Anyone here live in a home powered by Solar Panels?

[NNguyenMD]

I'm very interseted in seeing how much it costs to run a Southern California home almost exclusively on Solar power. Would I have to conserve my energy usage considerably? Could I still do my laundry once a week, or power my heater in the winter or air conditioning in the summer times?

I guess I'm basically asking what the limitations are to Solar power if there are any.

[FloridaPat]

1. If you have lots of sunshine, you should be able to run your whole

home on solar. Panels on the roof feed the electricity to batteries. THe batteries enable you to go the night or long periods of time without sunlight. I've been looking into it myself. Things have gotten a lot cheaper over the last few decades. Also, some states have special tax breaks for going alternative. Figures I've seen run $20,000- $40,000. This is for a big system that can handle AC and heat and have enough battery storage for several days.

Another advantage is that you can stay hooked up to the utility company, but add another meter to send the utility company your excess electricity and get paid for it.

[NNguyenMD]

6. that really is quite neat, generating renewable electricity and geting

$$ for it at the same time.

[ridgerunner]

2. This may be a better forum to ask

http://www.motherearthnews.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=5

[NNguyenMD]

5. thanks for the link, I'm checking it out now

[rawtribe]

3. You'll find good information at

http://www.homepower.com/

[kestrel91316]

4. Get a GRID INTERTIE system ................

that way you are still hooked up to the grid so there are no limitations on your power use. But your panels generate part or all of your use. Like when you are at work during the day your panels generate and you don't use much, so your meter may run backwards. Then at night when the panels aren't generating your meter is running forward depending on your use.

I think you can also get a grid intertie system that has an emergency grid failure disconnect, but then you need a battery bank to store power for use when the grid disconnects.

The main reason for using these systems is to save $$ on electric bills. If you are looking at an off-the-grid home, then you have to have the batteries (lots) and have to design all your home's power use to be minimal.

Check out the Real Goods website. They have system packages ready to install.

[Oilwellian]

7. We plan to build in 3 years using solar panels

In Virginia, you get tax breaks and the state pays you a portion of the costs to go solar. The battery has to be replaced every 5 years, but what you save in electricity defers that cost. We won't get paid for the extra electricity we generate and give to the power company, but they do give a credit on your bill. We'll tend to generate most of our power in the summer and may need a little help from the electric company in the winters. It's comforting to know you can draw from your power company if you have several cloudy days and don't generate enough to meet your needs. Overall, you come out ahead, and wind up with a credit at the end of the year.

[msongs]

8. our study shows it is NOT cost effective to go solar....

we investigated first a pool heater, forgettabout it.

we also looked into rooftop for our house. with a payoff time of 30 years at a cost of $40K...forgetabout it. it is not cost efficient at this time here in our part of so cal.

will not be cost efficient until big oil figures out how to strangle the solar market and take it over completley.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[dave502d]

9. Check this,it just came out.

http://www.nanosolar.com/