Electron Solar Energy Blog: Recent Comments

Comment on Mast Wind Results

Ken — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:35:31 GMT

Blake - Sorry it took me so long to get back to you with this post etc... small wind is very site specific, so it's really hard to give an estimate of power generation without knowing where you are. That being said, I think the above test does show that for coastal communities small wind works. Running a test is pretty easy... I think what I'll do is post a quick entry on getting started with testing so if you're interested at least I can give you some helpful pointers...

Comment on Wind Power At Mast

Dan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:56:09 GMT

It's amazing just how much wind there can be even on what appears to be a calm day. Often I will see turbines turning when and it never ceases to amaze me.
Dan

Comment on Mast Wind Results

Blake — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:42:05 GMT

Ken:
Thanks for follow thru. So with 3.6 wind turbine, it is worth considering adding a wind turbine to my house when I do my electric upgrade? If my home (and us) use 57KW/day, how many KW would this turbine be good for do you think?

Comment on $6.50 a Watt Solar Myth

Ken F — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:25:46 GMT

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"

Comment on Jungle Island Green Expo

Kendra — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:24:38 GMT

Yea that smart car belongs to the owner of the park.. oh and the hummer too.

Comment on Wind Power At Mast

Solar Power Business — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:48:35 GMT

I bookmarked this page. Thank you for given this post!

Comment on $6.50 a Watt Solar Myth

TruthSeeker — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:30:31 GMT

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.

Comment on June FPL Bill

Ken — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:55:58 GMT

Actually, if you'll note... I'm tracking overall savings from the total changes that I've made to the house, not simply the solar PV - keep in mind, that upgrades include the GESPER, include the reflective paint and include changing as many of the light bulbs as I could from CFLs to LEDs (slightly more efficient)... so you are absolutely right, the saving alone are not just from the Solar PV, but from the total upgrades... next step is getting rid of those old 1960's era windows and putting in some really nice replacements.

Comment on The Global Energy Grid

Antonia — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:49:32 GMT

Your blog is interesting! Keep up the good work!

Comment on June FPL Bill

TruthSeeker — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:42:04 GMT

Did you check your math? A 5KW Unisolar system in your area should have generated about 730KWH for the month of June 2008. So 2,200KWH savings in June from the PV is out of the question - you must have simply turned off the airconditioning.

How is the PV system performing so far? AGT's own rooftop system is already underperforming 25% vs initial expectations. When are you going to admit that you have been duped? Are you going to sue them?