Posted on 12/21/2007 10:32:12 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
Here in the Northeast we get the equivalent of 4 hours of peak sunlight, averaged throughout the year. This means a 1Kw panel, costing $2K installed, would produce about 1500 KwH per year, for a cost savings of $150/year. This makes payoff about 7 years, assuming no maintenance costs during those 7 years (a big assumption)
As I said before, I see these panels being most cost effective in the southwest, where there's more sunlight and higher electric prices. And we can expect that the price of panels will come down over time, increasing the areas over which they would be cost effective (without subsidy).
Thanks for the links...
Yup, and economical. If I can get a payback time of less than 5 years, and then have 10-15 years (or more) of payback, it would absolutely be worth it. Very interesting to see this technology progress.
Imagine the Middle East with no US oil market. A comedy waiting to be written.
Move em under the street lighting?
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