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on November 29th, 2011% ![]() November 19, 2011 in Opinion By Froma Harrop
Princely U.S. government subsidies have made developing wind, solar and other clean energy nearly risk-free to investors – and that’s bad. But the price of this domestically produced power has tumbled, thanks in part to such aid. That helps clean energy compete with the fossil kind, which is definitely good.
So this is not quite the wasteful Washington outrage that foes of such subsidies make it out to be. President Barack Obama’s clean-energy program – funded in his stimulus bill and added to President George W. Bush’s earlier push – mostly makes great sense. it strengthens America’s position in the booming business of renewable energy while creating much-needed jobs. after all, other governments, such as China’s, are pouring money into their new-energy industries.
But gosh, shouldn’t Obama’s people have written this thing to force the players to have, as they say, more of their own skin in the game? of course they should have. Mistakes were made, and more will surely be found. But let’s hang in here. the outcome should be worth it.
In the sunny states of California, Arizona and Nevada, the cheapest solar power already undercuts conventional electricity at peak-hour rates, according to the Economist magazine. And tech advances will bring the cost down further. Oil imported from hostile countries or extracted locally using filthy processes may become a thing of the past.
Did we hear the word “Solyndra”? Solyndra is the California solar-panel maker that declared bankruptcy after receiving over $500?million in federal loan guarantees. A scandal brews over reports of Solyndra’s alleged political favor-seeking. one concern centers on a high Energy Department official who pushed for the loan while his lawyer-wife represented the company.
House Republicans are investigating the Solyndra deal, as they should. But again, while the public financing process may not have been spotless, the company’s innovative technology was the real deal. Solyndra had developed panels that didn’t use silicon, then an expensive substance. A later glut of solar panels – with China possibly selling them here below cost – ended Solyndra’s price advantage and put it out of business.
China now commands over half the U.S. market for solar panels. American makers have accused it of dumping, and the Commerce Department is investigating the charges.
Meanwhile, Washington’s generosity has greased most every search for new energy – whether help was needed, not needed or not needed as much. And that taxpayer largesse was not always carefully shepherded.
Fossil fuels have received a ton of subsidies. the coal business was handed land. Billions in tax breaks flow to oil companies. And it’s hard to forget the disastrously expensive (to taxpayers) program to make synthetic fuel from coal.
The public subsidizes these energy sources in other ways. How many of our defense dollars have gone to protecting foreign oil supplies? for example, the Persian Gulf War was launched 21 years ago for one reason alone: to liberate Kuwaiti oil fields from Saddam Hussein’s grip. That military action may have turned out well, but it did require sending 500,000 American souls into potential danger.
The big plus for oil from Canadian tar sands is that it comes from a friendly neighbor. But the process for extracting it emits huge amounts of greenhouse gases and uses large amounts of fresh water. And a proposed pipeline to bring that oil to refineries in Texas could put Nebraska’s fragile Sand Hills at risk and threaten the irreplaceable Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies water in eight states.
With perseverance and patience, the glass in our energy future could overflow with nonpolluting power, produced at home. the path getting there may not be politically pristine, but in our perpetual search for energy, it’s been a lot uglier.
Froma Harrop is a columnist for Creators Syndicate.
on November 27th, 2011% ![]()
CHULA VISTA — Chula Vista is among a crowd of municipalities, public school districts and water authorities expecting to be hit hard by San Diego Gas & Electric’s proposal to raise rates for solar users.
It has filed a motion to intervene, echoing requests from other agencies that state regulators rule the plan in violation of public utility law.
In recent years, the South Bay city has poured about $3.6 million into solar infrastructure at city facilities, hoping to recoup those costs through savings with the current energy rate structure.
Last month, San Diego’s utility monopoly asked regulators for permission to unbundle grid use from electricity costs, which would effectively eliminate incentives to homeowners, businesses and cities for energy-savings measures like solar panels.
The city attorney’s office is estimating the change could cost Chula Vista taxpayers around $350,000 a year if the rate case is approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
“It’s potentially devastating to us,” City Attorney Glen Googins said.
