PV as an investment [RE-wrenches]

[James Lamb, Middle Fork Engineering]

Lee
What I look at is payback. A person that I know has an electric bill that
shows that they use $ 3.00  (30 KWH/MO.) of electricity per month average.
The 4, 60 watt solarex panels on 2 microsines make about $3.00 (30
KWH/MONTH) average. Total they use 2 KWH/DAY average.  There is an old
central Air Conditioner and the electric company has a program where they
put a device on the AC that gives them the right to shut off the AC for 3
hours on any given day in the summer. The customer gets a $10.00 credit for
4 summer months which takes care of the electric co. service charge or
membership charges. The Customer never turns on the AC and does not know if
it even works.  The solar system cost $3000.00 including the 1993 New
General Electric 13.4 cubic foot cycle defrost frig that was insulated on
the out side and inside the top freezer (uses Less than 1 KWH/Day,
Origionally Designed to use 2KWH/Day). 
This persons neighbor's electric bill is $ 70.00/MO. Since the solar person
knows solar and conservation they save $ 60.00/MO. compared to their
neighbor who is now interested. 
Therefore a less than 5 year payback when compared to neighbor.
Of course conservation shows the best savings, but being aware of the solar
system enables this person to keep his energy usage low and enjoys the use
of green power 
A salvaged UPS system is used for backup power for outages.     
Jim Lamb
Middle Fork Engineering
> ----------
> From: 	Lee Tavenner, Solar Plexus[SMTP:solplex at montana.com]
> Reply To: 	RE-wrenches at topica.com
> Sent: 	Friday, September 07, 2001 6:12 PM
> To: 	RE-wrenches at topica.com
> Subject: 	PV as an investment [RE-wrenches]
> 
> 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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