What do real people really want from solar?

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Permalink Reply by Paul on September 27, 2008 at 7:00pm

Simple is best, but that's a different question.

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Permalink Reply by Alex van der Beek on August 27, 2008 at 2:56am

Magic Trees converting LIGHT, HEAT and WIND energy into electricity – now that’s unique, and you know what, that's all they want, a piece of green.

Renewable Energy is one of the hottest, fastest growing areas right now; however, there is much debate about Biomass, Biofuels, Solar, Wind and Hydro energy systems in respect to efficiency of technology and responsible use of land and ecosystems.


Human intervention and exploitation in the ecosystem will produce changes in order to meet the desired objectives. According to the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment, in many parts of the world the consumption of ecosystems services are managed in an unsustainable way. Therefore it is strongly necessary to find direct drivers of ecosystem management that can provide more effective cost-benefit opportunities for multipurpose systems, which can meet multiple goals, including the pervasive environmental, social, and economic objectives of sustainable development.

A Original and fresh approach towards harvesting green energy, is provided by Solar Botanics – we are mimicking nature, constructing natural looking artificial trees and plants, which will be fitted with nano leaves (a combination of nano technologies for the purpose of harvesting green energy LIGHT, HEAT and WIND in one beautiful tree.

The Real Green energy investment opportunity, a synergy with nature’s perfect design features, called biomimetics; engineers, scientists, and business people are increasingly turning towards nature for design inspiration. The field of biomimetics is the application of methods and systems, found in nature. To capitalize on the wealth of designs and processes found in nature, engineering and technology, has spawned a number of innovations far superior to what the human mind alone could have devised. The reason is simple. Nature, through billions of years of trial and error, has produced effective solutions to innumerable complex real-world problems. The rigorous competition of natural selection means waste and efficiency are not tolerated in natural systems. Solar Botanics is replicating natural manufacturing methods as in the production of chemical compounds by plants and animals; this will enable Solar Botanics to directly tap into nature's ingenuity. In the near future, Solar Botanics will “grow” because of improved efficiency and aesthetic design (in tune with nature) to serve our energy needs through the application of pragmatic natural solutions developed by evolution.
Solar Botanic is a multifunctional renewable energy collection system based upon natures design, collecting free available energy resources – solar radiation (light and heat) and wind energy and converting it into usable electricity to provide the energy demands of the world in an efficient, responsible and sustainable way. This real green opportunity, set to inspire and convince, investors, scientists and future partners of the extensive opportunities, broad application range and added value of our trees and plants that harmonious join together with our existing world, and providing us with power.

Various renewable energy producers are investing heavily, including Pickens the new kid on the block, joining the renewable energy market, their marketing machines running on maximum speed, daily TV adds on CNN and BBC are proof of the importance, to gain consumer interest, to promote green energy and so on. However, their best efforts of promoting safe and clean energy is also reason for concern as some renewable energy systems are not all that friendly, and some industries starting to feel resistance towards their systems.
A TREE IS SO MUCH MORE

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Permalink Reply by Dave baragona on October 27, 2008 at 10:55am

This a great discussion.....

From discussions I have had with people, I get the feeling that people want solar power installed free of charge, after tax incentives and rebates. In addition, they don't want any initial out of pocket costs..Well.....That's just not going to happen. You don't get something for nothing.

But if you are "really serious" about issues such as oil independence, pollution and global warming..........The government and the utilities have made it so that your your of pocket costs are significantly less, allowing you to see a return on investmesnt in a reasonable amount of time and an eventual cost savings.

For those of you waiting for "new technology" that will reduce solar costs........you need to set your expectations. That "new technology" will be cheaper, but it will not be free. In actuality, the cost of that "new technology" may not actually cost less than a current PV system with tax incentives and rebates. You could end up spending your whole life waiting for the price to come down. Meanwhile, the problems of oil independence, pollution, and global warming continue to get worse every day.

Here was realistic expectation of what I was looking for in a home solar system.

1. The ability to reduce at least 50% of my electric bill.
2. An out of pocket cost below $10,000 after rebates and incentives.
3. A return on investment of 7 years or less.

Fo that price I will be willing to do my part to help by purchasing a solar PV system.

I have looked at solar for many years and was not able to achieve the goals. The out of pocket cost was always too high, and the return on investment was alsways too long.

However, this year, finally, thanks to reduce costs and increased tax incentives, I was able to find a solar PV system that met all 3 of those requirements....so I purchased it.

- The price has never been lower.
- The incentives have never been higher.
- Now is the time to buy.....

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Permalink Reply by Max H Herr on October 27, 2008 at 1:25pm

I love looking at my electric meter spinning backwards most of the day! And the fact that my metered electrical usage is at virtually the same reading as the day I was authorized to "throw the switch" on October 1. My 3.8 KW system has generated an average of about 15.5 KW per day, with some days in early October at or above 19KW total generation! I'm doing my part to reduce peak time electrical generation.