In defense of the idea, SDG&E officials have said that solar users, including cities and municipalities, currently avoid paying enough to sustain future upgrades to electrical infrastructure.
Googins said some of Chula Vista’s facilities are net generators of energy, meaning that they put more energy back onto the grid than they use, at certain times. SDG&E currently awards credits to such users, but is recommending changing that formula to increase charges on customers whose electricity usage fluctuates greatly throughout the day.
In filings with the PUC, SDG&E states that the current rate structure is unsustainable for the long-term specifically because of the rising popularity of solar installations.
That’s why the proposal is not just hitting Chula Vista in the pocket book, but also affecting the self-image of a city that bills itself as a regional and state leader in the sustainable energy movement.
“The sense of our community is that we are on the forefront of deploying sustainable energy systems on city facilities and making them more readily available for local businesses and residents,” Googins said, referencing the national and state awards Chula Vista has won for leadership in the sustainable energy movement
Environmental Resources Manager Brendan Reed said about $10 million in future federal funding and state incentives for more solar panel installations is also on the table.
“We cannot move forward with the next phase of our solar projects until we have some resolution on whether SDG&E’s proposed network-use charge will go through,” he said. once the next phase is complete, the city would produce 15 percent of the energy it uses as a municipal government from on-site solar power generation.
“Homeowners, businesses and other public agencies throughout our region have taken the state’s call to invest in solar in order to meet our statewide climate action goals,” Reed said. “Changing how solar customers are treated now; it’s really changing course. It’s not a step backward, it’s a leap backward.”
SDG&E officials have said that unbundling the grid-use incentives from the cost of electricity would have little impact on nonsolar ratepayers. But, Googins said it will ultimately be the Chula Vista taxpayer that faces the brunt of the costs, if city investments in on-site solar power generation become a financial loss because of the proposed rate hikes.
“The impact on other customers who are even more dependent on solar energy could be even greater than that,” he said.
on November 25th, 2011% ![]()
Yes, narrowing margins are making life difficult for smaller, higher cost producers. but this is and has always been a standard part of the evolution of any industry from niche to growth to mainstream. an undervalued name we own and that I’ve used as an industry representative example before, Canadian Solar (CSIQ), announced October 17 that, due to the rapid growth in the solar industry and emerging commoditization of some components, their overall profit margin is expected to shrink to 12 percent by year end 2011.
Meanwhile, their industry is growing at 10 times the rate of the overall U.S. economy and will far more than make up in volume what it loses in margins. this is the normal progression with any new technology, and is usually considered a good thing. In fact, most mature industries operate — profitably — at or below 12 percent. Here’s the Fortune/CNN 2009 list of profit margins by industry.
According to the list, solar, even with its newly revised lower 12 percent margins, would still rank sixth of 53 on this list (if it were included). and the truth is, as solar grows and grows, and panels become cheaper and cheaper, margins will continue to drop to 10 percent and below. but, again, the industry is maturing into a high-volume business wherein scale will more than compensate for this narrowing just as occurred in most of the above industries. Yet when was the last time you heard a pundit claim that most of these industries was in a “death spiral?” I would argue that with its booming growth, solar is a better long term investment than any of these “stalwart” industries that currently operate between one percent and 10 percent margin rates.
Also bear in mind that as panels become ever cheaper and margins narrow, solar is fast becoming the cheapest source of electricity of any kind. Extrapolation of current trends shows that solar will be the cheapest electricity in the world by 2018, latest. What happens to industry growth as that day approaches?
After CSIQ’s announcement, its shares dropped another 13 percent to $3.00, which is less than one-fifth of their $16.03 per share in cash. Ridiculous. CSIQ was already priced at one-quarter of cash, like a company hemorrhaging money, not making it. So the reduction in margin announcement should hardly have had the effect that it did, so what the further decline represents for me is a buying opportunity.
