Solar shingles

D107

looks like the way of the future.
http://www.atlantisenergy.org

interesting quote from article:
a 2 kilowatt pv system in albuquerque produces 25% more electricity than the same system in Boston (less sunlight), but the savings are greater in boston since electricity costs so much more.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Does seem better than the systems built into asphalt shingles that have little or no chance of every paying back...

$12,000 for 1 kw. 10¢ kwh * 10 hours/day = $1 per day.

12,000 days = 33 years or so. Sure hope they're better than the other modern fiber-cement shingles like Suprador that often didn't outlast asphalt. The old asbestos-cement shingles would go for 75+ years with a decent pitch like 8/12 or higher.

BTW that's significantly more than I pay for electric and 10 hours/day of full output seems an extremely generous estimate.

D107

article says they got a 2-KW system for $15K

which they rolled into their mortgage, adding $100/mo to carrying costs. Then they'll get a 30% federal tax break up to $2000 towards the cost of the system. 'Her last electric bill was $3.85..' BUT 'factoring in equipment and installation costs, the price of a KW of solar energy is about 25¢, versus 10¢ for natural gas or coal-generated.'

Funny with all the walls posts on solar I've seen I had been thinking the only way to make it worthwhile is to incorporate the cells into all the building materials of a house--brick, clapboards, windows, sidewalks, even our clothing. Price will just have to come down and the government will have to increase incentives.

Larry (from OSHA)

it's what you do with it

Solar is great for making hot water, but it does seem a bit less economical to get serious payback for electric. I just had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week in Hawaii where it seems that everyone is making hot water with solar. The house we stayed at had a 119 gallon tank with a roof mounted collector. 180 degree tempered down to 115 and there was no way the five of us could run it out!

Gordy

Watts

10 watts a square foot at 120.00 a square foot for the PV shingle seems way steep for what they can do. Solar electric has a ways to go to be affordable with a decent payback time frame.

I wonder how atmospheric crud that will collect on the tempered glass decreases performance. Maybe not at all.

Seems like a product for the sharper image catalog.



Gordy

Larry Weingarten

another perspective

I built a house off grid. The house is quite efficient so needs only 630 watts of photovoltaic to power it. All the conservation and solar didn't run over $10,000. Undergrounding PG&E would have been at least $50,000. So, this solar was cost effective from the start. ;~)

Yours, Larry

Gordy

Off Grid

Weil the only thing I can say Larry is... Don't build off Grid, and it would not of cost ya 10'000 ;^)

If one does decide to build off grid then they know what they are up against as you were,willing to spend the money to do so.

Gordy