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CA School District Spends $23M on Solar Panels, Won't Break Even for 16 Years (ever?)
Daily Tech ^ | September 18, 2011 | Brandon Hill

Posted on 09/18/2011 1:41:55 PM PDT by decimon

San Ramon Valley Unified School District installs 10k photovoltaic panels at five schools

In a move that is proving to be controversial with some, some California school districts are looking to a high-tech way to save money, even if the payback won't be achieved until well over a decade later. CNN is reporting that some California school districts are looking to low-interest federal loans to install solar panels on schools.

CNN singled out the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, which has installed roughly 10,000 photovoltaic panels at five of its 35 total schools at a cost of $23 million. Under the most optimistic projections, the photovoltaic panels would offset energy usage at the schools by 67 to 75 percent.

According to spokesman Terry Koehne, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District will pay back the loans courtesy of the energy savings from using the solar installations. However, this won't be a quick payback for the school system -- it will take roughly 16 years to break even on the photovoltaic panels.

Koehne, however, points to the upside of embarking on this expensive venture; "It's pure profit after that. And following that, we're going to start realizing savings of $2 (million), $3 (million), $4 million a year."

(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Society
KEYWORDS: default; socialists; teachers; tyrants
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To: decimon

Inverters and balance of plant items preclude the average homeowner from installing a solar system IMHO.


21 posted on 09/18/2011 3:59:13 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: decimon

Deport illegals. That will fix school budget problems in a hurry.


22 posted on 09/18/2011 4:56:03 PM PDT by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: decimon

But will their “meters spin backwards?” ;-)


23 posted on 09/18/2011 5:37:03 PM PDT by familyop (cbt. engr. (cbt), Army NG, '89-' 96)
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To: Drango
Inverters and balance of plant items preclude the average homeowner from installing a solar system IMHO.

Cheap components and better storage devices could begin to make it viable. Maybe something simple like some outdoor lighting to start. Maybe trickle charging batteries.

24 posted on 09/18/2011 5:46:45 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon
"I’m in favor of solar power if it finds its niche without subsidy."

There are niches with no need for subsidies miles from the nearest power grid hookups, where it's more expensive to pay for the extremely long power lines. I'm in that kind of situation. The only way to make it cost-effective compared to grid electricity, is to study much, look for the lowest prices on the right components for your situation (and the right appliances) and build the power plant yourself. [Can be dangerous for anyone without experience in electrical installations with the NEC) Anything installed by contractors will be very expensive.


25 posted on 09/18/2011 5:52:23 PM PDT by familyop (cbt. engr. (cbt), Army NG, '89-' 96)
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To: familyop

Can you get DC appliances? 12 or 24 volt?


26 posted on 09/18/2011 6:01:27 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon

Yes, some. Here’s one kind that’ll work.

http://www.sundanzer.com/


27 posted on 09/18/2011 6:24:59 PM PDT by familyop (cbt. engr. (cbt), Army NG, '89-' 96)
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To: Elendur; All
There are no safe havens now. Nothing is certain. Do you trust government bonds with 3% yeild?

The way things are going, we may be glad to have investments that pay out 6 percent a year.

The life of the solar panels is likely a minimum of 25 years.

It is not a “great” investment, but is probably a better one that was made on a lot of Corps of Engineer dam projects.

Just because the government is for it doesn't mean that it is evil. Better the panels than to go into some scam artists pockets.

28 posted on 09/18/2011 6:26:35 PM PDT by marktwain (In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
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To: Chode

I’ll bet not one of these college educated geniuses even knows what that is.


29 posted on 09/18/2011 6:27:52 PM PDT by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: jpsb
I did not think the payback on solar beat 12 cents a kilowatt hour yet. HELP!

Solar panels price has droped below $2 per watt, so payback on 12 cents per kilowatt hour is somewhere between 5-7 years, I am told by my electrical engineer friend who installed some big solar projects for the military. We use a lot of solar panels for work in remote locations with low power needs. In that type of situation, you cannot beat them. They have proven every bit as reliable as grid power here in southern Arizona, and much, much cheaper, because you cannot extend grid power for 100 yards for the price of installing a solar panel. These panels are a lot more expensive than that at about $4.18 per watt installed, so that makes the payback period that they are saying about reasonable for Southern California. We have a bit more sunshine than they do.

30 posted on 09/18/2011 6:36:36 PM PDT by marktwain (In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
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To: Drango; All
Inverters and balance of plant items preclude the average homeowner from installing a solar system IMHO.

Actually, we are very close to it being a reasonable investment here in southern Arizona. The power companies favor distributed production because it helps keep the voltage up on their lines. The inverters have an automatic shut off that takes them off line during a power outage and brings them back on once the power is up.

You get to "run the meter backward" to offset any grid usage. After that you sell to the power company at a somewhat reduced rate.

The most expensive part is installation.

31 posted on 09/18/2011 6:44:20 PM PDT by marktwain (In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I wonder if there is many record on the money savings affected by the solar panels placed on the White House by President Jimmy Carter? That happened 30 plus years ago. So, there should be some longer term economic data to see if the savings being pushed by Obama have any basis in reality.
32 posted on 09/18/2011 6:50:09 PM PDT by Nip (TANSTAAFL and BOHICA)
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To: marktwain
we are very close to it being a reasonable investment

Thanks...So we can form our own opinion...can you post some numbers as to your cost and your ROI or pay back estimate?

33 posted on 09/18/2011 6:53:36 PM PDT by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: decimon

Hey, San Ramon is bad, but Mt. Diablo is worse!

Mt Diablo has solar panels at one school pointed north east! (Clayton)


34 posted on 09/18/2011 6:57:48 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Sarah Palin - 2012 !)
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To: Chode

>> “and the MBTF of the panels is...?” <<

.
About 20 years presently.


35 posted on 09/18/2011 6:59:34 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Sarah Palin - 2012 !)
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To: RingerSIX

>> “The spawn of the spawn of the spawn of the children taught morality by these school districts will vandalize these solar panels to the point that I guarantee you that a break even will never be achieved.” <<

.
Even without that, the birds dropping rocks on them, as flat ast they are mounted, will make them a huge losing proposition (ask Alameda County about the panels at their Hayward court complex parking lot)


36 posted on 09/18/2011 7:06:15 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Sarah Palin - 2012 !)
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To: antidemoncrat
California = result of too much inbreeding East Coast immigration!
37 posted on 09/18/2011 7:09:40 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Sarah Palin - 2012 !)
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To: decimon

>> “We’ll know the time has come when we see people hauling panels out of Home Depot.” <<

.
If they won’t fly at Costco, they won’t fly, and Costco gave up after less than a month, and sent them back to the Manufacturer.


38 posted on 09/18/2011 7:16:27 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Sarah Palin - 2012 !)
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To: decimon

>> “Cheap components...” <<

.
Big mistake for most.

If the inverters and charge controllers are not from Trace, they will not do the job for long, if at all.


39 posted on 09/18/2011 7:21:19 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Sarah Palin - 2012 !)
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To: familyop

Thanks.

Small and expensive appliances for now.


40 posted on 09/18/2011 7:25:22 PM PDT by decimon
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