Bear in mind that China has made a $313 billion commitment to green energy, primarily solar, over just the next four years (the U.S. commitment is trivial by comparison, no doubt thanks in part to some dangerously misguided calls for America to give up on solar altogether). The favored Chinese manufacturers of solar PV will thus have no problem maintaining liquidity much less solvency as the industry, predictably, matures and consolidates. this kind of large, rapid investment in solar PV manufacturing has resulted in global supply outpacing demand at the moment, which is one of the factors causing shrinking industry margins. However, we believe this is a temporary imbalance because we’re observing aggressive solar scaling, utility-scale and rooftop, in nations worldwide. more on that in a later post.
As an aside, we disagree with current U.S. based efforts to sue China for solar panel price dumping. Dumping, which is defined as selling a product under production cost to capture market share, is not the same as out-competing, which has the same effect. If China has invested so much more in its solar capability that its cost of production is significantly lower than ours, so be it; the appropriate response is to invest in our domestic industry to make it more competitive. it will be interesting to see what the WTO concludes, but I don’t think the dumping case is necessarily clear. In any event, winning the case will allow the U.S. to apply tariffs to foreign solar panels, thus raising the cost for consumers, prolonging our dependence on fossil fuels (although that may be the point) and keeping energy prices higher overall.
Again, solar is a booming growth industry that is adding jobs, revenue and profits worldwide (including here in America), that is going to keep growing, and fast, for years if not decades: how many of us are aware that already, solar employs 100,237 people in the United States and is booming, compared to coal’s 80,600 and shrinking jobs? [Note: the coal jobs figure is from the U.S. BLS. The BLS does not keep track of solar jobs, but refers interested parties to The Solar Foundation’s “National Solar Jobs Census,” cited above.]
The trick for investors is to find the low cost manufacturers with access to capital and with already profitable business models. Solar as an industry is here to stay; investors who own the best solar companies now will be very pleased in the long run.
This article was originally published on AltEnergyStocks.com and was republished with permission.
on November 23rd, 2011% ![]()
I have written before about the development of thorium as a cheaper,more plentiful and safer nuclear fuel than uranium. Thorium continues to be studied by our nuclear scientists and promises to potentially change the face of the nuclear power industry.
Also, scrubber technology for coal fired plant emissions continues to improve. Even one of our own UF scientists has perfected a 98 percent mercury free scrubber device for coal emissions that could conceivably go far towards making coal, by far our cheapest fuel source, once again a viable method for power production.
Now we read of the beginning of production of a revolutionary omni-directional wind energy device, a compact, vertical axis wind turbine system able to power businesses, homes and institutions.
Unlike solar panels, this device takes only a few feet of roof area and costs dramatically less than solar panels. it operates no matter which direction the wind blows, at wind speeds down to five mph which includes much of the country. After the 30 percent federal tax subsidy the installed cost will be around five thousand dollars (see sauerenergy.com).
Presently wind power costs 6 to 9 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to coal at 10 cents, natural gas at 12 cents, and nuclear 15 cents. We are going to see many changes in these figures in the years ahead…which brings me to my main point: in business we use a principle called “Management by Objectives.” the objective of GRU should be to provide electrical power to the ratepayers at the lowest possible cost, within the parameters of system profitability and environmental protection.
In light of the constantly changing scientific world of researching the creation of energy, GRU and the City Commission are making a serious mistake by locking the ratepayers into a non-canceable 30-year contract to buy expensive power from wood burning technology that could well be moot in a few years.Even if none of the developments I list above become feasible there are countless other energy research projects in various stages of development to come. never, ever, discount the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our American scientific community !
on November 23rd, 2011% ![]() 31 October 2011 last updated at 07:53 ET Share this page by Richard Anderson and Damian Kahya Business reporters, BBC News
The government wants to encourage everyone to think about how they can pay less on fuel – a pretty sensible idea when energy bills are rising and fuel poverty is on the increase.
It also wants to reduce the UK's carbon emissions to help it meet stringent and legally-binding climate change targets.
One way it is looking to achieve both these aims is by offering incentives for people to become more efficient in the way they use energy, and by encouraging them to start generating their own.
