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MNeagle | 10-21-2009 05:02 PM
Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper NEW YORK (AP) - Jillian Lung says she's no environmentalist. Still, she couldn't pass up a chance to install a carpet of solar panels atop her co-op in Queens. "At these prices, why not?" Lung said. The government has plowed so much cash into the solar industry that it's effectively pulled the luxury tag off of home solar systems. Combined with local incentives, buyers can save up to 90 percent on a system, whether it's for a single-family home or a 75-unit condo in the city. Thousands of homeowners are finding they can pay off a rooftop solar system in just a few years and then start pocketing the energy savings. Lung, the co-op president, stumbled into solar subsidy programs last year as she priced out roof repairs. City, state and federal incentives covered nearly three-quarters of the tab for a $394,514 solar system. The building flipped the switch on in July and already cut last month's electric bill in half. "This was just icing on the cake," Lung said. "We had to change the roof anyway." Solar power has been getting cheaper for years. Panel prices declined 31 percent from 1998 to 2008 because of lower manufacturing and installation costs and state and local subsidies, according to a study released Wednesday by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. But it still took a ramp up in federal incentives this year to bring the cost within many people's reach. More than half the states in the U.S. and Washington D.C. offer enough incentives to cut the costs by 40 percent or more, according to Amy Heinemann, a policy analyst at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. How much you'll spend depends on where you live. In New Jersey, generous state incentives can pay for more than 90 percent of a home solar system. A 5-kilowatt solar system would drop from $37,500 to about $2,625 after applying the federal tax credit, a state rebate, and a renewable energy program through the state's largest electric utility, PSE&G. A system that size can shrink a typical home's electricity consumption by up to 40 percent and cut an electric bill by several hundred dollars a year. The owner would recoup the cost in roughly three years. Homeowners may never see discounts like these again. Funding in some states dwindled this year as the recession tightened government budgets. New Jersey reduced its subsidy by half last year, though PSE&G has picked up some of those costs. Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, Connecticut, Minnesota and Delaware cut theirs as well. With labor and electricity rates likely to rebound, people should do the math and determine if now is the best time to buy solar. In some cases, it may pay to wait. Solar technology is advancing quickly�like laptops and cell phones a decade ago�and homeowners can expect to see more powerful solar panels in the near future. And solar components are getting cheaper too. A glut in polysilicon, a key ingredient in panels, should push prices even lower in coming years. "We're looking anywhere between an 8 to 10 percent price drop a year long term," said Piper Jaffray analyst Jesse Pichel. First Solar Inc. hopes to cut manufacturing costs for thin film modules�the cheapest solar option�by a third in the next five years. Once large and boxy, solar panels are also being designed to blend in better with a rooftop. Meanwhile, even more government money is on the way. The Department of Treasury plans to begin issuing $2.3 billion in tax credits next year for companies that make energy equipment, including solar panels. Solar companies also are competing for $11.3 billion more in stimulus money for states. And Congress last year agreed on $2.5 billion more in tax credits for homeowners over the next 10 years. This could help consumers in states that don't provide subsidies. Arkansas installer Bob Moore said his customers would pay $35,000 for the system that costs $2,625 in New Jersey. At annual savings of $492.47, it would take more than 71 years for the system to pay off. But officials in Arkansas and other states say they may use some stimulus money to create new solar incentive programs. Steven Greenbaum, who manages 41 condominium buildings and cooperatives in New York, said he hopes to get some solar installed soon. "There are a million concerns people bring up once you put something on a roof," he said. "How are we going to maintain it? Who's going up there? Is it going to be noisy? Where's the wiring going? Am I going to get cancer? It just goes on and on." His tenants want something durable and efficient, but they'd also hate to lose out on a bounty of government incentives, he said. "Obviously (solar power) is going to get cheaper as you go, but the longer you wait, the more money you're spending" on your electric bill, he said. ___ If you're interested in what incentives your state offers for solar, check out a list maintained by North Carolina's Solar Center: http://www.dsireusa.org/solar/comparisontables http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...cle=1&catnum=0

Jimfrancisco | 10-22-2009 04:10 PM
Re: Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper I think the price of conventional panels will drop a LOT faster than 8-10% a year once the new panels are in mass production - it might even make them a viable alternative to the grid, cost wise. A job I'm doing at the minute is using "solar slates" - like slate roof tiles but each is a solar panel. What a nightmare. Don't use conventional roofers to fit these, is the lesson - The nail bent? Hammer another one in beside it.:favorites21: Oops, there goes another slate.

TTAZZMAN | 10-22-2009 10:33 PM
Re: Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimfrancisco (Post 1986302) I think the price of conventional panels will drop a LOT faster than 8-10% a year once the new panels are in mass production - it might even make them a viable alternative to the grid, cost wise. A job I'm doing at the minute is using "solar slates" - like slate roof tiles but each is a solar panel. What a nightmare. Don't use conventional roofers to fit these, is the lesson - The nail bent? Hammer another one in beside it.:favorites21: Oops, there goes another slate.
been thinking about those myself on a project......understand the wiring could be a nightmare also.....keep us posted please

NotTheOne | 10-23-2009 10:03 AM
Re: Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper I would be cautious at this time if thinking about going solar. From experience I have found the installer may not be around to service your unit. I was about to install a 5 kw system on my house. I had an appointment with Akeena Solar for a site survey in March. They called 2 days before the appointment to tell me they would not be coming as Akeena was leaving the state and would not be doing any further installations or servicing. They also left other states and now are CA only. So I guess I was lucky. But it taught me that the industry is too fickle right now to invest 30k into. I'll wait until it's more mainstream. As for all of those pretty rebates, be prepared to do a "lot" of paperwork to get them all. Many are tax credits or SREC's, you still have to pay upfront to get the system installed. If you plan to do this, look very hard before you leap. As a final note, Akeena told me they would give my name to another local installer. No one ever called.

Pat | 10-23-2009 10:13 PM
Re: Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper Its not like a Sears washing machine with an extended warranty ? -p

hoarder | 10-23-2009 10:41 PM
Re: Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper My home is solar and completely off-grid. There is nothing complicated about it. I built it myself and I'm not a real electrician. It just takes a little research and planning.

rad | 10-23-2009 11:34 PM
Re: Thinking solar power? It's never been cheaper Quote:
Originally Posted by hoarder (Post 1988278) My home is solar and completely off-grid. There is nothing complicated about it. I built it myself and I'm not a real electrician. It just takes a little research and planning.
http://www.homepower.com/home/

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