organicpicks.com — There is a lot of excitement about new solar panel technology, but more likely than not you will choose to install modules that use the same basic technology that was available in 1984. Here are 10 things you should know before speaking with a solar salesperson.
Jun 28, 2007 View in Crawl 4
stephendvJun 29, 2007
Things are a bit different in Europe where there are very good incentives for installing solar and wind power systems. In Spain, for example, not only are there huge subsidies for the initial costs (up to 40%) , but if you produce more energy than you use, the energy companies will buy it back at a fixed rate of 40 cents per kilowatt hour. This is a price fixed by the government and guaranteed for 20 years - not a bad deal.
leomarthJun 29, 2007
They also have a lot of internal problems, and they may never get off the ground.
sacherjjJun 29, 2007
How about you post it three times so we can fully understand what you mean.
gclefJun 29, 2007
Dude, if you're going to spam your CitizenRe re-seller link, at least be honest about it.(whois on freesolargear.com shows it's owned by you, and it's an affiliate site for CitizenRe.)While I'm at it, CitizenRE doesn't have a factory, or any product to deliver...so you're getting nothing when you sign up.
mikeybikeyJun 29, 2007
The deal is similar to the Free Solar Gear posts above, but I know and trust the people who work in the same office as me. (As a side note, I have no actual affiliation with Sandbar Solar and do not get anything from them. I just think it is a cool deal that more people would probably take advantage of if they knew about it).
monkeywafflesJun 29, 2007
Are we reading the same article? This was a 'duh obvious', no brainer, pile of feces.
milkmageJun 29, 2007
wrong. i live in the middle of City, have PV on my roof and have paid 4-5 bucks a month since my system was turned on - (Feb 07). I live in the owners unit of a 5 unit building, so my electricity needs are more than most, since my circuit covers the house lights (hallways, garage, laundry, and one studio apartment) - my bill was typically 120-140 a month. re: cost - I was quoted 37k for the system and labor, ended up paying just under 20k after rebates for the materials and tax credits.
maino82Jun 30, 2007
the inverter doesn't need power. the reason that you don't produce during an outage when no one else produces is that it's a code violation and you aren't allowed to produce. imagine if you were pumping power back out onto the grid when they were trying to work on the infrastructure and they thought the power was completely off. someone would get fried, so it's a safety issue. inverters are required to have "anti-islanding" devices that detect when there's a sudden outrush of current onto the grid (usually indicative of a power outage) and then they disconnect the panels. once it senses the grid is sending you energy again it reconnects the panels.
neoniJun 30, 2009
I liked the article but it is really specific to the bay area. Additionally they should have fact checked a bit better. <a class="user" href="http://www.gelsenpv.de">http://www.gelsenpv.de</a>
gradientalApr 19, 2010
This is a great article on how to deal with solar panel installers. Most people don't know the first thing about solar panels, so they will put full faith into the hands of the installation company. Even if most companies are good, it's better to have a basic knowledge of how your solar panels will be installed. It is your house after all. <a class="user" href="http://www.getsolar.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.getsolar.com/</a>