Anyone have solar panels

I'm actually looking into this right now and wouldn't mind others real world experiences. Especially people 6-8 years in and how the payoff has been.

So far I have narrowed my panel choices to Either Sun Power Panels or I believe it was Sun Tek (they had built in Inverters). Sun Power looks to be more expensive but because of my constrained roof the added cost for more efficient and smaller panels may be required.

I'm finding prices can vary substantially from one company to another and we have absolutly no shortage of Solar installers here in California!

Currently my house sucks down about 450 kwH's per month average. I'm expecting an aditional 150 kwH's for the Prius. I'm getting estimates of 16-18 pannels depending on Sun Power or the other company. (Again Sun Powers look to me smaller and more efficient).

Anyone with Solar PLEASE chime in on you experience, recomendations, referals, whatever...

 

I'd like to second the "PLEASE chime in on you experience". I'm pretty much thrilled with my initial results (had the car about a month, and am averaging 113 mpg) and live in the NW where 90% of the electricity comes from hydro, but would still happily supplement with solar. I'd rather not have to commit to a huge install, however--panels and inverters have come way down in price, & I'm interested in DIY. Clarian Power (Clarian Power: Power In Every Home) looks promising (they have wind too), but their stuff is apparently not yet ready.

 

Serious question: What is your concern?
First off, PiP doesn't use much electricity -- about 3 kWh per charge, or 90/month if you charge daily. At ten cents per kWh, that's $9.00 on your bill -- or $18 if you pay 20 cents/kWh. So it's probably not a money thing. If its an environmental thing, I think solar is misguided as well, because car charging is off peak -- it uses idle power. That is to say, if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, charge only a night, around 3-6AM, because that's when there's abundant idle power on the grid. Last, if you want to being your bill or usage down, investigate what's using 450 kWh. LED lightbulbs might be much more effective, especially if you replace only key, high use bulbs.

I don't mean to criticize solar power a bit, but consider that off-peak use is already environmentally friendly and so is conservation.

 

@concern: for me, it's not so much a concern as an interest. I already have LEDs & CFLs and have Kill-a-Watted every other device. (Am replacing my home server with a 5W Raspberry Pi soon!) I am, however, keen on tinkering with some solar--and besides, that energy is falling right on my property...

 

We're the process of having a 5kw system installed on our roof. They're putting up 26 190W SunTech panels on the roof. The system is supposed to generate about 6000 KWh a year. This should cover 50% or more of our electric power needs. In California, we're on a tiered system. My electric rates start at 13 cents a KWh and when we go over our baseline amount, it can rapidly increase to 34 cents a KWh. The majority of our usage is in the higher tiers. So putting solar on the roof will cut our bill by a huge amount. Even with the lease payments to the solar leasing company, we should be able to save at least $70 or more a month on the electric bill.

 

There was just recently a post concerning using solar panels to charge Prius, the poster said his parents had a good amount of solar panels on the roof facing south.."...and it would take THREE DAYS to charge the car! I don't remember the numbers. I guess if you can sell 3-5 KWhrs a day back to the utility then that may help your usage. Then there is the costs, a min of $20,000 to $ 60,000 for initial installation. With a 40 yr payback. On previous PC sites there are many specific and detailed posts on the subject.

 

I have 24 BP Solar BP4175B, 175W modules, capable of generating 5,066 kilowatt-hours per year, facing west in the San Francisco bay area. In summer, my meter runs backwards. Cost when installed for a 10-year lease was $7,800 from Sungevity. My electric bill went from $160/month to $15, so I am a very happy clam. Payback is like 57 months or about 5 years.

 

Some great info here. Thanks! I forget that electricity is cheap where I live -- our bill is only about $45/month and charging my PiP daily will lower that by $2 because of the rate structure.

I still believe that, environmentally, a Plug-in car needs no offset if it charges off-peak, but financially, it's another matter.

