I bought a solar panel, it cost about 400 dollars , when the sun is shining it makes about, 50 watts , then I have to buy the inverter and the batteries , at market prices, will it ever pay for itself? They say it will last about 10 years. And how about a windmill ?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
You have answered your own question, I wrote a paper in college about converting my home to solar power. The cost of the set up vs reduction in my electric bill made it not worth it at todays prices. It was about 20 grand to get up and running, so at 100 bucks a month for a electric bill it would have taken me almost 30 years to make it worth it. If you want to do something for the environment put timers on you lights and just monitor your energy consumption. You can do this by finding out how to read your own electric meter, you can google that. Good luck.
Both of you guys have interesting things to say. We ran across this offshore for Aids to Navigation Lights, communications, etc. and I agree, their not yet feasible. Recently, some smart kid designed one that is more efficient using triangular sides/uv & heat, but not so hot. If I were able, logistically, I would use a waterwheel but even with the hydro, I still would have to invert it. The ideal answer (as far as I’m concerned) would be a semi-perfect inverter!
You have made 2 mistakes, the first is that you are using a converter, which is not needed, and you did not get a high amperage battery to charge from the solar panel.
The battery needed could have come from a surplus source, thus reducing the cost of it. Batteries with a current capability of 1000 amps or more are the best way to go. You would also need a means of making use of the heat the panel generates just from being in the sun. Always capture and store as much energy as you can. On a cool day, duct work that the panel would rest on could be used to channel the warm air, heated by the panel as it absorbs infra-red energy from the sun, into a room. Most people only think about conversion of the panel DC into AC, and generally forget about storage. These are the faults that make solar energy APPEAR to be ineffective. One 40 watt panel is hardly worth the effort, but it is a start. A start that if coupled with other techniques, would make solar very worth while. Using DC appliances, or just running fans, blowers and lamps on DC would be a definite help. Solar is a viable alternative if, and only if, people set aside the usual, and plan how to best use this source of energy. One of your respondents went the normal route, and has deprived himself, and others of support for a very good energy alternative. If I were his instructor, he might very well have gotten a D or an F on his report for ignoring principals that I have outlined here.
You need in average 30 years to recover the investment of a solar energy system, this makes it economical unfeasible in most cases.The solar system will not probably last that either.
The only case where solar energy is economical feasible is where you do not have access to the grid, e.g. remote location.
In some countries where government wants to promote a green politics, the hardware is provided a low cost (green benefit), this makes it economical feasible for the final user.
Another way to make it economical feasible is to start from scratch thinking solar e.g. before building your house. If you buy and build everything; appliances, walls, heat systems and so on, thinking in how to do the best use of solar energy, thus you can get a nearly economical feasible system.
At that scale, I’d say you’ll have trouble getting your money back, if you’re comparing the energy generated to grid electricity.If you’re in an area where grid electricity is very expensive, or nonexistent, then the panel may pay for itself from day 1.
Solar panels can pay for themselves, even where there is grid electricity, but generally, there have to be about 10-20 of them, or more, before one gets an economic advantage.