Technology | All Energy Solar

How much does solar cost?

Solar Energy Cost

Would you like to own your electricity? Want to stop worrying about rate inflation from your utility company, charging you whatever they like? Did you know that rates have been rising by about 6% each year in California for example? They will only keep going up and up unless you do something about it!

By installing a solar electric system you can SAVE MONEY, break free from the clutches of your utility company and HELP the Environment too.

Only 20 Years ago, solar energy cost 7 times as much. Advanced technologies have contributed to the enormous decrease in price, but it is mainly due to the increase in manufacturing volumes, as more and more people realise the benefits of solar energy.

There’s more good news. Solar energy cost will continue to decline as the market continues to grow, making it even more affordable.

Governments too have realised the benefits. Incentives are available form state, federal and local governments, as well as some utility companies. Check out the DSIRE websiteto find out what’s available in your area (USA only).

Another cost benefit is that you will get paid for the excess electricity you produce through a system called – Net-metering.

$ – Just how much does solar energy cost? – $

It varies. Depending on the size of your household, the amount of electricity you use, the particular solar energy system you choose, how much sunshine you receive in your area and available government funding to name only a few.

As a very rough guide, depending on the above conditions – - -

A solar hot water system will cost between US $2,000 and $4,000.

A photovoltaic system will cost between US $8,000 and $10,000 for a 1kW system. (or $8 – $10 /Watt)

An average American family, living in a 3-bedroom home will require a 1.5 – 3kW system, which will cost between US $13,000 and US $27,000, before rebates.

Lets take a couple of example of a Californian household to illustrate just how much you can save with all these incentives:

Example 1:

An average family needing 2.5 Kilowatt system –
(current electricity bill between $50 and $75 per month)

Cost of Solar electric system incl. Installation: $22,500

LESS: Government Rebate: – $7,000 *

LESS: Tax credit: -$1,163 **
___________________________________

You pay only: $14,337
___________________________________

Example 2:

An average family needing 3 Kilowatt system –
(current electricity bill between $75 and $100 per month)

Cost of Solar electric system incl. Installation: $27,000

LESS: Government Rebate: – $8,400 *

LESS: Tax credit: -$1,395 **
___________________________________

You pay only: $17,205
___________________________________

Save even more with Net Metering each year.

* (2.5 Kw system = 2500 watt x $2.80 per watt rebate = $7,000)
(3Kw system = 3000 watt x $2.80 per watt rebate = $8,400)

** (7.5% of system cost after rebate. $22,500 – $7,000 x 7.5% = $1,163)
(7.5% of system cost after rebate. $27,000 – $8,400 x 7.5% = $1,395)

As a rough guide: Add .5 to your system size for each additional $25 on your bill and $4,500 to the cost before incentives.

PLEASE NOTE that these prices are only estimates and will vary depending on many different factors that needs to be taken into account for each specific installation.

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This Minnesota home is the real deal!

Sweet looking design, snazzy solar panels, and nearly net zero in energy consumption and cost. What a great idea to make an up front investment in something you know is going to help the environment and your wallet/pocketbook in the long run. Check out the article below on this unique, but hopefully becoming more common, net zero house.

A Minnesota couple has almost, but not quite, built the net-zero energy house 25 miles from the Canadian border. A story by David Shaffer in the tomorrow’s Star Tribune business section points to the article the couple published in the September/October issue of Solar Today.

Architect Nancy Schultz and husband Dr. John Eckfeldt , a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, built their lakefront home near Isabella, Minn., 80 miles northeast of Duluth.. It’s is tightly insulated with R-values of 55 and 90 in the walls and roof.

It has passive solar heating using south-facing glass, plus a rooftop solar heat collector that recirculates liquid through an experimental heat-storage “crib” beneath the house filled with sand, gravel and taconite ore pellets. The house also has a heat-recovery system for outgoing air and a ground-loop system to preheat incoming air.

Other rooftop solar panels generate electricity. A small electric boiler is a backup heat source. Overall the house is “near net-zero,” meaning is uses almost all renewable energy and has almost no carbon footprint.

“We have been going up there for 30 years,” said Schultz. “We decided to build it as an experiment station.”

But Minnesota winters were still too much. In the article, the couple said the heat-storage system wasn’t able to keep the house at 70 degrees F when the outside temperature was minus 40 degrees, but they are working on improvements.

But it’s not cheap. The house cost $342 per square foot, compared to $200 per square foot and up for a conventional house, Schultz said.

See the article in its original location here.

