Re: PV solar design example
- From: AndyS <andysharpe@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:21:08 -0700 (PDT)
TheM wrote:
Is there a credible site out there (besides lancaster's energy fun)
showing that solar PV are net energy sink with calculations and
such?
Andy writes:
It's not hard to do the calculations yourself:
1) Determine the amount of power that your house uses in a month,
for instance , 1000 kwh..... Then determine the peak power
necessary for any extended period, such as air conditioning and
hot water heater at the same time.
2) Determine the storage capacity of batteries and inverters needed
to provide the peak power for the extended time, AND the amount
of power for a month, as you determined in step 1. Price them
out for , say, 20 years, allowing for replacement when the
warranty
of each item runs out.
3) From the internet, determine the average FULL-SUNLIGHT hours
you have per day in your location. For instance, the sunlight
hours
in Dallas are approx 5.5 hours of 100% sun per day and 18.5
hours of ZERO sun. This number is needed to determing the
joules a panel will put out each day.
4) Determine the number of solar panels you need to generate the
total monthly power for the number of full-sunlight hours in
your
location..... Price these panels at about $6 per watt in full
sun.
5) Add up the cost of batteries, inverters, solar panels, wiring,
regulators, switches, transfer switches, metering, auto-aiming
(if you have a tracker to maximize the ful sun hours),
enclosure,
tools, and any required permits.
There you have the cost of a solar system that will replace what you
are
using now.
Now, compare your monthly power bill from the grid to the cost of
the
equipment you had to buy....... Assume that you may have to replace
any
of the system components when the warranty period runs out.
That's all there is to it. If you can't do the above, you won't
understand
the answers which you read from others who have done it. .. and what
approximations they made or assumptions they used..... AND whether
or not they forgot something.
For instance, each time I have done it, I found that if I just put
the money
that I would spend on buying the solar equipment in the bank, just
the
INTEREST on that money would pay my power bill from the grid.....
Of course, your results will depend on your life style and where you
live.
If, you plan to reduce your energy needs to significantly less
than you
are using on the grid, getting rid of stuff like elec air conditioning
and heat,
no hot water heaters, and minimal lighting at night, you may save a
bunch
of money....... Still, if you reduced your needs to that level, and
stayed on
the grid, you would save even more money.....
Remember, it takes more energy to dig, mine, smelt, construct,
deliver,
and install a solar panel than it will generate over it's useful life.
Andy in Eureka, Texas
.
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