PV as an investment [RE-wrenches]

[Lee Tavenner, Solar Plexus]

Is solar cost effective yet?  It is the question we get asked most
frequently in our store.  We have had long discussions on how to answer
this question.  We've been through the whole, "How cost effective is
your second sport utility vehicle?"; "Follow the oil from the middle
east with all the wars, spills, transport, pipelines, transmission
lines, etc." comparison,  you all know all the discussion, but lately
we've been discussing comparisons of even the different renewables.
That evolved into a chart with all the different energy sources you can
think of listed across the top----  Solar, low impact hydro, wind, big
hydro, fuel cells, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and add whatever you
will, (steam, landfill gas, geothermal, etc, etc.). Then down the side
list atributes that can be measured on a scale of one to ten. one being
low value or negative impacts and ten being high value or positive
impacts.  Those attributes can be things such as $per watt construction
cost, transmission cost, air quality impacts, distributed generation,
visual and noise impacts, longevity of equipment, reliability of
resource, beauracracy in development (hoops to go through), ease of
access to the resource by private individuals as opposed to easier for
utilities to access (specifically the high initial cost such as in
methane plants), safety in installing systems, and make up your own
catagories.  I encourage everyone to try this, filling their chart with
their own biases and see what you come up with. Our chart put PV way out
in front by miles over everything.  I then tell my customers that doing
PV isn't going to pencil out well if you look only at the $ for watt
cost of construction but if the other things are important to that
person then they can see that PV is a personal choice based on the
circumstances of the consumer.  If the consumer is wealthy it certainly
helps them get over number one. But what if a person needs a lot of
electrically run medical equipment which means their system would take
three times as much PV as an average American home?  That is a
legitimate reason that that person may be less inclined to go with PV
just as someone who volunteers for a preschool may have more legitimate
reasons than average to own an SUV.  Try doing the chart, I think it
will help you answer those Wallmart shoppers questions.  Lee Tavenner,
Solar Plexus in Montana

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