Check us out at www.allenergysolar.com

Apple Looking to Solar Power its Gadgets

-Origin: Boots on the Roof

Last time we talked to you about iPhones, it was in reference to an awesome application that measured the potential solar power in a given area. Now, we are going to do one better… imagine a phone that not only measures solar power, but is actually powered by solar energy. How’s that!?

As you know, Apple products have surged in popularity over the past decade thanks to their continued innovation in the development of gadgets that match the needs of consumers, almost intuitively. Apple products can truly be what you want them to be, with the endless entourage of free applications and services. iPods, iPhones, iPads and even the MacBook have been huge hits; now it appears that all of them may be powered by solar energy in the near future.

The company has already held a variety of solar patents, but they have a very specific and potentially game-changing one in their possession now. The development would provide a reliable, consistent and precise way to recharge the batteries of these devices, which are well known to have very exacting needs. Apple’s challenge is to create a voltage and sufficient charge to meet the sensitive needs of a hi-tech lithium battery.

The patented device basically places a “smart” control circuit and converter in between the solar power source and the delivery of the electrical power. The intelligent circuitry refines the incoming solar power so that it meets the precise needs of the Apple batteries, and produces a high quality energy source that can be harnessed without limit for their portable gadgets.

And according to various news sources, it’s just one step away from having phones completely covered in solar power panels which can charge by sitting in the sun.

Renewable Energy Outlook: 2011

As political rivalries and battles over control play out on capitol hill we in the Renewable Energy (RE) industry stand poised for action, hoping that our government will stand behind us in our industry goals. Tremendous support of the RE industry has helped propel this revolutionary technology. Homes, businesses, governments, and non-profits can now invest in reliable energy and feel confident the effects on our environment are positive. So what does the shift in control mean for the coming years?

Most of the focus is being placed on the coming weeks. The senate passed the tax breaks which included an extension of the RE tax grant. We fully expect the bill to pass and the extension will mean another prosperous year for RE. But there is another big question and concern hanging over all our heads… JOBS!

One industry cannot be the sole source of job creation but as a growing industry, one with a lot of expected job creation, we are proud to say that in 2010 the solar industry added 50,000 new jobs, according to the national solar jobs census. To date there are over 90,000 jobs in solar energy alone. The 5 sectors of renewable energy technologies – solar, geothermal, wind, bioenergy, and hydro – are growing and unequivocally adding jobs. yet there remains a perception that clean energy is not adding enough jobs to our economy.

It is difficult to see the added benefits that clean energy adds to our economy when there are over 30 million people unemployed in our nation. That number alone is staggering, which is why 50,000 new jobs in one year can go unnoticed when it’s up against a number as large as 30 million. It seems that the unemployment problem is just too big for clean energy to solve alone. Which brings up the next issue – Manufacturing.

Manufacturing jobs in the US have slipped to levels not seen since before 1945. Between 2000 and 2009, manufacturers shed upwards of 7 million jobs. Add to that the staggering unemployment rates and it’s no wonder the population is looking to the RE sector for manufacturing jobs. Carrie Cullen Hitt, executive director of The Solar Alliance, an organization that works with companies and legislators to create solar policy, said “The pressure on solar to create manufactuiring jobs is misplaced. Manufacturing is fine, but there are so many other jobs in other aspects of the industry that its a misrepresentation that you’re going to get the most amount of jobs out of encouraging manufacturing. There are development jobs, installation, financing and the whole value chain. If you have good policy, all these aspects of development will create jobs in the state.”

The RE industry is working very hard to show that we are a real and established economic engine. We are creating jobs and we are improving our environment at the same time. Yet we still seem to have opposition and doubt. One theory is that the fossil fuel lobby is spending large amounts of money to discredit the RE industry and convince the American public that green jobs are a farce. We don’t believe that the American public is that ignorant. Let the fossil fuel lobbyists spend their millions of dollars, we’ll continue to invest in what is real and tangible; a job and a pay check. The RE industry doesn’t have the money to spend millions on lobbyist and special interests agendas, we only have the money to keep this nation moving forward. With the help of regular Americans like yourself and with support from our representaitves on capitol hill we can continue to propel the RE industry into the future.

We at All Energy Solar, Inc hope you enjoyed our op-ed piece. We feel very strongly that we are creating a future fit for our children and that our efforts will have great implications for not only our environment but our economy as well. We referenced several articles in this piece and implore you to read on. View the articles listed below…

We are open to your opinions and suggestions. Feel free to contact us at info@allenergysolar.com or call us any time at 800-620-3370.

Highlights at 11

Green Jobs are Real

Will Clean Energy Manufacturing Create U.S. Jobs?

