26 replies to this topic

[sculptor]

anyone have a number for the current cost of installed solar power for a private residence?

$/watt?

[eds]

 GEPV.jpg   38.42K   5 downloads
GE working to cut installed cost of rooftop solar to $4 a watt—in 2012

GE and DOE's SunShot system,

"Plug-N-Play" modular rooftop systems

, (DIY?)
$/watt costs installed without subsidies to the consumer:
2011 = $6.50
2012 = $4.00
2015 = $3.00

[eds]

 GEColorado.jpg   28.04K   0 downloads
GE to build largest U.S. PV manufacturing plant in Colorado
. . . with 400 megawatts of annual production capacity.

The company plans to get operations up quickly
. . . with cadmium telluride (CdTe) photovoltaics panels
. . . coming off production lines in 2012.

“We’re going to focus on
. . . utility-scale projects,
but we’re not ruling out the commercial and
. . . residential rooftops ultimately” Merfeld said.

[jasserEnv]

I don't know the wattage, but a friend just spent about $80K to cover the south facing portion of his roof with solar panels. He doesn't live in a mansion either. All in all, it is not cheap and has to be considered a long term investment. You also really need to get a solar energy assessment to determine if it is worth it.

[eds]

Quote

The price of solar photovoltaic panels may have dropped precipitously in the past year,
. . . but the rest of the system including the installation and permitting costs
. . . which accounts for up to half of the final tally — have not.
General Electric aims to change that with two research projects
. . . tied to the Energy Department’s Sunshot Initiative
. . . to cut solar costs to $1 per watt.
Today, the average cost of installing a solar system,
. . . on a typical home is $6.50 per watt, or $32,500.
We want to cut the cost by more than half.
. . . At less than half the price, solar systems will be practical
. . . for millions of homeowners in the United States,
. . . Charlie Korman, manager of solar energy programs at GE Global Research,
. . . said in a release Wednesday.
To achieve such a radical cost reduction, new technologies are needed to simplify and
. . . standardize how solar installations are made.
. . . The process has to be as routine as putting a new roof on your home.

[DW Wood]

It's cheaper if you install them yourself. It's not as hard as it sounds. Modern panels are pretty much dummy proof to put together. There is also (Especially in the USA) companies that sell "made in China" panels that work well and meet US standards. The only difference is they are not made by a unionized company and therefore considerably cheaper.

Without listing companies (as I'm not sure the policy on this site) you can do a little work on google and if installing yourself, you can get solar panels on your roof for around $2 a watt or less.

[sculptor]

Thanx for the information:

currently, the power company charges $.10/kilowatt----------in most iowa winters we get sunshine less than 1/2 of the days--and then(during heating season), for heating, the power company charges 2 cents/kilowatt hour

even at a buck a watt------$1000/kilowatt payback means they gotta last maintenance free for ...?500 weeks?

ok

then square foot per watt?
I only have one free south facing roof of about 390 square feet at a 6:12 pitch

[artistry]

sculptor, there are companies that will install solar systems in your personal residence for free, and receive payment from the utility company for their payment over time. I did have the names of the companies, but cannot locate them at the moment. If you research a solar comany with Sun in its name you should be able to find it.

[Ecodisaster]

DW Wood, on 29 November 2011 - 12:48 PM, said:

It's cheaper if you install them yourself. It's not as hard as it sounds. Modern panels are pretty much dummy proof to put together. There is also (Especially in the USA) companies that sell "made in China" panels that work well and meet US standards. The only difference is they are not made by a unionized company and therefore considerably cheaper.

Without listing companies (as I'm not sure the policy on this site) you can do a little work on google and if installing yourself, you can get solar panels on your roof for around $2 a watt or less.

I have been installing tons of solar stuff in my place. Prices have been fluctuating for the past 3 years. I have found great deals throughout 2011, but it is increasing a little again. I guess the demand is higher due to the 2012 hype...
And yes, most of the inexpensive stuff is made in China...and the quality is a little bit less than the others though.

