11 Responses

1. I just had them put on my roof and I was really happy with the job! I had it done by http://www.arosaenergy.com/. They have alot of Incentives and Rebates it’s worth giving them a call and seeing how much it would cost you. 732-886-2322 Good Luck and keep warm!

2. It’s not a do-it-yourself project for most people. The usual thing is to look under “solar” in your phone book for a professional installer. If there aren’t any nearby, it may not make financial sense in your area. There is no typical size of system, but within a factor of 2, an installed system tends to cost about $20,000, from which you get a 30% federal tax credit, and possibly other state and local incentives.

   For some sample panel prices, you can go to sunelec.com, or just google “solar panel prices”.

   Here is our family page if you want to see what our install looked like: http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html

3. In general you are looking at about $5 to $6 per Watt installed.

   Most people will break even in about 7 to 20 years except for people who get their electricity very cheap (hence the hydro comment above).

   You do NOT need batteries if you are in a state which allows net metering. you would only need the solar panels and a grid tied inverter and you can use the city grid as your battery bank. This type of setup is much more economical.

4. Buying solar panels can be very expensive, especially for installation.

   If your average daily usage is 6.6 kilowatt per hour, then you would need a 2 kilowatt system that could generate ten kilowatts per hour in a day. This system could cost between $10,000 to $20,000. Of course, the higher wattage, the higher the cost.

   There are some alternatives to spending thousands of dollars on solar panels.

   1) Buy several solar panel kits and link them together yourself.
   2) Combine solar with wind power to decrease the number of panels you will need.
   3) Build your own solar panels for around $200 each.

   If you are handy with some basic soldering, then you can make your own solar panels.

5. Northern Hydraulic, Ag way, write your congressmen he can supply you with a list if he/she is any good. Your State Consumer Affairs, and the Better Business Be aural all can help.

6. The cost of a solar system varies as to its size. The larger the system, the cheaper the price.
   You will need a few more items to round out the system. They are ( for a grid tied system):
   1. An approved racking system ( Solar Mount is one of many)
   2. MC cables ( they help interconnect all the panels together.)
   3. Grounding wire, lugs, and ties
   4. An inverter ( size matched to the solar array)
   5. A/C and D/C disconnect switches.
   6. Solar panels and clamps
   There are a few reputable solar distributors that do sell to the general public.I strongly urge you to buy a kit. Once the distributor knows the size of your system, and where you will be installing it, they will put together a complete kit that comes with the correct quantity of size matched components. The cost of DIY grid tied systems ranges between 3,50 and 4.50 a watt.

   Example: If your electric bill is around 100.00 a month, you would need about a 4.5 kW system to handle 100% of your energy needs . if you multiply 4.5k X 4.00 a watt, you would get a system cost of 18,000.00 ( plus tax). To this amount you would apply your state and federal rebates and credits which would probably reduce your net cost to 9,000.00. If you continue to use electricity at the 100.00 per month rate you would break even in 7.5 yrs. Giving the 25 to 30 yr life span of the system, and factor in inflation, your savings would be well into the tens of thousand dollars. If your energy bill is even higher, the return of investment accelerates considerably.

   http://www.solarelectricsupply.com is a fine site that sells to the public. They have been around quite a while.

   If your interested in guidance with your solar project, check out http://www.energyeducationalproducts.com thier site will launch in late feb. They do an excellent job of explaining DIY grid tied solar projects.

   Warning stay away from DIY solar panels. Check out my blog http://www.solarmandan.com and read the ” to build or not to build” article.

   Hope this helps. Dan

7. For some areas in the US you can actually get solar panels installed for $0 down!

   A company called SolarCity offers a program where you simply lease the solar panels and pay for them as you go, this is a neat idea because you can use the money you save on your electricity bill to pay for the solar panels themselves!

   Read more about leasing solar panels from SolarCity here;
   http://www.solarcity.com/campaigns/firstsolar/first-solar-solarlease-product-info.aspx

8. You should also consider solar water heating, it’s a much bigger bang for the buck than solar electric. Heating water can account for up to 30% of your energy bill. Solar water heating can provide up to 75% of your hot water. It’s actually now the law in Hawaii that any new houses have to have it, it makes so much sense. But you don’t need to be in a hot climate to use it, my system in Massachusetts is providing me with hot water year round. And it is FAR from hot climate here. Depending on where you are, for around $2500 – $3500 for the equipment, plus installation, you can provide enough hot water for a family of 4 or 5. On non-sunny days, your backup water heater kicks in, you are never without hot waterhttp://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Water-Heaters/Climate-freezes-Closed-Loop-Systems/Closed-Loop-Systems-for-1-4-People/Closed-Loop-PV-Powered-w-Tank/AET-PV-w-80-Gal-Tank-64-SqFt-Collectors/p172/

   You should also see what you can do to cut your electric usage before you install solar. Some rebates require you have an energy audit done first, to see if there are simple ways to just use less. It is a lot cheaper to spend money on energy efficient appliances and lighting than to generate your own power with solar. You’d be amazed at all of the low hanging fruit you can find.

   THEN, you can look at installing solar electric. There is a lot involved in installing a system, and an electrician is usually needed for at least parts of it. But a homeowner with skills can do some of the installation themselves. Take a look at some grid-tied designs available at http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-Package-Deals/Grid-Tied-Systems/Alt-E-Designed-Grid-Tie-Packages/c1087/. The nice thing with grid-tied is you don’t have to produce 100% of your power, install what you can afford with the tax credits and rebates, and buy the rest from the electric company as usual. http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-Package-Deals/Grid-Tied-Systems/Alt-E-Designed-Grid-Tie-Packages/c1087/

9. “If we look at the current prices (2009) then we can see that the average price of installing solar panel rooftop system in United States is around $20,000-$30000.”
   http://renewableenergyarticles.blogspot.com/2010/01/solar-energy-in-us-capacity-jobs-and.html

10. I co own Sunpower Solutions. We are a solar company in South Jersey. I can tell you that the average cost for a system under 7Kw, is $7.95 per watt. What people fail to realize, is that there is a lot more that goes into a PV system than just panels. Racking, hardware, combiner box, inverters, labor to put the panels up, pay the electrician that ties it all together, the architect that measures the wind load on the panels, etc. It’s not cheap. Although, in the state of NJ, the the amount of time it takes for the system paying for itself, is 4 years. It doesn’t matter if it’s a huge system or the smallest PV system, it’s 4 years. Any questions, just ask.

    @Martin:
    The thing with those programs, is that the company that is leasing the system, is taking advantage of the renewable energy credit that the system is producing. Yes you get cheap electricity, but you are not taking advantage of the money making ability of the renewable energy credits.

11. http://bit.ly/7yBS14