There are three main subsidies on offer.
Under the Renewable Heat Premium Repayment (RHPR), anyone living in England, Scotland or Wales can claim a voucher to help pay for renewable energy generation in their home:
- Solar panels to heat water – £300
- Air source heat pump, which extracts heat from the outside air – £850
- Ground source heat pump, which extracts heat from the ground – £1,250
- Biomass boiler, which burns wood to provide heat and/or hot water – £950.
Every household is allowed to apply for one voucher per technology.
Bear in mind that all these technologies must be properly certified, as must the contractor that installs them.
The scheme runs until the end of March next year.
Anyone can apply for solar panel funding, and if you do not use gas as your main heating fuel, you can apply for air and ground source pumps and biomass boilers.
So far, the scheme, which began at the beginning of August, has issued almost £2m worth of vouchers. It will be reviewed at £10m.
The Energy Savings Trust (EST), which is a charity offering advice on how best to take advantage of the subsidies on offer, is managing the scheme and can be contacted on 0800 512 012.
The RHPR was designed as an interim measure to keep momentum in the push for energy efficiency, and will be replaced in the autumn of next year with the Renewable Heat Incentive.
These subsidies, also available only in England, Scotland and Wales, mean you get paid for the electricity you generate from renewable sources – both the power that you use and that which you export to the national grid – up to a maximum of five megawatts.
They cover a number of different technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, anaerobic digestion, combined heat and power and hydroelectricity.
The so-called big six energy suppliers – British Gas, EDF, E.On, nPower, Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern – are required by law to pay you for the energy you generate, but some smaller providers are not. There are 21 registered providers in total.
Feed-in tariffs are designed to benefit you in three ways:
- You will be paid a set amount for each unit of electricity you generate, depending on the technology you have installed, and these are set for the full term of the tariff – between 10 and 25 years. Rates are also linked to inflation
- you will receive an additional set payment for every unit that you sell back to the national grid, regardless of the technology you are using
- Obviously your energy bills will be lower as you will have to buy less electricity from the grid.
Again, all plant and contractors will need to be properly certified for you to qualify for the scheme.
The energy regulator Ofgem recommends contacting the EST as the initial point of contact to register for feed-in tariffs.
This scheme has closed in England and Wales but is still open in Scotland.
Homeowners can receive up to £400 towards the cost of upgrading an old boiler to a more modern, energy-efficient alternative.
As long as you use a certified boiler and installer, you can claim back the money by sending a completed scheme voucher and invoice for the works to the EST.
The are numerous other grants and offers available, many of which relate to insulation, which is seen as the most cost-effective way of reducing energy use, especially when you consider that more than 10 million homes in the UK have lofts that are under-insulated.
Some of these are offered on a local authority level, so will vary depending on where you live. The EST has a webpage which highlights relevant offers depending on your postcode.
on November 21st, 2011% ![]()
At current prices the cost of installing solar panels even for a modest-sized home, could cost you somewhere in the region of $10,000-$16,000. with this in mind many people are starting to look at making and installing their own cheap solar panels. if you decide to go down this route there are a few points to remember to make the whole process easier and will save you even more money.
The initial planning is probably one of the most important stages, to help with this it would be a good idea to learn as much as you can about solar panels and how they work. You can find this type of information on the internet and in manuals or guides that will take you right through all stages of the project.
You will initially have to look at how much power you need to create for all your appliances, this is very important if you want to start living completely of the grid. once you know how much power your home needs you can start calculating how many panels you need for this to happen, and if it is really a viable option for you. any good manual or guide should take you through this step. Spending time and a small amount of money at this stage, could stop you wasting money in the long run.
Also remember that most municipalities will require that you have your system inspected and approved even if you go entirely off grid. They need to ensure that it’s implemented in a way that’s safe for local lineman. during power outages they have to assume there’s no power running through the lines. Your system has to be installed in a way that guarantees that.
