Solar Panels

So has anyone look into using solar panels yet to save on their electric bill?  I've been looking into it and so far I'm not totally convince yet.  Has anyone invested on a system yet?  Any opinions pro or con?

Rey

Is solar viable? Yes!

 We are off grid solar with no power bills but in the winter the diesel for the back up generator is expensive.  We invested 45k in our system in 2005.  That is 1/2 the cost of what  PG&E would have charged to do an install.

That being said, find an online calculator to determine your daily usage.  Once you figure that out, look at your south facing roof on your house and determine the number of hours of sun you get.  Take fog into account as well.  In south MoCo. We are sunny 95% of the time.  The panels are rated in watts so you can get an estimate of how many you need to offset your daily usage.  Also think of it as a long term investment.  Power prices will go up but your purchase of panels and inverters will be a one time event.  There is very little maintenance in a grid tie system.  Talk to a solar contractor and ask to contact their last 3 customers as well as 3 done in 2009 or 2010.  This is a growth industry so be sure to find someone that has a lot of experience and is not new in the game. There is a company out of Monterey that I can recommend.

OUTBACK has provided superior customer service.  I would highly recommend using their inverters.  When you call for help you get a solar engineer on the phone that is looking at your hardware broken down on a table in front of them.  They have replaced components at no charge 4 years later. 

I hope this helps!


Eric Morgan

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So has anyone look into using solar panels yet to save on their electric bill?  I've been looking into it and so far I'm not totally convince yet.  Has anyone invested on a system yet?  Any opinions pro or con?

Rey

I finally said "lets go for it" I got a few quotes and ended up going with Solar City. I signed the contact last week. We're waiting on the site prep visit. Most offer a few pricing options its really dependent on usage. Call PG&E and get the last 12 mo of your usage (the solar co's need the kilowatts per month to determine needs, etc). I am happy to share what I know so far. Feel free to ping me (or post any questions).For the most part they all will guarantee an amount the system will generate. Anything over that is a bonus. I also got a system that requires them (the solar co) to maintain and repair the system.

My monthly bill after install will be $30-35 vs $100-125. The system is sized to keep your usage (when the meter isn't running backwards) in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 levels. These are the mandated state rates. Tiers 3-5 go WAY up in price. Basically, you get punished for using more than your share. The return on investment doesn't factor in the rising cost of elect and/or any increase in usage (I have two little kids so up goes the bill when they use TV's computers, etc.) Not to mention if plug in cars become the norm.

Overall I should re gain my investment in 8ish years. Faster if I use more or costs go up!

We're are looking to get off the grid as well.

Thanks for the info and advice.


S.

yeah it a bit of a chore to "start" but in reality once you get one quote you just shop it....I was able to get 2K less on the 2nd one. The other factor is the roof. Systems have a 20+ yr life span...make sure your roof does as well.

Very interested in this discussion. Did you end up leasing the panels or buying, and why?

Very interested in this discussion. Did you end up leasing the panels or buying, and why?

For us, it was new construction and was part of our construction loan and now mortgage.


Eric Morgan

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I think the problem for a lot of people is the up front cost.  Berkeley has a pilot plan that rolls the cost of the solar panels into the property taxes.  If my county/city had a plan like that I'd have them on my roof by now.

Thanks for all the great unbiased information guys!  Really appreciate the amount of feedback we get in this forum.  Now I'm almost convinced that I really should get off the grid.  I did some home work and I calculated that I will need about a 5kw-7kw system.  I just talked to CompleteSolar Solutions and they will be coming over and give me more info.  I will be contacting Solar City also.  Thanks again.

Rey

both had several options....1. a flat out purchase which you own the system and all the maint.  2. a "lease" where you get a commit (from the installer) that the system will produce a min number of KwH and anything over that is yours to keep. You also can add to the system later if you need more juice. and they do all the service and maint. 3. a "zero down" that will get you monthly bill down to around $100. We didn't use enough elect to make the zero down worth it. And for full ownership I wasn't stoked on any repairs. So we opted for the "lease" option. Ended up being about 3K less than ownership. The idea is at the end of the 20 yr lease you'll want a more modern/efficient system. Panels are getting better by the week it seems (I work for a solar panel mfg). Additionally, the system can be sold with the house or I can have it moved to a new home should I sell. IMHO a plus when selling.

REC Solar was the other co that I got a quote from. I went with Solar City for cost (about 2K cheaper) and they offer a complete home energy audit so you can see where other energy issues are (like leaky windows, not enough insulation, inefficient appliances) that way you can decide the next upgrade (I am positive mine well be more insulation). Also make sure you negotiate the install date...I said I will sign if I can get up and running by June....Gotta generate juice in the summer. Some co's have a 6 mo wait. Push em they have a TON of competition.

Whats the lifespan on the batteries ?  5-7 yrs ?

How many and what type size do you all have in your systems?

99% of the systems going in are grid tie and don't have batteries.  We had poor battery maintenance and they made it 5 years.  We have 6 volt Trojan industrial batteries, 16 of them wired to make it a 48volt system.  Each battery cost about $250.00 so replacing them gets pricey.  These should last 10years+ now that I put someone else in charge of them. 


Eric Morgan

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no batteries for my system. I think Morgan is a bit more "rural" than I am.....