Cons of Solar Power in a home?
Image by Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon
Team Ontario/BC?s solar-powered home glows during the lighting contest at night. Above the kitchen sink an energy monitoring display changes colors to reflect the home’s energy performance, combining functionality with aesthetic appeal, during the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 12, 2009. (Photo by Stefano Paltera/US Dept. of Energy Solar Decathlon)
Question by mel1026: Cons of Solar Power in a home?
It is hard to find a concise breakdown of the cons of Solar. Every article I come across seems to be a sales pitch. My husband is enamored with it, but I have serious reservations. What is the cost to install on the average house?
Is the whole sell-back thing really what it’s cracked up to be?
What about maintenance cost?
I live in PA; would I have power available ANY time I need it?
Any other info you have is also appreciated.
What do you think? Answer below!
2 Responses to Cons of Solar Power in a home?
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If you have the space for the solar power system and the upfront cash to pay for it and are going grid tie with battery backup. There are no cons.
If you are going grid tie you have a con of no power when public utility goes down.
If you are going totaly off grid then the con would be no power when there is no sun or wind (if you have a windmill). Or you have to buy a system 10 times the size you really need just to keep a two car grage full of batteries charged to get you through a couple of weeks of rainy days.
The best way to go is Grid tie with batterybackup because you backfeed the grid to get a return on your investment and if the grid goes down you have limited battery backup power to keep things going.
If you are trying to get a return on investment and nave no need for a backup system get the grid tie only system. It will pay for it’s self faster and put more power back in the public utility. Battery backup systems will charge the battery bank every day if you used any of the battery power or not.
Pretty much up to you on what you have in mind.
So to finish answering your questions.
I do sell solar products and complete systems. Here is a price list for both types of systems grid tie only and grid time with battery backup. There are links on the page to help you pick the right system for your needs written in a way anyone can understand. The cost of the install can be from 10% to 15% of the cost of the system and can be done by you. You will need to hire someone to twist the wires but you can do the rest and drop your install cost to almost nothing.
http://www.oynot.com/solar-grid-tie-system-by-array-size.html
and
http://www.oynot.com/solar-grid-tie-backup-by-array-size.html
Yes you will have power any time you need it just like you do if you are on the grid without solar. And even have power if the grid goes down if you get that system.
If you get grid tie only you will not have any maintenance other then knock the snow off it from time to time if needed. Maybe spray the water hose on it after you mow the law if it is a ground mount.
Don K
August 10, 2012 at 4:37 am
The reference is one of the best solar estimators around. The only argument against it is cost. Government incentives help reduce that cost. It’s a standard economic analysis. You make a capital investment now to gain an income stream over the life of the system. Several governments have required electric utilities to buy your excess generating capacity from you. Both are real and widely used.
Solar water heating is much less popular and glamorous, but pays back even sooner, even without incentives. There’s no excuse for not including it in a new home. It’s nearly always worth retrofitting to an existing home. I’ve been doing that for almost 30 years.
Frank N
August 10, 2012 at 5:16 am