The actual process of building the solar panels that could power a couple of small appliances should only take about a day, even if you only have the most basic DIY skills. Many of the manuals have instructional videos available as well as detailed instructions that should make the whole process a lot easier. once you have learnt the skills to build a small panel, you can easily scale this up to gradually make more panels to power more and more appliances in your home.
You will also have to remember to build a way of storing the electricity you created, so you can still power your home when the light isn’t strong or around enough to provide enough electricity. This is usually done by a battery storage system, any manual should give you advice on how to go about building the storage system.
The actual materials that you need to build the panels should be easily available in your local stores, and if not you can turn to the internet. You will probably have to turn to the internet to get the solar cells that make up the panel, but again any good manual or guide should include a shopping list of what you need to buy.
If you keep some of these tips in mind when you are thinking about making solar panels it should make the whole job easier. The main point to take away is to spend some time learning about solar power and planning your installation before you start building, as you don’t want to waste money but building a solar electric system that doesn’t meet your needs.
on November 21st, 2011% ![]()
Renewable energy is the thing of the now. That is why anywhere you turn, you will find resources instructing how to use Mother Nature-friendly energy supplies instead of the usual.
Solar panels are significant inventions of technology that allow for a renewable source of energy to seep through not just a piece of appliance but a home in whole. yes, you read that right, solar panels can power up your home in an environment-friendly, cost-efficient way.
Solar panels make use of solar cells, which were used previously to power up homes in far-flung areas. Today, even city homes benefit from solar panels as they are deemed enough to supply an average house’s daily electricity requirement. The only drawback about solar panels is that you cannot use it efficiently during sunshine-less days. Good thing, energy experts have found a wonderful way of solving the problem and the answer is… windmills! for cloudy days, you can use the windmills instead to generate the amount of power that you needed efficiently and in the same wonderful manner as solar panels do.
If you are able to install both solar panels and windmills in your house, you could be looking at the cheapest energy bill you could have paid in a lifetime. Not only that, you could also be looking at an extra income source by selling the extra power energy to power companies. So if we were you, you will stop wasting that precious moment to save and earn at the most wonderful manner.
Aside from the opportunity to earn from generating your own energy for your household, there also lies the fact that making use of renewable source of energy is generally healthy for the environment and for your family as well. those are more than enough reasons for you to start a project to generate your own electric power. The benefits briefly are:
1) Building your own solar panels and windmills for less than $200, not $3000
2) This is a “go green” program and you can take advantage of tax deduction benefit.
3) you can sell extra generated power to power companies (making money).
Do not worry because it is really very easy and cheap. A step-by-step guideline is provided to see you though the installation process of your own renewable source of energy. and it only costs around $200! you read that right, putting up your own source of energy is not that expensive as opposed to how much you can save for using it, which is really on the high cost side!
Do you want a cost-efficient, nature-friendly, and healthy abode? Look out for my story and see how you can build solar panels cheap and find how you can start generating your own source of energy for some savings and earnings as well. The author of the aid project has been able to create a user-friendly and cheap installation guide that will show you the correct way of putting up your solar panels and windmills. Do not wait another moment. start generating your own electricity for your home and for the use of others whom you can charge for a price. This is definitely the best way of going green because you are not just saving the environment on this project but also earning amazing benefits from it on a personal level. you can save and earn while keeping your household healthy with solar and wind energy!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 at 4:31 am and is filed under cheap houses. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. you can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
on November 18th, 2011% ![]()
Solar panels became attractive because they are a money-spinner, not just a way of saving on energy bills. the Government introduced a scheme aimed at encouraging people to have photovoltaic panels installed back in April 2010. the scheme pays people not only to generate their own energy, but to sell any surplus back to the national grid.
At present, homeowners with these panels earn 43.3p for each kilowatt hour (kWh) generated, plus an additional 3.1p for each kWh that they export back to the grid. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent body, a typical domestic solar electricity system should make you almost £1,200 a year better off.
You can expect £1,060 a year from the generation or “feed-in” tariff, a further £40 from selling on surplus energy, and a £90 saving on domestic bills. the panels cost around £12,000 to install, depending on the size of your system, so it would take you around 10 years to recoup your money.