 

Was the $7880 a downpayment (prepay on the lease)? Or is that the total amount of lease payments you'll make over the course of the lease? Our lease is for 15 years. We did a $4000 downpayment, so our lease payments start out at $91 a month for the first year.

 

It sounds like the original poster doesn't know much about his parent's solar system, or how solar works in the first place if he thinks it would take 3 days to recharge the car.

A typical solar system will pay itself back in 10 to 15 years depending upon system size. While the upfront cost might be $20K to $60K, 30% of that comes back to you as a federal tax credit, and there are state incentives to further offset the cost. We were originally quoted a price of $18K for a 2.47 Kw system, before any tax credits or incentives. Or about $8 a watt. This is before any incentives from the feds or state. If you can't afford the upfront costs, you can opt for a solar lease. No upfront costs and you end up with a lower bill even with the lease payments factored in.

 

Yes i have
2000 euro DIY
Only 500 with incentive
Payback 5 years

-Htc Tapatalk

 

Yeah SunTech was the other panel brand. Basically the situation I am in right now is buy a Suntech system flat out or lease a SunPower System. The current 20 year lease option is just way to good to overlook on the SunPower systems even if you would prefer to own. Right now I have 3 Quotes for SunPower 20 year leases for around 13-16k. All are 16 or 18 panels. They are only warrentied for 25 years so I struggle to tell myself they will outlast that. And the cost to lease for those 20 years is just so much better then the purchase price it off sets that 5 year difference.

SunTech on the other hand I have 1 quote for 13k to purchase (after incentive/rebates).

All systems I had designed to eliminate our bill and leave some room so there is less need to be frugal with our electricity. Plus, truth is 5 years ago I never thought I would own an electric car. How much of a streach is it to assume I will own two 5 years from now? All systems averaged around a 7-8 year payout. But truthfully if My homes loading goes up (my 6 month old daughter, 2nd electric car, ect) that would lower the payout time a fair amount.

One of my concerns is the tax credit? One guy told me you can roll it over. Does anyone know the truth to this? I'm a little concerned if I cant because of the plug in credit + solar credit all in one year.

devprius I'm curious more on your purchase of the suntechs? Was it just what was sold to you or did you have reasons to pick them. Truthfully that is the direction I am heading.

 

And Dev, what company did you use?

 

We're not doing an outright purchase. It's a solar lease through Sungevity. They picked the panels, inverter, etc. I just approved the price we have to pay every month. Sungevity actually is the one who gets to claim the federal tax credit and the state rebates. Total number of payments over the course of the 15 years is around $24K. At the end of the lease, they let you extend the lease for another 5 years, or you can have them come and take it down at no charge to you, or buy the system at fair market value.

 

I paid 100% up front. No monthly payments. PS: You're in Pacifica, right? I'm at the top of Sharp Park.

 

Hola neighbor! I drive past you every day on Sharp Park. We're over by Terra Nova high school.

 

Hi -- the solar tax credit definitely rolls over - see the last page of instructions for IRS form 5695. BUT: as devprius said if you lease then the leasing company gets the tax credit and state rebate, and they factor this into the price. [I just helped two family members to get solar installed. Both went through leasing companies but one bought outright and one prepaid. Everybody's thrilled so far.]

 

The numbers are more than a little off here. I have photovoltaic panels on my house here in Los Angeles. The system generated 6950 kWh in the past year, about 19 kWh per day on average. So I could charge my PiP six times a day if I needed to and still have power left to make coffee in the morning.

I bought the system outright; installation cost about $24k out of pocket, but then various federal and local rebates and incentives amounted to about $11k, bringing the final price down to about $13k. It's not something that saves a huge amount of money, especially under LADWP where electricity is dirt cheap relative to SoCal Edison or PG&E. But it does pay for itself over the long term--if my electrical bill was $100 month before, then it will pay for itself in eleven years.

But I doubt anyone installs solar (or buys a PiP) for economic reasons. We're primarily looking to use fewer petrochemicals. If it also saves money in the long term so much the better. But driving around town on energy you captured from the sun is the real reward.