Next Generation Solar

A question we come across daily deals with new and emerging technologies.

“If I put solar on my home or business today, will they be obsolete or out of date tomorrow?”

As a renewable energy integrator we strive to be a leader in not only the products we use, but also in the up-and-coming products of the future. We spend a great deal of time researching this area of our industry and last week, at Solar Power International 2010 (SPI 2010), we had the opportunity to witness, first hand, some of these products. The scope of new products continues to grow each year, but the same issues seem to present themselves as well.

Reliability | Efficiency | Testing Standards

Take for instance, OPV (Organic Photo-Voltaic) cells. A recent article in “ScienceDaily” touched on these conductive polymers and the advantages they may provide for the solar market as well as other industries. When they were put “under the microscope” by industry leaders, OPV fell short of the expectations desired by consumers and market providers alike. The reasons: Reliability, efficiency, and testing standards.

Stephen Lacey, Editor of Renewable Energy World, conducted a roundtable discussion on what it takes to bring third and fourth generation solar technologies to commercialization. Again, issues of reliability, efficieny, and testing standards were a central theme.

So, we are still faced with the same question. Do we put solar on our homes or businesses now, or wait for the “new and improved” technology? It appears these new technologies could have you waiting for quite some time.

So far there hasn’t been a new solar energy product that has totally revolutionized the photovoltaic industry. Every attempt to do so has failed to meet the reliability, efficieny, and testing standards currently associated with the available products. Current solar technologies have the advantage because they have been in production for over 50 years. Solar cell manufacturers have had a lot of time to perfect their product. It has improved over the years in both reliability and efficiency. It has come from “Lab to Market” and has been able to meet the global demands thus far.

The products available today are designed to be reliable and efficient. With production warranties of 25 years and life expectancies of over 50 years, there isn’t another solar product that can compete. The testing procedures have been standardized on an international level, so you know exactly what you are buying, and the expectations we have can be met.

The research and work being conducted by scientific institutions, universities, government agencies, and entrepreneurs is vital for the future growth of our nation, the international community, and our planet. There is still a lot to discover about the power of the sun, but in the mean time, lets make some energy!

Power to the Solar!

Rotating Solar Home Generates More Power Than It Uses

German architect Rolf Disch has created a solar powered home that not only doesn’t waste energy, but actually produces more than it uses. Dubbed the Heliotrope, the home actually rotates along with the sun in order to gather as much solar energy as possible.

The cylindrical Heliotrope features triple-paned thermal insulated glass on one side to allow the maximum amount of light inside the house, as well as a large solar panel on the roof and vacuum-solar thermal collectors along the balcony railings. The large roof panel, called the Sun Sail, is able to track the movement of the sun and turn and pivot automatically in order to be in the best possible position at all times. This movement is independent from the rotation of the house and allows for 30-40% higher energy gain compared to static solar panels.

There are plenty of other eco-friendly features built in to the house as well, including a water purification system for waste water and a basin on the roof for collecting rain water. Three different Heliotropes have been built to date, including the prototype, which is the current home of creator Disch himself.

The 411 on 25 years of Minnesota energy policy…and what we need to do now

Over the last two decades, Minnesota has experienced a dramatic change in our energy use and energy policies. We are closer than ever to achieving a new energy economy using homegrown resources that create jobs, protect our air and water, and strengthen our state’s economy and communities. However, there is still much that needs to be accomplished to reach our state, regional, and national clean energy and global warming pollution reduction goals. Looking back, what are some of the biggest energy changes and successes for Minnesota over the past 25 years, and more importantly, what steps need to be taken to continue to improve the way we use energy and our energy policies?

Twenty-five years ago, the energy landscape of Minnesota and the United States looked much different than it does today. Despite tangible examples of the results of our nation’s fossil fuel addiction, such as the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, the country seemed to be stalled – or even moving backwards – on the path to a new energy economy. As a significant sign of the times, Ronald Reagan famously removed President Carter’s solar panels from the White House. And while the first commercial-scale wind farms were built about 25 years ago, the technology was written off as unreliable and expensive. Massive investments in coal plants to meet electricity needs were the norm, and utilities were far more concerned about finding customers for a glut of coal-fired power than developing energy efficiency measures or renewable energy. Our country was at a crossroads on energy. With rising oil, natural gas, and electrical prices, it was clear that the American economy was going to feel the energy squeeze if real leadership wasn’t shown. Minnesota’s brutal winters meant that our state would be among those that bore the brunt of these increasing costs.

