Can a regular working person (not wealthy) afford solar panels?

Question

I would love to get them when we move but I heard they are so expensive it is practically impossible for a regular working person to be able to afford?

Anyone know anything about how much they cost?

Answer 1

they are expensive and take forever to pay for themselves....

Answer 2

Yes to supply power for a house it would be big. if U go that way be sure to build it to withstand winds of 100 mph.

Answer 3

It is still too expensive for most people today. Solar cell manufacturers have a goal of cutting the cost to one third of what it is today within 5 years. At that cost it is expected to be economically competitive with oil.

Answer 4

Let me start off by saying we (my family and I) live completely, 100% “off of the grid and are completely self sufficient”

The house is built utilizing natures natural elements, in the shape of an octagon with 8ft wide arch doors on every wall to catch every angle of wind (typical 4 sided homes have half the chance as one with 8 sides. A circle being the most efficient design). Woodburning stoves, solar chimney, solar AC, solar heating, solar water heating (pool and home), solar stove, solar power, wind power, hydrogen powered back up generator, hydrogen back up water heater, hydrogen stove, 2 hydrogen powered trucks, 1 EV (electric vehicle) and satellite internet.

There are no utility lines, no water lines, no roads, tv, cell service, etc. on our ranch. EVERYTHING needed is produced here. All electricity comes from 27 solar panels, 2 main wind gens and a back hydrogen generator if needed (typically we can last 9 days with all luxuries of sunless windless weather, hasn't happened yet). Water is caught and storaged from the rain. Hot water is made with solar batch water heaters with an on-demand hydrogen hot water heater as backup. Even our vehicles use alternative energy (2 hydrogen trucks, 1 EV electric vehicle converted). Because of this we have no bills, no debt and no mortgage.

The following steps were taking directly out of a DIY guide I offer to those who would like to run their homes on solar power safely, reducing their monthly utility bills or even selling power back the the electrical companies. The entire guide is available at www agua-luna com. Its pretty simple but if you have any problems feel free to contact me directly I can walk you threw the process.

Materials you will need

A sheet of copper flashing from the hardware store. This normally costs about $5.00 per square foot. We will need about half a square foot.

Two alligator clip leads.

A sensitive micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes. Radio Shack sells small LCD multimeters that will do, but I used a small surplus meter with a needle.

An electric stove. My kitchen stove is gas, so I bought a small one-burner electric hotplate for about $25. The little 700 watt burners probably won't work -- mine is 1100 watts, so the burner gets red hot.

A large clear plastic bottle off of which you can cut the top. I used a 2 liter spring water bottle. A large mouth glass jar will also work.

Table salt. We will want a couple tablespoons of salt.

Tap water.

Sand paper or a wire brush on an electric drill.

Sheet metal shears for cutting the copper sheet.

The first step is to cut a piece of the copper sheeting that is about the size of the burner on the stove. Wash your hands so they don't have any grease or oil on them. Then wash the copper sheet with soap or cleanser to get any oil or grease off of it. Use the sandpaper or wire brush to thoroughly clean the copper sheeting, so that any sulphide or other light corrosion is removed.

Next, place the cleaned and dried copper sheet on the burner and turn the burner to its highest setting.

As the copper starts to heat up, you will see beautiful oxidation patterns begin to form. Oranges, purples, and reds will cover the copper.

As the copper gets hotter, the colors are replaced with a black coating of cupric oxide. This is not the oxide we want, but it will flake off later, showing the reds, oranges, pinks, and purples of the cuprous oxide layer underneath.

The last bits of color disappear as the burner starts to glow red.

When the burner is glowing red-hot, the sheet of copper will be coated with a black cupric oxide coat. Let it cook for a half an hour, so the black coating will be thick. This is important, since a thick coating will flake off nicely, while a thin coat will stay stuck to the copper.

After the half hour of cooking, turn off the burner. Leave the hot copper on the burner to cool slowly. If you cool it too quickly, the black oxide will stay stuck to the copper.

As the copper cools, it shrinks. The black cupric oxide also shrinks. But they shrink at different rates, which makes the black cupric oxide flake off.

The little black flakes pop off the copper with enough force to make them fly a few inches. This means a little more cleaning effort around the stove, but it is fun to watch.

When the copper has cooled to room temperature (this takes about 20 minutes), most of the black oxide will be gone. A light scrubbing with your hands under running water will remove most of the small bits. Resist the temptation to remove all of the black spots by hard scrubbing or by flexing the soft copper. This might damage the delicate red cuprous oxide layer we need to make to solar cell work.

Cut another sheet of copper about the same size as the first one. Bend both pieces gently, so they will fit into the plastic bottle or jar without touching one another. The cuprous oxide coating that was facing up on the burner is usually the best side to face outwards in the jar, because it has the smoothest, cleanest surface.

