Solar is getting much cheaper.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')olar costs about 25 cents a kilowatt hour. That's compared to about 9 cents a kilowatt hour for natural gas and 5 cents a kilowatt hour for modern coal-burning plants, as well as 6 cents a kilowatt hour for wind energy if tax considerations are included. The good news is that the cost of solar power is falling all the time. It once stood at $1 a kilowatt hour and advocates say that it could soon cost 12-16 cents a kilowatt hour.
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Can some of you smart types educate me on solar power?
Re: Can some of you smart types educate me on solar power?
by Offshore » Thu 06 Sep 2007, 03:38:04
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Re: Can some of you smart types educate me on solar power?
by WisJim » Thu 06 Sep 2007, 13:51:46
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Offshore', '
')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')olar costs about 25 cents a kilowatt hour. That's compared to about 9 cents a kilowatt hour for natural gas and 5 cents a kilowatt hour for modern coal-burning plants, as well as 6 cents a kilowatt hour for wind energy if tax considerations are included. The good news is that the cost of solar power is falling all the time. It once stood at $1 a kilowatt hour and advocates say that it could soon cost 12-16 cents a kilowatt hour.
')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')olar costs about 25 cents a kilowatt hour. That's compared to about 9 cents a kilowatt hour for natural gas and 5 cents a kilowatt hour for modern coal-burning plants, as well as 6 cents a kilowatt hour for wind energy if tax considerations are included. The good news is that the cost of solar power is falling all the time. It once stood at $1 a kilowatt hour and advocates say that it could soon cost 12-16 cents a kilowatt hour.
Giving a cost per kilowatt hour for solar is kind of meaningless, because you are talking about the cost of a generating system, and the cost per kw-hr depends on the life of the system. Part of my system that is about 4 years old could be calculated to cost $7000, and produces (on an annual basis) an average of 6 kw-hr a day (anything from almost zero to almost 12, depending on time of year, cloudiness, and temp). If the system were to last 1 year, the power costs about $3.20 a kw-hr, but if it lasts 10 years, the cost per kw-hr drops to $.32. My 25 year old panels have paid for themselves long ago, and my newer ones will pay for themselves in terms of avoiding buying electricity in about 30 years, if the cost of power never increases--but it goes up a penny or two a couple of times a year lately. I think that the last bill said it is about $.12 a kw-hr after including the surcharges, fuel charges, etc. I expect the panels to last twice their warranty period, or at least 50 years, barring physical destruction.
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Re: Can some of you smart types educate me on solar power?
by WisJim » Thu 06 Sep 2007, 16:51:22
I'll try to get back to some of the original questions.
Pumping water by hand to get enough to drink, wash people and dishes, process food, etc., isn't hard as it doesn't take a lot of water to take care of basic needs if you don't have to shower twice a day and change clothes even more often.
Some of my favorite books about house design and construction:
The Well Tempered House--Roert Argue, 1980
A couple of books by Alex Wade, on energy efficient housing and construction
Sun/Earth Buffering and Superinsulation--Don Booth et al
Passive Solar Energy--Anderson and Wells
The Hawkweed Passive Solar House Book--Wright
solar hot water:
Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide--Ramlow & Nusz
Solar electric:
The Homeowners Guide to Renewable Energy--Chiras (a recent and fairly good and complete overview)
the catalog and on-line info from BackWoods Solar:
http://www.backwoodssolar.com/
They aren't the cheapest supplier, and don't have the most complete line of products, but they have been in business, using, selling, and installing PVs and wind systems for decades.
Go to an energy fair if possible. Go on the Solar Tour, sponsored throughout the country by the American Solar Energy Society, mostly on Saturday October 6, 2007, and look at homes and business using alternative energy and construction methods.
http://www.ases.org/tour/
There are links to most state tours on the national website.
Pumping water by hand to get enough to drink, wash people and dishes, process food, etc., isn't hard as it doesn't take a lot of water to take care of basic needs if you don't have to shower twice a day and change clothes even more often.
Some of my favorite books about house design and construction:
The Well Tempered House--Roert Argue, 1980
A couple of books by Alex Wade, on energy efficient housing and construction
Sun/Earth Buffering and Superinsulation--Don Booth et al
Passive Solar Energy--Anderson and Wells
The Hawkweed Passive Solar House Book--Wright
solar hot water:
Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide--Ramlow & Nusz
Solar electric:
The Homeowners Guide to Renewable Energy--Chiras (a recent and fairly good and complete overview)
the catalog and on-line info from BackWoods Solar:
http://www.backwoodssolar.com/
They aren't the cheapest supplier, and don't have the most complete line of products, but they have been in business, using, selling, and installing PVs and wind systems for decades.
Go to an energy fair if possible. Go on the Solar Tour, sponsored throughout the country by the American Solar Energy Society, mostly on Saturday October 6, 2007, and look at homes and business using alternative energy and construction methods.
http://www.ases.org/tour/
There are links to most state tours on the national website.
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Re: Can some of you smart types educate me on solar power?
by strider3700 » Thu 06 Sep 2007, 19:48:34
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ayoob', '
')I'm planning on building anywhere from the south of Oregon on the wet side up the coast through the middle of British Columbia. I just got back from a trip to BC and was stunned almost to tears with how beautiful that place is. To live in BC is to sit in God's lap and to know love.
')I'm planning on building anywhere from the south of Oregon on the wet side up the coast through the middle of British Columbia. I just got back from a trip to BC and was stunned almost to tears with how beautiful that place is. To live in BC is to sit in God's lap and to know love.
depending on where you're moving too in BC there are tons of issues with your plans.
Almost nowhere in BC will a Yurt be reasonable shelter (too wet or too cold or best of all both)
In the majority of BC AC is not worth installing I can suck it up that 1 or 2 days that it hits 30 around here... shade trees and a cold drink is all you need.
I'd skip the yurt and basement and start with a small cabin. Then once you're living in there I'd spend the money and build the house on the basement.
remember that the majority of BC sucks for solar thanks to the rain.
shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts
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