Browse Forums General Discussion Re: solar powered house?????? 31Jun 06, 2007 1:38 pm Don't all solar cells suffer gradual loss of efficiency as photons literally knock out the particles in the cell ? I've read (but have been unable to refind the article) that over a period of just a few years, solar panels can reduce in output by up to 50% ? Re: solar powered house?????? 32Jun 06, 2007 2:04 pm The reason why I started the SunGrid project was because I really want to use solar but the economics (for flat panels) just don't work out.
For instance, take a look here: http://www.renewablestore.com.au/solar- ... prices.php Look at the first system in the list, it will produce around 1,829KWh per year. If you pay 15cents per KWh (most will probably pay less), you will save around $274.35 per year off you electricity bill. Now that system AFTER the government rebate is quoted as $4500 to $6500 Put $4500 (the lower and less likely amount) in a bank account at Bankwest (6.8%) and your return is: $306 per year. At $6500, your return is$442pa. If you live in an area where the sun is not as intense/reliable, expect less than the 1829KWh. The target of SunGrid/OpenCPV is to try achieve $3 per watt or around $3 per ~6KWh/pa. That would mean the above system would cost $914.50 without any government rebate. $914.5 at 6.8% would return $62.19pa far lower than compared to the $274.35 for the electricity cost from a coal company. Scale the system up a bit and your annual savings can move into the thousands of dollars. Finally, Cabinfever, most conventional solar panels run really hot (60C+), something for which they are not particuarly designed. Concentrated photovoltaic cells use special cooling and are designed to run at higher temps. This together with tracking makes them an excellent choice. One way or another, concentrated photovoltaics are comming to ordinary users and they will change the world. I just want to get it a few years earlier. Re: solar powered house?????? 33Aug 29, 2007 10:58 pm 3timesbuilda,
I was wondering how thge SunGrid project that you started is going. Sounds like a great idea, but I haven't heard much about it. I, and I'm sure there are many others, would be interested to know how things are progressing. Cheers, Casa Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: solar powered house?????? 34Nov 29, 2013 11:50 am Well...it took a long time but SunCube is TOTALLY BUSTED! Just a gigantic SCAM. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgJlMwEoO6c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcoscS0kA94 You’ve seen the movie....now read the book! http://www.amazon.com/Great-SunCube-Swi ... B00GPAGPR6 I looked into it a few years ago and my conclusion was to just build a carport that will support panels and get a system installed separately. The company I looked at had… 1 6629 Hi, I have a block that I am planning on building on soon to both side boundaries, which both have other houses constructed that were also built boundary to… 0 415 Hi HomeOne, I'm in the midst of landscaping a cat run down the side of my house, and the recent rains have me wondering if I need to install some sort of drainage. I've… 0 12532 |