i wanted to buy solar panels but this guy told me one will just power one light bulb what i want to know is how much thay cost and is it true tat if more power leaves your house than goes in the power company has to send u a cheek
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
If you want to get money from the power company you will have to basically put in $ 10k to $ 20k worth of solar panels. Currently most solar panels that are available to home owners are not all that efficient. I currently have 3 that are 2 foot x 10 foot on my roof that follow the sun and they only power my water heater. Also some states will give you a tax rebate for installing solar power banks on your roof, mainly in the southwest.
If you are looking into a credit or buy back of hydro, you should be inquiring about windpower not solar…you will have better luck creating more with that than panels. It is not so much the cost of the panels that is a lot, it is the cost of everything else you will need to use/store the power….inverter, batteries…etc
The “true” cost of solar panels for a solar electric system on a residential house is largely determined by rebates and incentives. The current market rate for a solar electric system is around $ 8-10 per installed Watt. How many Watts you need is determined by your electricity usage. You can find out more about sizing a solar electric system here….
http://howto.altestore.com/Articles-on-Renewable-Energy/Solar-Panel-System-or-PV-Systems/How-Many-Solar-Panels-do-you-need-in-your-Solar-Array/a88/
If you already have a very efficient house and lifestyle, it might be worth looking into a solar electric system. If not, you’re much better off investing your money into energy efficient appliances and fixtures and trying to make your electricity usage as small as possible.
Just to give you an idea, there really isn’t a “typical” house so a solar electric system can range anywhere from $ 10,000 to over $ 100,000. It is all about minimizing your electricity usage before you look into renewable technologies.
If you want to see some prices on some solar panels, you can see them here.
http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Panels/c541/
Hope this info helps.
-Dave C.
Whether you get a check for excess power generation depends on where you live. Some places in Texas will do that, the largest 3 utilities in California will not. The bottom line is that you should not expect solar panels to be a moneymaker. They may or may not be a money saver in the long run, depending on your situation.
Solar hot water can pay back in a few years, if it displaces an electric water heater, and if it’s in a location that is generally warm.
Solar electric usually takes longer to pay back, if ever. The best payback is for those who have expensive electricity already, and are also in a sunny area.
As an example, our system cost $ 12k net, and saves us about $ 600 / year in electricity (i.e., all our usage). It will take 20 years to pay back the installation cost, but I admit we did it for more reasons than the financial.