Attach the two alligator clip leads, one to the new copper plate, and one to the cuprous oxide coated plate. Connect the lead from the clean copper plate to the positive terminal of the meter. Connect the lead from the cuprous oxide plate to the negative terminal of the meter.

Now mix a couple tablespoons of salt into some hot tap water. Stir the saltwater until all the salt is dissolved. Then carefully pour the saltwater into the jar, being careful not to get the clip leads wet. The saltwater should not completely cover the plates -- you should leave about an inch of plate above the water, so you can move the solar cell around without getting the clip leads wet.

now place in the sun with the magnefied on top.

The solar cell is a battery, even in the dark, and will usually show a few microamps of current.

That’s it it’s that simple. If you’d a more detailed process and some pics (ouldn’t put them here) it’s available along with some other DIY alternative energy projects at  www agua-luna com

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY... All With Just One Click of A Mouse...For more info Visit:  

www AGUA-LUNA com

Stop Global Warming!!!

Answer 5

It really does depend on what your usage is and where you live.

and whether you rent or own, for a renter it is not practical.

The best thing to do is to contact a local contractor and get a free estimate, the will be knowledgeable about what rebates are available in your area.

Quality units are guaranteed for 25 years, and will usually pay for them selves in 7 to 10years.

Answer 6

Yes.  About $40000 for a 5kW set up without battery back up.  This is a grid tie system.  There are many incentives/rebates out there so after all the BS you end up around $18000 out of pocket.

Problem is that most houses use more than 5kW a day and it only covers about 1/4 of your electric bill.    It will take years and years to pay itself back.  

That is today's technology...give it a few years.

Answer 7

Don't have a clue but you could call a home builder.  They could give you an estiamte.

Answer 8

This is actually a complex question and I can only provide a very generalized answer.

If you analyze the capital recovery rate of solar panels you will find it to be generally about 16 years even with the subsidies that can be obtained.

Many that have invested in them are soon disillusioned if it is done for economic reasons.

There many "Going Green" measures that you  might incorporate that are not as expensive and provide just as much environmental benefit.

A solar panel that would provide enough power to power a household would cost as much as 20,000 to 40000 dollars depending on power needs not to mention maintainence costs of batteries ect.

It's a great GREEN concept however there are reasons why it has not gained widespread use except by enthususists.

Gore's idea that we should all install solar panels is about as practical as his idea that we should all ride bicycles wile he flys around in his priviate jet.

Answer 9

They are expensive but solar is not the only option. You can always save lots on energy and electricity by changing your habits.

Answer 10

Solar pannels are very expensive but is worth the it. They are like cars you can pay them off as you go in your life.

Answer 11

ummmmmm yea well it all depends on the size of you house.

Answer 12

Yes!  In several Eastern Seaboard states there are even programs (state, county and municipal) that will provide a degree of matching funs to help you install solar power panels to your home.  The PBS program Nova recently did an episode about the growing value of home based solar energy usage (see first link below).

Some homeowners have even reached a point where they are sending back energy to "the grid" for credits on their utility bills!

My family has a cottage in northern Michigan that from April to September draws nearly 68% of its total power needs from five solar panels.

From what I've read, the cost for solar power conversion for a three bedroom, two bath, two story home is about $40,000.  Again, that doesn't factor in fiscal credits, support or regional offset programs.  Under this model (house size specifically) you'll have recovered your initial investment in roughly seven-years.

Good luck!

Answer 13

Some states will pay for half the costs if the homeowner decides to use solar panels.

I found these websites on solar panels/kits:  

http://www.solarhome.org/

http://www.eere.energy.gov/state_energy_... (for state grants)

Answer 14

Yes, there are a few things you can do. There are lease programs available. I put a link to a story about it in the source area.

You can also buy a smaller system. The system I'm installing will cut my electricity by 35-50%. I live in CA and have great rebates (upto $10K in my area), as well as a federal $2K tax credit. My out of pocket expense is $12K and the system should pay for itself in less than 6 years. I can add to my system in  a few years and get an additional rebate and eliminate my electric bill

The price has fallen by almost 50% compared to a few years ago when I looked into it before. It doesn't hurt to get a no cost no obligation quote from a contractor.

Answer 15

Some state like Hawaii electric companies give you a rebate on top of that the Federal government gives you a rebate two. But there is a catch you have to hire a certified company  to install it. The electric company should provide a list on certified companies. We have it and it does save water and electricity and money. Good luck!!

Answer 16

Save up. use the money that you get from selling your house. wind (if you move somewhere where there's a lot of it like wyoming then buy a wind turbine. they (i think) are chaper. Or, you can make your own solar panels. just research how to do it on the internet.

Answer 17

Depends completely on where your priorities are.   They cost less than a new hummer or escalade or land rover or...    They will actually pay for themselves eventually.   That in itself is a better deal than you'll get for most anything you buy unless its for a business.   Has that double latte or widescreen tv ever paid you a cent back?    Will the power company stop making you pay your power bill after you're with them for 20 years?   Not likely.