Some companies offered to install the panels free of charge in exchange for collecting the feed-in-tariffs themselves. Homeowners could then shave some, but not much, off the cost of their home energy. However, the £90 a year saving is dwarfed by the income you can expect from the feed-in tariffs.
Q that sounds fairly attractive. what has changed now?
The Government announced that it is more than halving the feed-in tariff, from 43.3p to 21p per kilowatt hour. what is more, the change is taking place almost immediately – coming into effect on December 12. the “export” tariff, which is the additional 3.1p per kWh for any electricity sold on to the grid, will not change.
Q I’ve already had the panels installed. Will this affect me?
No. those who have had their panels installed and registered with the grid by December 12 will not have their tariff cut. Everyone else, however, even if they have already signed up for installation and are awaiting a date, will not get the preferential rate. Some energy companies and installers have said they cannot guarantee that systems ordered before the announcement will be ready in time.
Q so why is the feed-in tariff being cut?
It was too good to be true. Take-up has been far higher than expected, and the cost of installation has fallen as well. Instead of the predicted returns of between 5 per cent and 8 per cent, customers have been getting 10 per cent.
The Government says this is too much: those of us who do not have the panels will be subsidising it with our electricity bills.
Mike O’Connor, chief executive of the Government watchdog Consumer Focus, said: “Incentives to overcome the high set-up cost of solar panels and help make our energy supply greener are necessary. But the cost for this is passed on to the bills of energy customers, and we need to strike a balance.”
Q How do the savings stack up with the new tariff?
Essentially, where it would have taken you 10 years to recoup the money you spent on installing the panels, it will now take you 20. the Energy Saving Trust has a calculator on its website at energysavingtrust.org.uk/solarenergycalculator, which should allow you to calculate a more accurate projection.
Q I’ve already paid a deposit for my panels. what do I do now?
Thousands of homeowners have applications for new panels stuck in the planning system, or are waiting for a connection to the grid. Many have paid deposits of up to £4,000, but installers have warned that they may not meet the deadline. British Gas and Scottish & Southern Energy have said they will do all they can to hit the deadline, while Southern Solar, Npower and Eon have said they cannot guarantee that systems would be up and running by December 12.
Anyone in danger of missing the deadline needs to study their contract carefully. If there is a completion date stipulated in the contract and that date is before December 12 you should be in the clear. If the installer says it can no longer meet this, it should offer you a full refund of any deposit and other upfront payments that you have made.
If, however, you were quoted a completion date after December 12, and you want to cancel because of the tariff changes, you are likely to have to pay the installers compensation for costs that have been reasonably incurred. If you signed your contract fewer than seven working days ago, you can cancel without penalty.
Consumer Focus has said it is prepared to campaign for the honouring of contracts signed before the cut-off date, so keep all your paperwork and document your progress. See the box below for more details on how to claim if you’re in this position. However, there is no guarantee you will get anything back.
Q I was about to sign up for solar panels. is it worth me doing that now?
Use the calculator at energysavingtrust.org.uk (mentioned above) to see how much you could earn. Consumer Focus warns that you should not sign up on the basis of an installer’s promise to beat the deadline. Get at least three quotes. Only use companies who are members of the REAL Assurance Scheme (the Consumer Code for the industry), and are certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).
Q what will happen to all those free panel deals offered by electricity companies?
Experts say that this is likely to sound the death knell for the “rent a roof” panel schemes. Free panel schemes involve companies who foot the bill to install solar panels on your house. they bank your feed-in tariff in exchange. Many companies, including Eon and British Gas, have already stopped taking applications, but others are still offering them. If you have signed a contract for solar panels and are worried about the deadline, there are several things you can do to maximise your chances of meeting it, says Consumer Focus.
on November 12th, 2011% ![]()
It is {acknowledged! The costly solar panels for your home mounted by the glut of high priced solar power franchisee’s have become a thing of history. Cheap solar panels can be made easily at home by anyone. this article includes 3 solar panel reviews from the top 3 highest rated solar power items, graded by actual users.
