There is a lot of talk about renewable energy sources, how they are cleaner, last forever, and over the long haul, are cheaper then fossil fuels. Take a look at the following chart to see how America derives its power.
Sources of Power in USA
Nth Degree Solar Energy, a Grand Junction, Colorado based solar design and installation firm recently finished a commercial solar installation in Monte Vista, CO. Find it here.
Nth Degree Energy uses the Acme camera kit and PV Watts to do a custom designed solution that fits the customers needs. Here is what an array shot looks like to determine the amount of sun hours a day:
Solar Analysis Chart
The solar array was installed on an empty field across a ditch from the house:
Grid-tied Solar PV electric system installation site
Here is a picture of the completed solar installation:
Installed Solar Electric Power Plant - 15KW
The system required two Sunny Boy 7000 inverters:
Grid-tied solar array inveter cross-connect
You can view the power plant here.
Description of location:
1: Latitude: 37.653 N Longitude: 106.660 W Elevation: 7750’
2: Declination: 9.8 deg E
3: Lowest Temperature -34deg F: Highest ambient Temperature 78 deg F
4: Total Electricity used/Year: 44,863 KHW Total Cost/Year $ 4,640.17
5: Panel Pitch: 35 Deg
6: Hours of Solar Radiation: 6.33 Hours /day fixed for summer
Picture of sunlight hours for House site: The site has 98% of sunlight hours. Sunlight 6.33Hrs / Available 6.20 Hrs
Calculate amount of solar needed to meet Electrical needs:
1: Average solar per Month: 44,863 KHW/12 =3,738.6 KWH/Mth
2. Average solar per day 3,738.6Kwh/30 = 124.612 KWH
3: Amount solar per hour: 124.612 / KWH/6.20hrs*1000watts/1KWH= 20,099 Watts/Hr
4. Inverter efficiency: (20,099 watts/hr)/.96 = 20,936 Watts/Hr
5: # of Sharp 235W panels: 20,936W/235W= 89.089 or 90 panels
6. # Inverters: 3 Sunny Boy 7000US (240V) Inverters
7. System Size 21.15 KW
8. Actual Size: 15.51 kW
In today’s rough economic times, it is often difficult to see your way to spending money. But if you have $20,000 in a 401(k) that has just lost half its value, what is the point in saving if you are not sure of the outcome? By investing in Solar Electric Systems, you are reducing risk and locking in your rate of return. For home systems with large utility rebates, Solar Electric Systems can be installed for as little as $3.50 per watt final cost to the landlord .
The average retail cost of a Home Solar Electric System in Colorado is somewhere between $8 and $9 per watt. Most people cannot afford this type of cost, and it is still much more expensive then what they get from the grid now. In order to make solar feasible, the initial costs must be offset. This is done in many ways. For the individual landlord there is a federal tax credit of 30% of whatever was spent on the system. For many Americans, this credit is larger than the total tax they owe, so anything they paid to the IRS for that year will be returned to them when they file their income taxes.
Another major subsidy comes from the power companies, assuming they are big enough to be regulated. For those living in rural areas, many of these types of subsidies are much smaller in amount, or do not exist at all. For major carriers, such as XCEL or Black Hills, there are two types of incentives that are paid to the landlord . The first is usually about $2 per watt and is supposed to offset the cost of equipment purchase and installation.
The second incentive offered by the power companies is the purchase of your “green tags”, which you earn because you have installed a renewable source of energy . This is directly related to the issues of cap and trade and forcing companies to pay tax on carbons, making your green tags worth more money. Generally, the power companies like to purchase the green tags from the landlord at installation, thus getting the assumed lower price.
Is a Residential Solar System right for you? With today’s rebates, the uncertainty of the stock market and continuous utility price increases, you would be crazy not to spend money you have saved on a Home Solar Electric System.
