How Much Do Solar Panels Cost?

Have you considered generating your own energy with solar panels? Well, a major consideration is how much they will cost. If the panels are too expensive, then they may not pay off for you in the long run.

So, how much do solar panels cost? Well, the prices vary obviously depending on what you are getting. A good way to compare various solar panels is the watts of Power that the panel will put out. This really tells you what you are getting for your money.

When dealing with solar panels, there are two common materials you will come across that the panels are made of. Some panels are made of amorphous silicon. Other panels are made of crystalline silicon or micro-crystalline silicon.

Crystalline silicon tends to produce a more efficient solar panel. In other words, more of the sun´s energy will be converted to electricity.

Amorphous silicon panels are less efficient, but cheaper to produce. So, there is a balance to be reached between cost and efficiency.

However, for our purposes, we will just look at the actual Power output to compare prices between various panels.

For example, Sunsei produces a crystalline silica solar panel called the SE-4000 that is priced at about 0. This panels has a maximum Power output of 65 watts. This ends up being about per watt.

Another company Kyocera produces a crystalline silicon panel called the KS20 that costs about 0 retail. The panel has a maximum power output of 20 watts. This ends up being about per watt.

Kyocera produces another crystalline silicon panel called the KD135GX-LP. This panel costs about 0 and is a maximum of 135 watts. This ends up costing about per watt.

The other option of course is using an amorphous silicon panel. Since amorphous panels are less efficient, they cover a larger area to produce the same number of watts.

Silicon Solar produces an amorphous silicon solar panel for about 0. The panel has a maximum power output of 40 watts. So, the cost per watt is about .

Sanyo also produces a mixed amorphous and crystalline panel called the HIP-195BA3 that costs about 00. So, you are looking at about per watt.

So, how much do solar panels cost? Both amorphous and crystalline silicon solar panels cost about per watt and some panels can go as high as or per watt.

Note, the wattage rating is based on a maximum. The actual output that you will receive will depend on the intensity of the sun where you live.

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It's Time to Check Your Wall Surge Protector

While you might know that you need a wall surge protector for your electronic appliance, not many people know that once you have it installed that is not the last of your worries. A surge protector will deteriorate over time as it steadily absorbs Power surges. Once it reaches its absorption limit it will no longer function as a protection device and will become a simple Power strip. You should therefore check your device at least once a year to make sure it still operates like it should.

How do you tell if it is no longer working? Well most surge protectors nowadays come equipped with an LED indicator Light that lets you know that you are protected. This Light is usually red. Some devices will have two LED Lights: one red, one green. The green LED Light indicates that the outlet the protector is plugged into is properly grounded. While having a properly grounded outlet is important it will not matter if the red indicator light is out. That means your device is no longer working and your electronics are at risk of failing as well. Of course if the outlet is not grounded then your unit will not protect you anyway, which leads to my next point.

In spite of indicators Lights letting you know you are protected, you are never 100% safe. Lightning blasts for example will outright fry any surge protection unit you have installed and may even damage or destroy the very equipment it was trying to protect. Then you have units whose indicator light means nothing more than that it is plugged in and turned on. This by the way is not a surge protector but simply a Power cord. People often think that power cords are enough protection for them when the fact is these devices provide zero protection against surges.

Another misconception people have is about whole house surge protectors. These do not protect individual items but rather attempt to stop surges at the home's perimeter via the power meter or main circuit board. They will still not stop a lightning blast. For individual electronics you will need to install a separate protector for each appliance.

If you want to know exactly what to look for when shopping for a protection unit then make sure you find something with at least 4,000 Joules. Joules measures the amount of voltage a suppressor can contain before it is rendered inoperable. Anything less than 4,000 Joules will find you replacing them more often.

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Overview of a PV Solar Energy System

A typical Solar pv electrical system is described to refresh our basic electrical knowledge. This knowledge will allow us to be comfortable with the design of our pv solar system and have confidence that it is not over or under designed.

The pv Solar Energy System: A pv Solar system has the four major components.

1) THE SOLAR PANEL: This is the component that receives photons from the sun and converts the photon energy into electricity. The panels are rated in Watts.

2) ChargE CONTROLLER: This component insures that the storage Batteries are not overCharged and damaged.

3) STORAGE BatterieS: The Batteries store our collected electricity until we use the energy to Power our appliance. Our electricity is store as the potential energy rated in Volts.

4) Inverter: This component changes the current from our Batteries, which is stored in direct current (DC), to an alternating current (AC) which is compatible with our household appliance.

Conversion of SunLight to Electricity: Photovoltaic energy is the conversion of sunLight into electricity through a photovoltaic (pv) cell, commonly called a solar cell. A photovoltaic cell is a non mechanical device usually made from silicon alloys.

Sunlight is composed of photons or particles of solar energy. These photons contain various amounts of energy corresponding to the different wavelengths of the solar spectrum. When photons strike a photovoltaic cell, they may be reflected, pass right through, or be absorbed. Only the absorbed photons provide energy to generate electricity. When enough sunlight (energy) is absorbed by the material (a semiconductor), electrons are dislodged from the material's atoms. Special treatment of the material surface during manufacturing makes the front surface of the cell more receptive to free electrons, so the electrons naturally migrate to the surface.

The output of a solar panel is usually stated in watts, and the wattage is determined by multiplying the rated voltage by the rated amperage. The formula for wattage is Volts times Amps equal Watts. So for our example, a 12 volt - 60 watt solar panel measuring about 20 X 44 inches has a rated voltage of 17.1 and 3.5 amps .