The HQRP 12W mono crystalline that is being sold for $69.95 is ranked no. 1 by the majority of the consumers. this solar panel includes a twelve months warrantee for spare parts and a ten year efficiency warranty for electrical power production. they are also the cheapest in the country and really easy to set up. You can purchase as many of these pieces that you’ll require and join them in series very easily. Below are what the users have to say about this product;
‘The parts used in the building of this solar panel are incredibly great, The aluminum frame is sturdy and the solar cells are protected under high transmission tempered glass which is exactly the way it should be. this is especially best for a low priced solar panel to possess tempered glass. These makes sure that the solar cells are protected from any mechanical and moisture damage. I have been initially mistaken about this solar panel without having a built-in Diode. I did a second check behind the back cover and found that there is actually a diode there’.
The $94.95 Sunforce 50033 15-watt solar charging kit is the second place in the solar product review. {This product is a lot more comprehensive compared to HQRP solar panel because the device {includes electric power charge controller and wiring kit. if you are new to this DIY solar panel stuff , this is the product for you . this design is extremely widely used for RVs, cabins, homes, boats and also a very good supplier for back-up electrical power or far off off the grid houses. The actual solar panels themselves are weatherproof and sturdy and can resist impacts from hailstones travelling as much as 50 miles-per-hour. As with the HQRP panels, this model also includes a built-in, ultra-bright blue LED charging indicator. Here’s a review coming from a consumer;
‘ My personal solar roof panels were delivered very quickly plus they were {very well packaged.I was amazed at how the panels are incredibly well made and easy to assemble. this is actually the most inexpensive 15 watt out there’.
For $59.90 is our third in the product reviews which is the Instapark 15W Mono – crystalling solar panel.. this solar panel is made of high efficiency mono-crystalline solar panels, which could be well-known to generally be {the best solar panel systems, and are secured behind tempered glass. this is another review from a user;
‘I bought the best deep-cycle maritime power supply I could find (seventy bucks at Wal-mart) I was in fact happy because of the results. I charged my used up battery to it . The end result was that the batteries was completely charged within four days.
if you’re new to homemade solar panels it’s highly recommended that you purchase a guide to show you exactly how to build to build solar panels and explain everything you need to know. The best manuals, that consistently place in the top 10, are GreenDIYEnergy, HomeMade and Earth4Energy. These manuals feature all you need to know about ways to get affordable solar panel systems for your home.
on November 12th, 2011% ![]()
Cuts to the feed-in-tarriff scheme, which rewards households for using renewable energy, will see the amount they earn fall from 43.3p per kilowatt hour of solar power to 21p.
Returns will fall from about 7 per cent to 4 per cent, official papers published on the Energy Saving Trust (EST) website suggest, in a move that could make the technology affordable only to the wealthy.
The move would almost double the length of time it would take for solar panels to become cost-effective, meaning it would take homeowners an estimated 18 years to earn their money back rather than 10.
Solar panels have dropped in price from an average of £13,000 to £10,000 over the past two years, meaning the amount consumers could save has steadily risen.
But the documents, which are marked as “under consultation and not final”, indicate that th technology could become much less affordable next year.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy and Climate Change said: “We will be publishing a full consultation on changes to the solar PV [photo-voltaic] tariffs in Parliament on Monday.
“EST inadvertantly published a draft of documentation on its website that was neither final nor accurate.”
A statement on the EST website confirmed the document had been published by mistake due to a “technical error”.
If the rates are changed they would come into force from 1 April 2012, and would not apply to solar panels that have already been installed or that are set up before December 8.
But with panels typically taking eight weeks to install the window for attracting the higher rate is closing fast and households who have already invested in the equipment but not begun using it could lose out.
Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solar Century, a solar installation company, said: “This is what you would do if you wanted to destroy something.
“Small companies, community projects and social housing will no longer be able to take advantage of solar panels.”
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