solar panel calculation – small home
Summary: Solar panels for a small home needs to get down to a $4,500 to $7,000 price point for it to make economic sense for home owners — a 7 to 10 year break even. It may get to that price point eventually due to demand, decrease in prices of solar panels, improvements in technology (like solar roof shingles), group/community price breaks, and continued tax breaks and rebates.
Details: For 2 to 3kWh systems, current price point is estimated to be about $20,000 for installation. With State rebates and Federal Income Tax credits totaling $5,000 to 6,000 you’re looking at $14,000 – $15,000 for the system. You’re getting about 300 to 450 kWh a month. If you are currently using 400 kWh a month, that’s about $50 a month or $600 a year. This means your break even point is about 25 years. This doesn’t include the home value appreciation due to your solar panel investment.
We average 325kWh a month, about $35/month. Other info:
- How Residential Solar Panel Works
- Maintenance includes washing the panels periodically, seems like that’s all
- Estimate included 10 year warranty on full system, 25 years on panels themselves
- Estimate from Borrego Solar, for a residence in Oakland, CA – low energy use
- Installations should take about two days
- Home Depot is coordinating installations through BP Solar
- Temescal, Rockridge, and Berkeley residents (45 people) teamed up with Solar City for a group discount
- PG&E apparently increases the cost of electricity/energy 5.5% a year (not sure if that’s true)
- PG&E gave Far Niente Winery a nearly $2MM cash rebate for their solar installation
- But, PG&E has also given out cash rebates to California schools like Peralta Elementary
Borrego Solar seems like a good company. I’ve seen Solar City around the area as well.
Bula
I need to know how to power 3 freezer with this models H701,H160 and H510 using solar system.
Thanks
ER
Comment by epeli — May 7, 2009 @ 7:40 pm
The Solar Power House Gets a Game-Changing New Battery
After 10 years of research and testing, a new generation of cost-effective, deep-storage battery has arrived that’s small and safe enough to sit in your basement and power your home. It may be the single most important breakthrough to date for the potential availability of plentiful solar power electricity. The battery breakthrough comes from a company called Ceramatec.
The essence of their huge battery breakthrough is that high energy density (a lot of power storage) can now be achieved safely at operating temperatures below 90 degrees C temperatures which allow solid components instead of hot liquid. It’s an amazing breakthrough because the most energy-dense batteries currently available are huge containers of super-hot molten sodium, swirling around at about 600 degrees. At these temperatures the material is highly corrosive and toxic – conditions very unsuitable for use in the home.
The full report can be viewed at http://www.solarpower-house.net/
Comment by Solar Guy — November 19, 2009 @ 8:14 am
We need 100 small solar power systems for our 100 homes.
Pl.send us all details & information.
Thanks
Comment by K.H.Cheema — April 12, 2010 @ 4:49 am