V X A = W

17.1 volts times 3.5 amps equals 60 watts.

Our solar panel rated as 60 watts exposed to 6 hours of peak sun will produce 360 watt hours of Power per day. An typical; home will require 4000 watts of DC generating power to produce sufficient kwh to cover annual electrical consumption. This equates to 67 - 20 X 44 inches solar panels from the example above.

Wiring the System:

Solar panels can be wired in series or parallel to increase voltage or amperage respectively, and they can be wired both in series and in parallel to increase both volts and amps. Series wiring refers connecting a positive terminal of one panel to the negative terminal of an adjacent panel. This connection will produce voltage as the sum of the two panels and the amperage will remain the same as the output panel. Two 12 volt and 3.5 amp panels wired in series will produce 24 volts at 3.5 amps.

Solar panels can be wired in parallel by connecting positive terminals to positive terminals and negative terminals to negative terminals. Two 12 volts and 3.5 amps panels wired in parallel will produce 12 volts and 7 amps.

A series/parallel wired system refers to doing both to the above. This wiring scheme would produce 24 volts and 7 amps from our two 12 volt and 3.5 amps panels.

Inverter:

An Inverter is a device which changes DC power stored in a Battery bank to standard 110 / 240 volts AC. Nearly all our lighting, appliances and motors are designed to use AC power. Inverters come in sine wave and modified sine wave output. Most 11o volts devices can use the modified sine wave output. However, special devices that use lasers or silicon controlled rectifiers will require the pure sine inverter which is more expensive.

Auto transfer switching is a common internal feature which enables switching from one AC source to another and / or from utility power to inverter power for designated loads. Battery temperature compensation, internal relays to control loads, automatic remote generator starting and stopping and many other programmable features are available.

Charge Controller:

A charge controller monitors the battery's state of charge to insure that when the batteries need current when required and also insure that the batteries are not overcharged. Connecting a solar panel to the batteries without a charge controller seriously risks damaging the batteries and potentially causing a safety concern.

Charge controllers are rated based on the amount of amperage they can produce from a solar array. If a controller is rated at 20 amps you can connect up to 20 amps of solar panel current output. Advanced charge controllers utilize Pulse-Width-Modulation which insures the most efficient battery charging and extends the life of the batteries. Even more advanced controllers can include Maximum Power Point Tracking which maximizes the amount of current going to the batteries by lowering the panel's output voltage.

Many advanced charge controllers offer Low Voltage Disconnect and Battery Temperature Compensation as optional features. The Low Voltage Disconnect allows the terminals to be voltage sensitive. If the battery voltage drops too far the panels are disconnected thus preventing damage to the batteries. The Battery Temperature Compensation adjusts the charge rate based on the temperature of the battery since batteries are sensitive to temperature variations above and below about 75 F degrees.

Batteries:

The batteries for our system should be Deep Cycle units which are designed to be discharged and then re=charged hundreds or thousands of times. Batteries are rated in Amp Hours (ah) and are usually rated at 20 or 100 hours. Amps hours refer to the amount of current which can be supplied by the battery over the periods of hours. An example would ne a 350 ah battery could Supply 17.5 continuous amps over a 20 hour period.

Like solar panels, batteries are wired in series and/or parallel to increase voltage to the desired level and increase amp hours.The capacity of the battery amp hour capacity requires careful sizing for the conditions under consideration. Longest periods of no sun or cloudy conditions, availability of generator or grid backup or a standby generator with battery Charger are among the conditions for consideration. The size of the battery bank will depend on the storage capacity required, the maximum discharge rate, the maxium charge rate, and the minimum temperature at which the batteries will be used.

Overall Design:

As with all electrical systems there are voltage losses as the electricity is carried across the wires, batteries and inverters and these losses are dependent on the efficiency of each component. These efficiency losses vary from component to component, and from system and can be as high as 25 percent. A trained technician will be required to fine tune the system for efficiency.

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How Much Does Solar Energy Cost in a Solar Energy House?

"How much does solar energy cost?" is a difficult question to answer, but this article will hopefully give you some good pointers.

The cost of using solar energy is next to nothing after the initial investment of setting up your solar Power system for your home. The amount of money that you will pay for the equipment is determined by a number of variables.

Factors that determine the cost of solar energy include your electricity requirements, the amount of sunshine that is available to Charge the solar panels, size of the place where the panels will be used and incentives given by the government to people using 'green' technology. And governments and states are recognizing the benefit to society at large to encourage the use of renewable energy sources. Clearly this would also have the effect of reducing the obligation on government to provide Power which is an increasingly onerous task because of the depletion in fossil fuel supplies.

Taking into account the above mentioned variables, here is a rough estimate of the cost of solar energy.

Water Heating System: The cost of a solar water Heating system is ,000-$4,000.

Photovoltaic System: The price of a solar panel depends on its wattage. A 1 kW system costs between US ,000 and ,000. For an average sized family, 1.5 - 3 kW solar panels are required, which cost between US ,000 and US ,000, without rebates.

You can save a lot of money on solar panels with the help of government rebates and tax credits. For example, say you live in California and have purchased a 2.5 kW system for ,500.

The government rebate on this system will be 00 (2500 watt x .80 per watt rebate = ,000). Also subtract the tax credit amount of $ 1,163 from the sale price (7.5% of system cost after rebate. ,500 - ,000 x 7.5% = ,163).

It should be kept in mind that the example given above is an estimate and other factors will play a part in determining the final cost price of a solar energy system.

You can reduce these costs enormously though by building your own solar panels which can be built at a fraction of the cost of buying ready made units.

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