Is the Sun finally rising on Solar Power? (Company funds/owns PV for your home - you buy the power)

Renewable Energy Access ^ | 1/20/2007

[JimRed]

For years I said that solar/electric would only become widely available when the electric utility companies figured out a way to meter the sunlight. Their method seems sound.

Or, they could lease the equipment rather than selling it.

[RhoTheta]

bttt

[listenhillary]

I don't think they would do off grid installations. If they did, I would imagine a huge expense would be a battery system which would drive the cost way up.

Even with that you would still need an additional back up source of energy. Wind, gas generator to avoid going dark after a week of no sun.

[wita]

This is a money making scheme, and nowhere do I read what happens in 5, 10, and 15 years as the photovoltaic progression yields greater and greater savings and quality, and you are stuck with old technology at a time when new developments far outweigh the old.

My meter rates are not rising at the rate suggested because the power company has to remain competitive against the gas company, and against any new competing technology. Never be first in or last to accept "new" tech.

For the bottom line, when the grid goes out our my local power shuts down, a massive and nationwide group of linemen, are there in all kinds of weather to restore power. A slick roof in bad weather to a local business man or his employees, is another story.

[JimRed]

They will have to pay me to put those ugly @$$, black crap on my roof.

Ugly is as ugly does!

[listenhillary]

You remain on grid if your panels are working or not.

[B.O. Plenty]

Solar Panel Bump

[texas booster]

Each panel puts out 250 watts of power at peak, with a DC/AC converter. Put 8 to 16 of these together and you will probably be selling power back to the utility during the day and buying it at night.

It could save money for homes that have a Time of Use meter, popular in some areas. TOU meters are mostly used in commercial metering.

Here is a meter for a large solar cell system in Austin TX. Click on the meter and you will see a 3 day graph of electrical output. Some days produce a lot of power, some days don't.

http://www.energyintegrators.net/page6.html

What is important to note is that you allow CitizenRe to rent you a solar cell system, provide the insurance for it, pay the local utility a fee for monthly use and will have to pay for power in excess of solar generation.

All in all, if their expenses are low enough they will be able to make a pretty penny on this; the consumer will have lower energy bills (if not nearly ZERO energy bills); and it really is using the free energy that the sun delivers every day.

[Uncledave]

This is a money making scheme, and nowhere do I read what happens in 5, 10, and 15 years as the photovoltaic progression yields greater and greater savings and quality, and you are stuck with old technology at a time when new developments far outweigh the old.

Hey, anyone is free to buy and maintain their own PV equipment and upgrade as often as they wish as new technology becomes availabe.

This firm is offering another option and business model, the deal seems plain and up-front, and they're entitled to the future profit if they can later retrofit the system with new technology to further lower cost.

More power to them (so to speak)

[DB]

In bad weather your solar panels won't be producing anything so it is unlikely you'll be on the roof fixing it during bad weather.

And last but not least, you are still connected to the grid. If your solar system fails, you still have power.

[hunter112]

They will have to pay me to put those ugly @$$, black crap on my roof.

I remember when people had the same attitudes about television antennas, and satellite dishes...

[steve8714]

I'm digging my Earth Shoes and tie-dyes out of the closet now...

[wizr]

I once worked for an energy company that provided many different ways to conserve, some of them free.

The ecological savings also earned them money. For handing out a low flow shower head, they received a huge return from the government. As I remember, it was based on the amount of water saved over a 10 year period.

This could be based on the same idea.

You sign a contract for their services, plus the $500 set up fee. You're locked in.

1. IMHO, they receive a dividend from the government for each customer taken off the grid.

2. Their unit costs are much lower than the costs passed on by solar unit sales companies.

3. They have a guaranteed income, from the contract.

4. They have no service upkeep, no line crews, no generation needs, and the money just rolls in.

[hunter112]

...nowhere do I read what happens in 5, 10, and 15 years as the photovoltaic progression yields greater and greater savings and quality, and you are stuck with old technology at a time when new developments far outweigh the old.

As I read it, if you want the system off your property within the 25 year period, they come get it, and you lose only a $500 deposit. Frankly, if better, cheaper, more reliant systems came along, they'd probably replace older ones, so they could have more power to sell on the grid.

[hoosierham]

Only when renewable.solar or whatever IS a profitable business will it thrive.
Current power plants exist for the purpose of making money for their investors;electricity happens to be the product they believe is the best way to make money.

[Uncledave]

I think you summarize their model pretty well, but I susepct they don't get some special new fee from the govt for taking somebody off the grid. I think they simply pocket whatever tax goodies are available on a state-by-state basis on the equipment.

Also, maybe they can take advantage of the Production Tax Credit given to renewable energy generators. If they can claim all their rooftop installtions as one total "system", then maybe they can claim a PTC benefit. The thing is, they're selling the power at the retail price, whereas other PTC benefactors (eg wind farm owners), sell power at a negotiated rate to the utility in a Power Purchase Agreement. It's around 1/2 the price of retail.

[decimon]

Basically the grid becomes a huge battery.

Except that there is no battery. No storage at all of the energy supplied from the home to the grid.

The power utility would have to determine what is the steady-state supply from these solar energy sources to determine to what degree it can stand down any generators.

[MRadtke]

Don't forget you would also need equipment to convert the solar generated electrical current to 60Hz 240VAC and synchronize it with the utilities power before it can be put on the grid.

[Uncledave]

That's standard inverter / grid connection equipment in a grid-tie system.

[texas booster]

Hey, it makes the energy cost of folding drop right to (nearly) nothing.

BTW, the FReeper Folders passed AOA Forums last night.

WooHoo! #56 in the world!