$6.50 a Watt Solar Myth
I am writing this particular entry because last weekend Electron Solar participated in a whole host of home / green shows down here in Miami... at one of the shows, Chris Quinn, our CEO ran into some of the competition who was touting $6.50 a watt solar PV including cost of install... On Monday Chris did a little poking around to see who this guy was and it turns out he has a history of either taking the deposit and running, playing bait and switch, or simply when the real quote comes in jacks up the price...
I guess the point of writing this is to address the myth of $6.50 a watt solar. People, let's start with one of the basic tenants of consumerism - you get what you pay for, or in some cases you don't get squat and you still pay something for it. It's important for us to write this article because the last time solar had such favorable incentives there were a ton of questionable individuals out there selling pipe dreams and running off with the cash, giving the industry a bad name.
Can you find solar for $6.50 a watt, sure, the economy is in the crapper, there is lots of over supply and there are lots of people out there who have contracts with manufacturers who need to buy at one price to keep their preferential status. Does this mean that will trickle down to the consumer? Maybe. You might get a deal, you might get ripped off, you might look at one panel in the show room and then the installers show up with scratch and dent.
You want to get a look at what the industry uses as it's general guide book - consider this kind of the Kelley Blue Book of the renewables industry - www.aeesolar.com/catalog.html
Go into the PDF catalog and check out some of the price points for panels, go to a good manufacturer like Mitsubishi, and divide the price by the rated watts and you'll see that the panels alone go for anywhere from $7.20 to $6.20 - and keep in mind, that's just for the panel, that doesn't include framing, wiring, inverter, permitting, installation. Yes, a reputable dealer will get you a better price and will be able to get that number down to a total installed cost between $10.00 and $9.00 a watt, maybe even less, but that's pushing it.
So please, please, please do yourself a favor and if you're thinnking about going solar, come to Electron first (hahahahahaaaa)... no but seriously, look carefully at what you're buying and who you're dealing with, all panels are not the same, all dealers are not the same. There are a lot of quick buck artists out there looking to take advantage of the new Green Economy... please don't get taken for a ride, do it right and be happy.
I guess the point of writing this is to address the myth of $6.50 a watt solar. People, let's start with one of the basic tenants of consumerism - you get what you pay for, or in some cases you don't get squat and you still pay something for it. It's important for us to write this article because the last time solar had such favorable incentives there were a ton of questionable individuals out there selling pipe dreams and running off with the cash, giving the industry a bad name.
Can you find solar for $6.50 a watt, sure, the economy is in the crapper, there is lots of over supply and there are lots of people out there who have contracts with manufacturers who need to buy at one price to keep their preferential status. Does this mean that will trickle down to the consumer? Maybe. You might get a deal, you might get ripped off, you might look at one panel in the show room and then the installers show up with scratch and dent.
You want to get a look at what the industry uses as it's general guide book - consider this kind of the Kelley Blue Book of the renewables industry - www.aeesolar.com/catalog.html
Go into the PDF catalog and check out some of the price points for panels, go to a good manufacturer like Mitsubishi, and divide the price by the rated watts and you'll see that the panels alone go for anywhere from $7.20 to $6.20 - and keep in mind, that's just for the panel, that doesn't include framing, wiring, inverter, permitting, installation. Yes, a reputable dealer will get you a better price and will be able to get that number down to a total installed cost between $10.00 and $9.00 a watt, maybe even less, but that's pushing it.
So please, please, please do yourself a favor and if you're thinnking about going solar, come to Electron first (hahahahahaaaa)... no but seriously, look carefully at what you're buying and who you're dealing with, all panels are not the same, all dealers are not the same. There are a lot of quick buck artists out there looking to take advantage of the new Green Economy... please don't get taken for a ride, do it right and be happy.
You didn't say here how big the installations were, but $6.50 per Watt is actually nothing to brag about for large PV systems. For example, SCE is proposing 250MWs worth of 1MW to 2MW commercial rooftop systems for less than $3.80 per Watt, using First Solar panels:
Read: http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/efile/PD/98556.pdf
When using First Solar panels (which can be had for $2 per Watt wholesale) or some crystalline panels (which can be had for less than $2.50 per Watt), it is not that hard to bring all-in system costs (that is, panels, inverters, wiring, and installation, combined) to $5 per Watt or below, even for small systems.
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This is true on large megawatt scale installations for utilities or municipalities - bulk will always cost less, so that is one explanation, but this install is also taking place in CA - their structural requirements are less stringent than ours - our systems in South Florida must be (or at least should be) 150 mph rated meaning more materials and higher cost. Also, keep in mind that a solar installation with roof penetrations in FL will typically null your roof warranty, which means the solar company you choose should offer and extended warranty that also covers your roof for leaks, another cost. On smaller residential or commercial installations I am merely warning anyone looking for a cheap alternative - "You get what you pay for"
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