kain

so far solar panels can only be 20% MAX efficient(they are reaching 40% in the lab). 3 dollars a watt is expensive. as of now the only way to make them was with silicon crystals. you think this is an easy process to do?

right now they are making printable solar cells that cost 30 cents a watt, and cost far less to make because they don't use any silicone.

cbirchmore

Just bought one of these from NewEgg.com. Hopefully, I can save a few $$$. I know I need to~ Not a bad idea. $20.98 shipped to my door

Inquisition

You're numbers are not valid. Printable ones are still near $5 a watt. Regular old panels are slightly more. Still only matters how much power it takes to make vs how much energy it has the potential to produce.

Example: An 80W panel will produce on average about 160W a day or 58.4kW a year and they last about 25-30 years. So unless it takes over 1460KW to produce an 80W panel, I'm not too concerned. They recoup their production cost via selling the panels. Again, you guys are grasping at straws with little to no factual backing. Are solar panels super efficient? No. Are they a viable resource now and in the future? Absolutely.

stenseltizm

Grasping at straws

Go ahead and spend your money on products that you see as a viable future, I personally don't agree and don't need to prove myself to you and didn't ask you to prove it makes more power than it takes to build. Just don't make your neighbor pay for it.

You know if I earned less money, the gov't would pay for my food and shelter? Just think of how much money I'll save money just by being lazier

cbirchmore

Inquisition, it's a good idea. Any responsible person sees that less $ spent on bills= more to save, blow, whatever you choose to do. So, even for you ***** who don't care where your $$$ goes, you can still save $, and then go buy some more heroine or blow it all on booze. It's only human to accept other people's opinions. If you don't care about your $$$ and the things you could buy by not paying so much on bills, read another thread!

Inquisition

Well you were the one that stated it takes a ton of power to make these panels and then we will get a slow trickle back from them. Personally if someone offered me $1000 now or $1 a day for 10 years, I'd be pretty stupid not to take the $1 a day. Same with solar panels.

As for government funding. This is a state funded and choice project. There are plenty of state projects I fund that are no use to me and I don't agree with, yet I still pay for it. Why can't I ask for state funding when I can use it? So I should just pay taxes and expect nothing from my government in return? The money has already been budgeted so it either can sit there, someone else can have it, or I can have it. I think I'd rather have it.

Dr.Boost

I'm not sure about other places, but out here you get about $10k in rebates for installing the system in your home. That doesn't cover the cost of the system, but after around ~15 years you make all your money back and get free electricity......well that's the plan anyways.

I'm a ------- freak about what's using electricity in my house. For the longest time I was against using the dishwasher because of the energy it used, but the wife was using it behind my back so I just said ---- it.

My most recent electric bill was $100, but that includes cooking a xmas dinner for 12. Every light bulb in my house is a CFL except the one in the fridge and the one on the hood because for some reason they don't work in those.

My main ---- is the A/C, dryer, water heater, fridge, washer, computer, dishwasher and my TV draws like 400w. I have the heater set at 69* most of the winter and around 76* in the summer, 78* if I'm not home. I freak out if I come home and there are lights left on all day.

My old roommate is my complete opposite. That ****** would leave every god damn light in the house on all day and night long, turn the A/C down to 60* at night and the heater up to 90* in the morning. Sometimes he would forget to turn the heat back off and I would come home to an oven with the heater cranking all day. He would come and go like 20 times a day and use the garage door opener each time, but he didn't park in the garage. He was just too lazy to use a key in the front door. I don't know how I made it through that.
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accordepicenter

i know what you mean. I have some rooms rented out at my house (keeps it fun, plus it practically pays my mortgage for me ) anyway, there is this one guy that seriously turns on every light in the house and either leaves, or goes to bed. Sometimes he will crank up the heat to 74 degrees! Thats kinda where i draw the line, im like uhh, why do you keep turning it up from 68 (come on thats not that cold, really. I wanted to keep it at 65) put on a goddamn sweater. Turn stuff off if your not using it. At least he helps keep the place clean or id be really bitching

kain

im assuming that you live in New Jersey, so that means New Jersey only receives about four and a half hours of direct sunlight per day.

also, those numbers should be lower. according to "Solar Module Price Highlights - January 2008"

Toysrme

If it applies to you are you factoring in seasonal, and peak / medium / off-peak useage rates?

Here that would cost $55.71 to light 365.
At our R/C flying field we use an inverter to get power from a bank of lead acid car batteries. they are charged by three solar panals and two hand made wind mills. (alternators). It's just bearly enough power to light afew florecent lights, near dusk and field charge any battery packs afew times a month tops.

im with common since. don't waste the $20, turn it off if you're not using it. and make sure you don't unplug a deep freeze that's doing a valueable job, like saving film or negatives. it's just a multi-meter for god's sake...
I'd take my $1000, put it in google stock and laugh at your *** in five years lol