More Pages:
- Solar Power: What Is The Cost Of A Solar Power Plant? (9/23/2011)
- Solar Power: How Much Would It Cost To Build A Solar Power Plant? (6/2/2011)
- Solar Energy: How Much Would It Primarly Cost To Build A 70 Megawatt Solar Energy Plant.? (11/19/2011)
- Solar Turbines: What Would Be The Cost Of The Solar Cells Needed For A 750MW Plant In A Region Where The Intensity Of The Sunl? (8/24/2011)
- Solar Power: Do Know About Solar Thermal Power Plant Clean Power Plants In World? (6/19/2011)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Photo-voltaic panels and converters (to connect with the grid) cost about $ 4,000 per kilowatt. with an expected lifetime of about 25 years. If it is in a secure area, there is virtually no maintenance cost unless there is a breakdown (early failure) or natural disaster. If you are living in a 70-percent sunny area, you can expect to average about six kilowatt hours per day per kw capacity. In a year’s time, that would be about $ 160 (.075 cents per KWH), so payback would be about 25 years. This is figured on a relatively small (25 kilowatt) system in the Rocky Mountains where power is very cheap. So, as it stands it’s barely a break-even investment. If the cost of electricity goes up, it will be proportionately better. If there is a breakdown or repairs or stormy weather, it would be worse. Nothing is figured in for cost of property or taxes.
Commercial solar electrical power generation uses solar photovoltaic panels only in a few experimental situations in Florida and Spain.
Many forms of alternative energy like wind and hydro can be traced to the energy from the sun. But some forms of electrical generation take energy from the sun directly. It is then concentrated and transformed into electricity. Photovoltaic panels are only one and one of the least efficient ways to do this. The advantages of solar panels are scalability and no moving parts. This would tend to give them one of the lightest maintenance loads. The concentration is done electrically. Solar photovoltaic panels are from 8 to 20% efficient (41% in the lab) and they tend to be expensive.
Concentrated solar thermal technology is far more efficient and boasts the most efficient collector to grid efficiency. Methods of solar thermal power generation include:
Solar power tower
Solar parabolic trough collector
Solar parabolic dish collector
Solar chimney design
Solar pond collector.
Some of these methods are simply a thermal feed in to a conventional thermal (usually steam) turbine electrical generation plant. The parabolic dish system often uses stirling engines to power generators. A solar chimney would power wind turbines.
In every case maintenance would depend upon the specific equipment, environmental factors, usage, and how well a maintenance schedule is managed. Every case would be different and generalities may be difficult with so few actual plants in production. Specific data will come first from solar installations in Spain and Southern California.
The one expense that would not exist is a fuel cost unless the facility were part of a hybrid as some power tower / conventional gas turbine may be.