Nice win win situation.

Unfortunately, the solar components market is MONOPOLIZED here in the Philippines. The company who cornered that market actually want the REST of the economy to subsidize them...to the tune of Billions of pesos per year AND higher electricity bills. LOSE / LOSE / WIN :(

That is a really good idea!!

I think that you would have to get around that thing about "If you produce more than you use, they have to buy yours at the same price" thing

And that would be pretty easy

Split the property into two residences or some kind of a thing

The government was offering them up here in Canada as well. Paying for the installation yourself and relying on the government to make sure they keep paying you the ridiculous amount they promised for they hydro generated for 20 years seemed a bit sketchy, so I just leased the necessary space on my land to someone else who is responsible for paying for the panel and dealing with collecting the hydro money.

I don't get to use any of the hydro generated, but they just send me a cheque for $500 every 4 months for 20 years. Seemed like a no brainer since I had a huge empty hayfield to stick the panel in. I don't think I would want them installed on my roof though. What if you need to repair your roof?

Sort of off topic sorry, but is it true we could cover a desert with panels and power the entire country for free?

Here ya go... Jump to about 65 seconds....

they pay to install and you pay them until they decide to jack up the costs and then when you cancel, you have to pay HUGE fees to have them removed :2 cents:

Cool idea, but a little far fetched, and where I'm at they will work on a section of road for years upon years, I can't imagine what it'd be like waiting for them to install glass roads.

Covering a desert with the best panels we have now (and upgrade them down the line) can be done right away.

THAT is going to change the game, for sure, if it is ever affordable enough.. As an example, instead of having a roof full of ugly panels, you could have a really cool looking driveway...

By affordable, I mean, if it pays for itself quickly enough

Another potential expense to consider are taxes ...

* Solar panels can increase property assessment resulting in higher property tax.

* And potentially, in the future, taxes on solar installations based on power production / size of the array.

Ron

Your estimates sound like they are direct from the manufacturer. The real cost is double what you quote. 8k is not gonna get enough solar panels to power a mobile home, let alone a 3k square foot house.

Is it even possible to fully power your house on solar panels installed on the average sized suburban property?

No it's not. People brag about "selling" thier power back to the power company. What they forget to tell you is that in most situations for maybe 1 or 2 hours a day during the brightest time do they generate more than they consume. The rest of the time they are buying some if not all from the grid. Nighttime 100% from the grid. I have spent a lot on solar and use it for backup purposes. It's still far cheaper to use grid power than solar. I hope this changes soon but for now solar is not worth it, even with the rebates.

Depending on your location, ie: sunlight... yes, without question.

Well both me and Choker live in Orlando (plenty of sunlight) and he has experience and says no, not even close.. I'd have to agree with him or else I'd see them all over the place and not on just a few random (suckers) houses here and there.

Yeah, that's why I have a range, 8-15k, and if you double 8k, you get 16k, so I pretty much doubled it.

Costs depends on what your power needs are, if you use a lot or get little sunlight, it's going to cost a lot more in panels and labor, and that can be way more than double.

You can have solar and still use power, just pay a reduced bill... some people only get enough panels to power the house without heavy use, no hot-tubs, or anything extra really. Even if you only got 1 panel, it's a reduction in your cost.

So it can be even less than $8k.

Well he's incorrect.... unless he's meaning you can't do solar at night, but then - come on.

The power companies buy from you during the day and you buy from them at night, at a reduced rate, you win... if you happen to need power and more than you put in, then no big deal you get a reduce bill then.

This site has been around quite some time and gives pretty detailed info on what they produce per month.

http://www.solarhouse.com/

I think if you have the roof space then it's likely easily enough to produce enough power. The problem is who the hell would want to deal with a 20 year contract via some rental plan.

sorry for offtopic.,
but is this site has
http://www.vivintsolar.com/

video in html5 or something like that ??

the contract states that they can not increase more than a total of 3.something % over the 20 years ..

The best way to compare the value of two solar cells is to measure the dollars/watt ratio. The current best deals on solar cells is about $4.30 per watt. For a 50 watt solar panel, your total cost will be about $215. Keep this in mind when asesssing the cost and purchasing solar cells and panels.

http://www.sunelec.com/ $1.34 /W

I predict solar modules prices will be quoted by the Chinese at Solar Power Int., In Dallas from the 16th to the 21st as follows: Grade A 85¢, Grade B (cosmetics) 50¢/Watt.

The U.S. interstate system was not built overnight.
:2 cents: