind of analysis. *If you borrowed the money
at 5% (or saved it at 5%), interest would cost you $862/year. *The payback
period is NEVER. *Solar is financially viable only if someone else
pays for YOUR system. *As a taxpayer, that someone else is ME! GRRRRRR!!!!
The federal government will kick back 30% and that drops it to a bit
over 18 years.
The state promised to kick back another 53% but that program ran out
of money and the people who planned on that money are swinging in the
wind right now. With all of the tax payer kickbacks it really made
sense but like all things too good to be true, the deal evaporated.
I was also not really that excited about the grid tie because if the
power is out, all of that generating power on your roof is out too.
The grid tie inverters only work when the grid is present.
Half of the reason I wanted to do this is to have some power when the
grid is gone. If I could get transfer equipment that would let me go
off grid I might do this for the 30% fed deal.- Hide quoted text -
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Or if the price paid for electricity generated is enhanced.
What is the point of going off grid if mains electricity is more
reliably available than solar?
It's about diversity of supply.