whomper Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 My brother recently took on a part time position selling for a solar company. I dont understand all of the terms and ins and outs but the bits and pieces I am getting from him tell me that this could be a pretty lucrative move for him and pretty good investment for people. The govt provides a 30% rebate on purchases that are made through 2011. (that percentage is based on NJ it may vary in other states) This is where it gets interesting. The govt requires energy companies to buy a certain amount of solar energy . Some people are buying commercial amounts of panels just to generate energy to resell back to the energy companies. The company he is selling for did 4 million dollars last year. They are already up to 12 million this year. I wish I knew more about this to give better details and ins and outs but this could be very interesting going forward Funny side note: I seem to always follow my bro in career paths whether it is our main job or our side jobs. He started out in the garment center and got me in and that is where we both are today. He got his real estate liscence , soon after I got mine. It was his idea to go to bartending school and now we both bartend. So I was talking to a buddy of mine one day and he had the best nickname. he said my brother was like my Anthony Munoz. He just plows through stuff and opens up holes and I see if he does well with it then I jump in Well Munoz is in on solar. Ill keep you posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 (edited) I read somewhere that if you covered the planet in solar panels -- i know, not possible -- that it would take only one minute of sun light to provide the current need for a year. One of our clients builds solar farms and it's a really interesting subject. Apparently, wind farms have to be far enough away from civilization cuz they're so damn noisy and vibrate too much. As soon as we have the cash, we'll put some panels on our house. seems like a good business to get into. there is another interesting angle . His company will put panels on commercial properties for free in what is called a power purchase agreement. in that case , you get the benefit of the energy to utilize on the property but his company owns the panels and excess energy that gets sold back to the power companies eta a lot of the commercial place buy the panels so they can sell the energy but that other option is attractive Edited March 17, 2011 by whomper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've done a little bit of research, and so far in this area it doesn't seem the return on adding solar is there. At least for my house and the way I use electricity. The cost of electricity here is relatively cheap, so I would never pay back the investment. Or in the best case scenario, I break even over the life of me in this house. I'd rather save the cash, but that's just me. Now geothermal? That's another story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 In Maryland if you had solar power the power companies did not have to pay you for what you fed back in to the grid. Further, you are still bound to pay the rental fee for the feed line going in to your house from the power lines. You cannot remove that line by law. Maryland is a horrible, terrible state when it comes to crap like that. Along with the 20%-30% you can get credited from the federal government, each state provides tax credits and incentives for all sorts of energy efficient technologies. In Maryland (and up to 2011) you can get a one time grant of up to 20% of the cost of a tankless water heater or solar water heater plus additional tax credits. All in all this type of technology is still expensive and it takes roughly 7 to 10 years to recoop the costs (depending on what you have installed and how much it impacts your energy bill and efficiency); however, using moore's law as a generalization for technology, we are already seeing huge improvements in this technology and the prices continue to come down. Right now they have roof shingles that are mini-solar panels and paint that acts just like a photovoltaic panel. I've been thinking about leaving the corporate world and working for a few years in this field in order to get a solid understanding of how this technology can be used for mitigation against natural disaster events. I thought that by 2007 we would be in the middle of a 'Green Bubble' but it is taking longer than I expected. Oil and power companies don't want to loose their hooks they have in all of us so there are still a lot of legal hurdles to get over before this can really take off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 It has been very popular to talk about using these panels in my industry. The roofs of the building are massive and panels can be easily attached. It isn't done that often because even with the tax incentives and utility cost decrease/reimbursement it really isn't that economically viable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennykravitz2004 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Oil and power companies don't want to loose their hooks they have in all of us so there are still a lot of legal hurdles to get over before this can really take off. Bingo. How's the gov't going to tax us on this too? Once that's established, "home use" solar power will exponentiate. Go Green - just not at the expense of being untaxed by the government... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perchoutofwater Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 (edited) I really think these are interesting. I'm not sure how well they will work as far north as you are. I imagine I will be putting something like this on my next house. I don't plan on moving for another 8 years or so, so by then they will probably have most of the bugs worked out. My biggest concern with them right now is the long term durability. Supposedly there are some that are rated at 20 years, and the savings in electricity will pay for them in two years. My biggest concerns with them is how well the wiring connections will hold up to the extreme changes in temperature, and due to my location how well they will hold up to hail, and how hard it will be to replace hail damaged "shingles". I don't know if you will have the ability to just replace a few, or if you will have to remove and reinstall large portions. ETA: In Texas we get a ton of sun, and the power company has to pay you back for any surplus. The solar shingles are less expensive and more efficient than the older solar panels. I've also looked into possibly getting a small wind turbine. Nothing like what you see at the wind farms, but something that would power the house and possibly have some surplus. I believe the wind turbine is more efficient than the solar shingles, but the payback is longer as it doesn't serve the dual purpose of solar shingles. Additionally you would have to have a house on acreage, and would need a nice high spot where there is sufficient wind to justify it. If I get my house on the hill in the middle of 100 acres like I eventually plan to, it will have both solar shingles and a wind turbine. I ran the numbers on a residential wind turbine 15 years ago for the winds in my area and the pay back was either 7 or 10 years at that time. I know they are both more efficient and cheaper now. Edited March 17, 2011 by Perchoutofwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 If I get my house on the hill in the middle of 100 acres like I eventually plan to... A great, strategic plan in preparing for the Zombie apocalypse. Throw a windows walk or wrap around porch and you can get a clear 360 degree view of any undead lurching towards your house and then can pick them off one-by-one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I work for a utility that is in the middle of installing solar panels on the rooftops of large industrial buildings. The goal is for the program to end up providing 250 MegaWatts of power through the rooftop solar program. (These will be owned and operated by the utility.) They additionally plan to purchase another 250 MegaWatts of solar power from independent solar producers. Certainly a lot of upside in solar these days. Large industrial complexes are great for these kinds of installations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoopazz Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 A new twist that helps with the dismal payback on solar is combined heat and power solar. Passing a glycol loop through the panels cools the panels (thereby increasing electrical efficiency) and provides hot water at the same time. We're working on a project using those at a military base...we'll see how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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