2007-02-27 10:48:34 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
yes, it is. it gets more so every day.
if the USA covered only about 9% of Nevada with solar power plants, that would cover all our electrical needs. this could get us off so much oil, reduce the deficit, and make for a cleaner planet.
Solar is the way to go.
2007-02-27 10:58:49 · answer #1 · answered by Thinker Paul 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ed is right about batteries being an extra cost but what if you had an ice storm like what has been hapening across the usa over the past couple of months. Power lines were down every where for a couple of weeks in some places. If that happens one time to you, The batteries and for that matter the whole solar electric system will have paid for it's self in just that two week time frame.
But then even without a battery bank a grid tie system will pay for it's self in a few years. Most people think they have to build a solar electric system that can cover all their requirments to save money. Well that is BS. A large system may take you 30 years to pay for by your electric bill savings. When a smaller system will pay off in 10 or 12 years even at the lowest rates in the country. After paid off you start making money.
Check out this link if you have a spread sheet program that will open MS Excel. http://store.oynot.com/media/Oy-Not-Costing-Planer.xls
2007-03-03 03:13:18 · answer #2 · answered by Don K 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, yes solar energy is practical.
I designed and installed several solar power systems that worked great. The key was the design of the system. You have to balance the size of the solar energy produced with the load that you want to power.
A lot has to be taken into consideration. The batteries have to be sized to power the load in periods of no or low sun. Considering the amount of sun light availble, the solar panels have to be sized to provide enough energy to recharge the batteries and to power the load.
When everything comes together correctly a solar power system is self sufficient with very little maintainance depending on the type of batteries used to store the solar energy. It was 10 years before I returned to the fist site I installed because of a power failure.
As far as economical? It depends. The goal of my project was to reduce the maintenance cost and increase the reliability of remote radio sites. These sites required long plane or helicopter rides into remote Alaska places. Prior to the solar systems, the sites were powered from disposable batteries that required annual replacement at very high costs. After the solar power systems were installed, the sites were only visited when a failure was reported. Some sites were not visited for 3 years.
The economics of that project was that it costs about $3600 per site 20 years ago to purchase the solar power system. The cost to fly to a site averaged about $3000 depending on where it was. The cost of the solar systems was paid back in one to three years depending on the site access.
Solar power can be practical and economical if the conditions are right.
2007-02-27 12:16:54 · answer #3 · answered by Lost in PA 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Practical-yes. Economical-maybe. When I bought my system four years ago it was not economically justifiable. Now with the price of gas and electricity much higher, it may pay for itself in a few years. When I sell the house in the future, it will add enough value to the house to pay me back.
For more info on solar power, click on solar panels or solar power in the upper right corner of this page.
\Among other things, you may learn not to want batteries. If your electric utility has to allow you net metering, the only time batteries would be of value is during power company outages. Batteries add thousands of dollars to initial cost, consume part of the power produced, and have to be replaced occasionally.
2007-02-27 15:05:02 · answer #4 · answered by Ed 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very! If you store all your solar energy on batteries in a cool dry place you can shut off city electrics and run on your own for a day or two. Visit here for more info http://www.p2pays.org/ref/13/12135.pdf
2007-02-27 10:52:21 · answer #5 · answered by ebay_convert 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends what you do and who you are and what you use it for. But in general, it is economical and practical, and is getting to be moreso as energy prices rise.
2007-02-27 10:53:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definately. Earth has used it several Billions years and look how its doing.
The Syko Ward
2007-02-27 11:25:40 · answer #7 · answered by The Syko Ward 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