Re: Solar Panels Cost of Ownership

Hey Chris,

  Yes, you heard correctly.  I was demonstrating how jstack6 is saving a good deal by having locked in the cost of power at 17.1 cents per kWh for the balance of 20 years.

  You have to understand that they did a lot of the work themselves, and that they really saved a lot more that a commercially installed system would have cost.

   My system because of its much lower cost of installation will lock you in for ~10.1 cents for the same 20 years.

  Remember, the major cost figures are:

Dollars per Watt -- The peak rating determines how much the system costs.  The one time capital expense -- before incentives, rebates, etc...

 Cents per kilowatt-hour -- The electric rate the buyer effectively locks in over the lifetime of the equipment, usually quoted as 20 years, but longer lives are expected.

O&M -- operation and maintenence -- can add anywhere from a fraction of a cent per kWh, for simple routine cleaning and an annual checkup, to several times the initial expense when _consumables_ like batteries, and fuel cell elements are required over the 20 year lifetimes.

Fuel -- Zero for solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, wave, etc... Minuscule for nuclear & "waste heat" applications.   Most of the total lifetime cost for coal, oil, natural gas, diesel, fuel cells.

 Yup, $0.42/kWh (or $420/MWh) for solar renewable.  That's supposed to be the carrot to get folks to place orders for systems like mine...  I'm still waiting for someone to wake up and smell the coffee.  Oil closed >$100/bbl today... What is everyone waiting for?