buckeyebrewer
Well-Known Member
Some people seem to take this very personal. I didn't know it would turn into this. Entertaining to say the least.......
If these technologies worked they would be everywhere.
Solar needs sunlight and hydro needs electricity to produce. Neither one of them will get you off of the grid.
It's not about getting off the grid...in fact, the grid is a necessary part of any realistic alternative energy plan.
If you mean necessary as a back-up I would agree. I'd rather generate my own power or share a source with a few neighbors.
Even without subsidies, at the sector level, the true cost of solar power is surprisingly low even today. The average cost is less than $2/W for c-Si modules and less than $5/W for monolithic systems (This includes all costs through the supply chain, excluding only profit.)
First Solar, SolarWorld, SunPower and Suntech are good companies to keep an eye on over the next 5-6 years.
Expect costs to be closer to $1/W around then as well.
If we all expect to be individually energy independent, we have no chance.
I didn't mean to imply that it wouldn't be feasible at some point in the future. The costs of production are only one part of the equation. Battery technology has to improve dramatically for solar to work residentially.
I know it takes time for the new tech to pay for itself...but does anyone honestly believe that they will spend less on beer rather than more from Sn in five years? Don't argue inflation. I bet the price will increase by five dollars in the next five years
I think the price people see across the nation has more to do with the distributors than with Sierra Nevada. You don't put in solar, hydrogen fuel cells, and use biodiesel if you're into making a quick profit. It's an investment in the future of the company, and the earth which suggests a different kind of motive.
If SN sees any financial benefit from this system it won't be until 10 years down the road. That installation likely cost them several million dollars and they probably financed it.
Before they were pulling power off the grid, paying for it month by month. Now they are paying principal + interest every month. I'd guess it's a wash.
TH: And when you consider the cost of installing these various renewable energy systems and the amount that you’re actually saving in energy expenses each year, what is the ROI? What sort of return on investment are you looking at?
CC: Sure. The return on investment for both the solar panels and the fuel cells is roughly six to seven years each, so the fuel cells have been up and running for about two and a half years, so we’ve got another four and a half or so years left on that investment. That investment period -- that payback period -- was made possible because of rebates and tax credit and tax incentives. We had some rebates from the local utility. We also had some rebates from the Department of Defense, so that helped out significantly.
The solar installation also has a roughly six to seven year payback period at this time, and, of course, all of this is pending what electricity prices are gonna be and that kind of thing.
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