How can you reduce your solar cost? Reduce your needs!
October 6th, 2008
As energy prices skyrocket, it becomes more and more attractive to try and produce your own energy by other means, such as wind or solar power. So how much does solar power cost? Well, on average, a new solar system will cost about 8 to 10 dollars per watt. This blog will research and keep track of this solar cost over time, as well as keep track of ways to make your own solar panels.
When you calculate that it would cost 800 dollars to install a premade solar power system to run a single 100 watt bulb, you can see how important it is to use energy saving appliances like flourescent bulbs. Trade that bulb out for flourescent bulbs, and that 800 dollars will now power 5 or 6. In my living room, I have a ceiling light fixture that I never use, because it contains three 75 watt bulbs! Ridiculous…instead, I use a couple of lamps that each have a 13 watt flourescent bulb. So do the math!
If left on all month, the ceiling fixture would cost:
3×75watts=225 watts. 225 wattsx720hours in a month=162,000 watts
162,000 watts/1000 = 162 KiloWatt/Hours in that month
162 KW/H x 17 cents per KW/H = 27 dollars for that light fixture!
In contrast, the two flourescent lamps would cost:
2 x 13 watts=26 watts. 26 watts x 720 hours in a month=18,720 watts
18,720 watts/1000 = 18.7 KiloWatt/Hours in that month
18.7 KW/H x 17 cents per KW/H = 3 dollars and 18 cents.
Thats quite a savings, and I happen to think my two lamps put out a much more pleasant light. Now keep in mind, I figured that out as if I ran my lights all month, which I don’t, but I know people that leave some of their lights on permanently. Cut it out!
Suffice to say, getting rid of those old type bulbs really helps in the long run.
I’ve read that you can figure out how many watts you will need in your system by looking at your monthly KiloWatt/Hour usage and dividing that by 30. That will give your approximate daily KiloWatt/Hour usage. Then, divide that daily usage by the average hours of full sunlight you will get on the area you plan to use for solar panels. This is the number of KiloWatts you need to produce during those few precious full sunlight hours.
Multiply your KiloWatts needed by 1000 to get the number of watts that you need.
Now, multiply that number by 1.15 to get the wattage of solar panels that you need.
When you figure on 8 to 10 dollars per watt, it starts to look quite pricey. Sure, they pay for themselves over time, but that initial cost can be tens of thousands of dollars.
Luckily there are cheaper alternatives, have a look at this website, which promises to teach you how to make your own solar panels to reduce your solar cost.