[Astaria1]

Would it be easy to install solar in a really old house? We are looking at buying a house that was built 109 years ago and wiring looks like it might have to be replaced any way. Am thinking that while we have the wiring done to put in panels too. Since it is an old house might as well make it as cost effective as possible. :)

[Jacob Rockland]

Astaria1, on 29 January 2012 - 02:58 PM, said:

Would it be easy to install solar in a really old house? We are looking at buying a house that was built 109 years ago and wiring looks like it might have to be replaced any way. Am thinking that while we have the wiring done to put in panels too. Since it is an old house might as well make it as cost effective as possible. :)

If buying a house 109 years old that needs wiring, it might be cheaper to demo the house and build a pre-fab. Other than that, the cost depends on how many watts you want out of the solar...there is a company that sells easy solar panel kits that require less cost to install, but I don't know if I can mention their name, i don't want to have people thinking i'm a spammer, but if you search google for something like "plug and play solar" you might find them.

[13tyates]

This seems like a great thing to do, but at the same time it just seems a little expensive still. It is great to see that they are attempting to decrease the cost and I think they are making great strives! I think maybe in a few years I could afford to get a few panels. I would love to lower my electric bill because it is really bad right now. I can not wait to get the chance to do it!

[j_pin]

I looked in to having them installed in to my house in SoCal last year. Unfortunately everything I was quoted was about a year's salary for me and I can't currently afford that. I have been saving, however, and I think in a year two they will have gotten cheaper and I will have enough saved that we can meet in the middle and I will be able to afford it.
We have so much sun here I feel like it's incredibly wasteful not to use it and pay the power company!

[dkramarczyk]

Wow, solar energy panels cost a lot! I would love to be able to do that, but with being a college student, I really don't have the money to spare. I'm sure it would save lots of money over time, but when you don't even have a quarter of what it would cost, you don't really have an option.

[artistry]

I do think that there a still a few companies, that will install solar panels for free, and you enter into an agreement with them through your utility company, where they will be paid in a type of swap situation. Can't tell you the details, but research some companies to find out. I did have a few names but where they are? Good luck.

[Phil]

You can do it yourself for about $1.75/watt after federal credit.   I did my own and put 10KW on my roof for $2.26/W, pre tax credit.  That will generate 90-95% of my electricity.  Prices have since fallen over 30 cents/watt.

[StevesWeb]

New user, first post, please be gentle.

We just received formal permission to operate (PTO) from Southern California Edison for our new 78 panel, nominal 15kw photovoltaic solar power system.

This is a rather large installation for a residence, but we have two koi ponds with various pumps, filters and waterfalls such that our usage runs about 3kw constantly as a base, before household appliances or air conditioning.

We are a vegan, energy conscious family with two Prius, so we are not all talk.

It cost us between $4 and $5 per watt for our system, before the expected 30% tax credit.  We chose to go with 78 microinverters because we have a ring of trees around our home.

We ordered our setup on Feb 4 2012, and received official PTO at the end of August.  When we received a $1300 electric bill for January we knew it was time for solar.  Our bill for July  was  $25 and change.

To see our setup search the intarwebs for Geek Hill.  It's an .org domain.

And my name is Steve.

[Dustoffer]

It is right on that DIY off-grid is the cheapest way to go.  It can make a big difference in the time a system pays for itself.  There are so many profiteers, from overpriced components, to high buck installers, to people trying to sell you high buck DVDs on making your own non-approved panels.  I self installed 14 years ago and it paid for itself in 6 years.   This year I bought the $1.85/watt shipped panels from ebay, 100 watts total to more than make up for the 24 watt loss with age of my existing panels.  The aluminum 1"x1"x1/8" "L"s, 3/4" and 1" bolts, washers and locknuts, 2 1/2" x 5/16 lag bolts and lock washers, and 10 gauage wire brought the cost up to $2.30/watt.
With 1100 watts of panels (600 full tracking, 500 set at the average sunangle south), we have enough power for winter and more than enough in summer to keep battery bank discharge down to 20% max for longer life.  I'm glad I way oversized my charge controller for future expansion and cooler running.  The only thing I would do different now is go to Iron Edison 25 year+ batteries.

[konstant]

it depends on the house area.

[Phil]

Prices have fallen so much that you could probably self install for under $1/watt after taxes.  I've seen sales as low as 38 cents/watt for palet quantities.  China has effectively bypassed the tarriff by buying solar cells from S Korea for their panels so prices are still way down.