It tells me that I'll only have a relatively small future cost of electricity going forward, and that if I add another KW of panels, I might never have to pay SoCal Edison another penny. As I see it, the $26,000 net cost to me will be overcome in just about the 8 years that was projected in the cost benefit analysis performed by my solar contractor, Akeena Solar of Los Gatos, CA.

I didn't ask for the rebates and tax incentives, but since they're available, I've taken advantage of them. If they did not exist, I figure that the gross cost would have probably been a bit lower -- that the existence of the incentives to consumers is artificially maintaining component and labor costs at higher than necessary levels.

Ultimately the incentives will have to be replaced by the understanding that the prices will come down as people install systems and reap the post-installation savings instead. And the fact that it is the environmentally responsible thing to do.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on November 2, 2008 at 6:23pm

Looks like China will take the lead on cheap PV next. The problem is that folks have this mental image of Chinese goods as substandard. Unfortunately for us they're not. We've been sending them so much $$$ via the trade deficit they've got all the $$$ they need to but the best equipment.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on November 22, 2008 at 8:13am

Folks, when SAIC (SIAC?)buys GM will they offer an alternative to the Chevy Volt?

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Permalink Reply by Paul on January 20, 2009 at 7:10am

Ah, I've figured it out... Folks want blue skies; 'nuf said.

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Permalink Reply by April and Patrick Kolen on January 21, 2009 at 6:19pm

I am in the industry, sorry.
But what I would really like to see and I know it does not exist yet for hot, humid climates like Florida is Solar air conditioning. Yes, I know about Solcool and Greencore and Yazaki systems. They are not good for hot, humid climates in a residential setting that is larger then 600 sq ft.
I would also like to see a hybrid system that sucessfuly uses small wind and solar together. Really small wind speeds like in Florida.

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Permalink Reply by Jim McKirdy on February 18, 2009 at 10:53am

I can't help it. I am in the industry. There are many answers to the ideal solar powered solution. I have asked this question may times. I have not found one person that wants to pay a monthly inflated electric bill. Not even employees of electric utility companies.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on February 18, 2009 at 1:56pm

Hey Jim,

I agree, I don't want to pay inflated bills either. But would you pay par? Would you allow the local utility to make a profit if your bill were reduced by what your investment actually purchased? Some folks want it all, and that leaves their potential partners cold. Whaddya say?

The Light is Green!

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Permalink Reply by michael maldonado on April 6, 2009 at 1:06pm

Bottom line is SOLAR is a great idea and we all should have solar panels on our roof but nobody can afford it and the big companys that do add solar. 1. They can afford it. 2. It olny pays for about half of there use. 3. It's mostly a PR thing to show there going green. If solar companies have it there way, They wish to become the next big oil or SCE company. WE NEED THEM. If you buy a system you have to take out a second mortgage and now all of our homes are upside down. If you lease a system, You never own it and the price goes up every year and both systems never cover the complete cost of all your electric needs. You end up with both a solar bill and a SCE bill. Your back to square one.

Also, if you want all of your elecricity powered by solar then you have to get a monster solar panel system that takes up your whole roof and your back yard, But remember then the price goes from $20,000 to $45,000 and the lease goes from $300.00 to $500.00

At the present time Solar is a lose, lose situation for the consumer. Your better off sticking with your current utility company. I think that's the way they want it.

When Solar is NON-PROFIT then we all MIGHT come close to breaking even. It's to bad, Such a good idea and only the super rich can toy with all this.

Trust me guys I want solar panels on my roof also but I can't afford it. And I DON'T want to make another company SUPE-RICH and become dependant on them, Like SCE.

Best of luck to you all.

MIKE.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on April 6, 2009 at 1:28pm

Mike,

I was with you for a while then you said: "When Solar is NON-PROFIT then we all might..." Good grief! If that is what you're waiting for then you're gonna sit there in the dark ans freeze to death... And no one will care.

Sorry, but I'm here to tell folks that the *ONLY* way they're gonna get soar power is to bite the bullet and pay for it. As a general rule the solar companies are not in practice of gouging customers. Are the systems expensive? Yes, they are -- too damn expensive! But it's still supply & demand that are setting the price.

Let's say you need a 3kW system to run your home... and you want to buy a system from me to collect the sunlight and unwind your meter. What are you *willing* to pay for that system? Remember we both know you'll not have to pay the power company ever again... We also know that you'll probable only but one of these systems in your lifetime... (so much for customer loyalty & repeat business)

Spit out the wealth-envy chew toy and lemme have an honest answer. Thanks,

The Light is Green!

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