What would it take to convert a housing community from fossil fuels to solar energy in the home?

Question

Serious discussion here.

How feasible is the idea of communities, towns, even whole cities being powered by solar energy? At the most, how about these communities being fractionally powered by solar energy; 40% Solar/ 60% Fossil fuels?

We're not getting all George Jetson, here. We have practical means by which to make something like this happen. My research has lead me to believe the problem comes in with the initial setup.

If this is so, what would it take to materialize the dollars? Should each State solicit a 'solar energy' tax; money dedicated to fund R&D solutions for citizens? Is it something that can be solicited to big business in exchange for free plugins; Staples invests in a solar power grid in Downtown Los Angeles... and calls it 'The Staples Power Center".

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power#Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_Solar_power
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_ponds

Answer 1

First of all, look for existing incentives from the federal and state government. Federally, there is a 30% tax credit and some states offer as much as $5.00 per Watt rebates. You can get more information here: http://www.desireusa.org

Secondly, there are some up and coming technologies that will offer better economics than PV panels in the near future. Check out http://www.infiniacorp.com/
http://www.sandia.gov and http://www.nrel.gov

Third, for the kind of project you describe, it really comes down to financing. This will be easiest if you are planning to build a new community. Find a lender (bank or government) that will allow home-buyers to roll the solar energy system into their mortgage. This practice, along with a healthy rebate, helped to make Japan the PV capital of the world a few years back.

On a larger scale, many states are enacting renewable portfolio standards which legally require utilities to generate a certain fraction of power from solar, wind or biomass. RPS programs are also described on the DSIRE website listed above.

Answer 2

photograph voltaic power isn't a precise replace for fossil fuels given recent technologies. yet that does no longer imply that photograph voltaic can no longer replace any fossil gasoline, even right this moment. think of a few gasoline clothing dryer, or an electric powered one, the place the capability plant burns coal. If somebody basically dries their clothing on a line outdoors, photograph voltaic has efficiently replaced the fossil gasoline that should have been used to run the dryer. From the buyer point of view, photograph voltaic electrical energy could be extra decrease priced than retail grid electrical energy in -some- aspects. California and Hawaii are 2 examples. A self-put in, grid-tied equipment such by using fact the single we've can supply electrical energy at 8 to ten cents consistent with kWh over the existence of the equipment, no longer counting incentives. A professionally-put in equipment would fee slightly two times as lots, yet that should nevertheless be extra decrease priced than grid electrical energy for some human beings. State and Federal incentives in basic terms make the economic case extra desirable for photograph voltaic.

Answer 3

It is really hopeless unless solar cells get much cheaper or fossil fuel gets really expensive.

Your second source says solar panels costing $4 can make one watt of power, so $4,000 dollars worth of cells can make 1000 watts, or one kilowatt. If they get sun for one hour they would make one kilowatt-hour of power. The average home electricity rate is about ten cents a kilowatt-hour. So the $4,000 solar panel saves ten cents an hour on your electricity bill. And that does not include the cost of the electronics to run the system and especially not the cost of batteries to run it at night. To run a typical 3,500 watt central air conditioner would require $14,000 worth of solar cells.

As I recall when I looked into putting solar panels on my roof, a $25,000 system would have saved me about $1 or $2 a day.

Answer 4

1