http://www.findsolar.com/

http://www.getsolar.com/

Once you have selected a provider, the first step is usually a quick suitability review from the installer.  With an address, they can pull up google maps and get a view of your house, determine the orientation and roof structure.  From that initial review you get some immediate feedback about solar applicability on your house.

A site review is usually next, some firms will charge for this survey.  I imagine in their mind it is a way to determine the seriousness of customers.  The survey in my case, consisted of a 90 min review of the house.  The technician was looking at potential places for the installation, roofing and support structure, trees and shading issues, sun orientation, location of the inverters in the basement – a vented cabinet size area is needed for that and finally a review of my electric bills for the past year. This cost me $100.

About 10 days later, I received a detailed proposal.  The proposal contained pictures of the proposed installation, it’s orientation, any trees or shading that would need to be addressed, estimated energy production on my specific installation, savings and the most importantly the state and federal credits available.

A well structured ROI ( return on investment was included), and a cash flow over the life of the system were included.

The details of this installation;

Rooftop Solar Array:
Azimuth (Direction of array): 240º
Inclination: 22º (flush with roof)
Solar Access: 92%
Derate factor: 0.708
Size of solar installation: 4.94 kW DC. (26 solar panels model ES-190)

Price of Solar Installation (all costs) $35,243
Instant Savings (Commonwealth Solar Rebate) -$20,995

Upfront Cost to You $14,248

Recovered costs in year one: (Tax Credits)
State Income Tax Credit1 -$1000
Federal Income Tax Credit2 -$4274

Cost to you after rebates and tax credits $8,974

Estimated savings over 25 year life of solar panels: $85,600
Estimated increase in home value $22,500 – (based on a study by the Appraisal Institute)
Payback including increase in home value Immediate
Payback not including increase in home value 5 years
Usable life of solar panels 25+ years
Estimated annual energy production 4900 KWH
Carbon Dioxide emissions displaced per year 4510 lbs

I know that I would believe in the increase in home values in today’s economy, but the payback without that is still only 5 years.  I also don’t know if I believe the 25 year life of the panels.

I am meeting with the installer to review the proposal and get more details on what I would need to do ahead of time.  They are recommending I remove some trees, and also replace the roof prior to installing the units.

The panels are from Evergreen, which is a quality company.

Some initial questions;

Review the tax credit and or rebate process, income level qualifications, paperwork process, and timing, when does paperwork need to be submitted when would I see a check

Part guaranty and installation guaranty.

Licensing and insurance of installers

Maintenance needed

Snow and ice

What else should I be asking?

John Bell and team’s work focuses on a thin film of titanium dioxide layered into the window.  This is coated with a dye to increase light absorption.  The windows have slight red hue, but are completely see through.  This same glass could be used on skylights, atriums, doors or windows.  An average home in Australia would require about 10 square meters of this glass to provide it’s power.   Assuming US houses are bigger and we get less sun (a good assumption), you are talking about 10-15 standard double hung windows.

This technology is a few years away from production and you would still need the inverters and electrical systems in the house.  But imagine the possibility for new home, mall, and office building construction.  What premium would they have to pay in price to add this power generation into their facilities?

Marc Baldo and team, approach the problem with different thinking.   It is more of a solar concentrator.  His team still uses the window surface, but instead of a film, they use the absorption dye to push the sunlight to the edges of the surface where solar cells convert the sunlight into power.  The potential for this recent discovery is absolutely huge.

Existing solar panels could add these units on and increase their efficiencies by up to %50.  Any surface where you collecting sunlight could be used.  This approach would lower the cost of solar installations, since it is using many less expensive photovoltaic cells.  Again, timing is three years away.

The discoveries are out there.  We need the initiative and money to get these to market.

Pole Mounts

Pole mounts are divided into 3 subcategories: top of pole mounts, side of pole mounts, and poll tracking mounts. These poll mounts are differentiated by how they are positioned on the pole. Pictured is a typical top-of-pole mount.

Top of Pole Mounts are comprised of a metal rack and rail unit that is bolted to a large sleeve that rests on top of the pole. In order to install a top of pole mount, you will need to use an existing pole at least 3-8 inches wide with a concrete base, or construct one yourself. The mount simply slips over the top of the pole, and you can bolt (or weld) your solar panel unit into place.

Large Top of pole mounts can encounter a substantial measure of wind resistance and can be very heavy, so you may need a small crane or several able-bodied men at hand in order to install a large top-of-pole system.

Side of Pole Mounts are typically fastened and bolted to the side of telephone or utility poles. Side of pole solar panel mounts typically involve small solar panels, for larger units, it is reccomended that you use a top of pole solar panel mount.

Tracking pole mounts are top of pole mounts with a special function – tracking pole mounts track the motion of the sun in the sky throughout the course of the day. This maximizes the operating efficiency of the solar panel unit.