Over the next 25 years, Minnesota gradually turned its attention to new energy and conservation. Landmark change came in 2007 when the legislature and Governor Pawlenty agreed on sweeping clean energy, energy efficiency, and global warming policies. Approved overwhelmingly by a bipartisan Minnesota legislature, this legislation guarantees that 25 percent of our state’s electricity will be generated from renewable energy by 2020. At the same time, all electric and gas utilities will invest in energy-efficiency measures to achieve a 1.5 percent annual energy savings. The new laws in 2007 also established global warming pollution reduction goals for 2015 and 2025, culminating with an 80 percent reduction in 2050. This legislation also instituted a state-wide moratorium on new coal-fired electricity for Minnesota consumers, preventing new construction of coal-fired power plants to serve Minnesota-or new coal power contracts from existing plants.

Today, Minnesota is among the nation’s leaders in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and as a state we have many victories to celebrate. Minnesota has over 1,800 megawatts of installed wind power-currently generating nearly 10 percent of all our electricity. We also import wind energy from North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, each of which receives 10 to 20 percent of its state’s electricity generation from wind. Additionally, as the energy landscape rapidly changed, investors in 2009 withdrew support from a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant after protracted delays and organized opposition; while the Upper Midwest’s largest solar farm was recently built near St. Cloud at St. John’s University.

As Minnesota aggressively pursues our statewide energy efficiency and clean energy goals, the cleantech industries have become the one bright spot in a troubling economic landscape. Clean energy developers, installers, component manufactures, and agricultural landowners with renewable generation on their land are all growing Minnesota’s economy and creating sustainable, local jobs. Two Minnesota construction companies – Blattner and Mortenson – are top players in a multibillion dollar wind farm industry, a competitive edge they gained building wind farms in Minnesota in the 1990s.

Minnesota has also seen many advances in how we use energy in transportation and transit. Just this year, the legislature and governor agreed on a new policy called Minnesota Complete Streets. It directs the Minnesota Department of Transportation that when it builds or rebuilds roads, it must to make them safe and accessible for all users, including those traveling on foot, bike, bus, or wheelchair. Minnesotans can expect more focus on providing sidewalks, crosswalks, safe wheelchair ramps, bike lanes and paths, safe bus stops, and other road designs that improve safety and use less energy.

While Minnesota has many successes to celebrate, there is still much to be accomplished. Today, as 25 years ago, our country is at another crossroads on energy. Sixty percent of Minnesota’s electricity still comes from coal-fired power plants that deposit mercury and global warming pollution into Minnesota’s water and air. Worldwide, and right here in Minnesota, we are already starting to see and feel the effects of climate change. Our addiction to oil has only grown, despite record gas prices, and we are now forced to drill the most inaccessible oil in some of the world’s most fragile areas. The Midwest is growing its dependence on the oil from Alberta’s tar sands, some of the most polluting oil left on earth.

During the summer of 2010, with shocking signs of weather havoc all around the world and with oil spewing from a broken deepwater drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, our U.S. Senate was unable to take action on energy – and even chose to skip the debate. Without a clearly defined and stable path set forth by federal legislation, clean energy development on the state level is put in jeopardy. Without federal action, states and industries cannot have the clarity that clean energy is the foundation of our nation’s future economic health. With such uncertainty and additional barriers imposed by fossil fuel interests, Minnesota cannot reach its full clean energy and efficiency potential.

If we are to meet our clean energy and carbon reduction goals, Minnesota needs to continue to lead on smart energy policy and build on our previous success. Continued progress towards our already-established state goals, pursuing increased and better forms of transit and transportation, developing advanced biofuels and support for electric cars, leadership on Midwest-wide and federal carbon reduction legislation, and a federal Renewable Energy Standard and Energy Efficiency Standard are just some of the ways that Minnesota can continue to lead the region and nation.

The level of energy innovation and energy policy progress that has been made in the past 25 years is monumental. But now we need to build on and accelerate our past progress to ensure that in the next 25 years we’ll be nearing the finish line and realizing a modern energy system, powered by renewables and efficiency.

Solar Power Takes Over NASCAR track

Racing relies on tens of thousands of gallons of fuel each year to power cars, but when Pocono Raceway flipped the switch on its 25-acre solar farm last week for the Pennsylvania 500, a NASCAR track became the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility.

“Hopefully we can be the catalyst for something big in American sports,” said track president Brandon Igdalsky. “We can show this is the right way to do it, and is a good thing to do.”

Sports teams have been pursuing more environmental initiatives in recent years as “going green” becomes a marketing catchphrase — and a way to save on utility bills.

“Sports have a tremendous opportunity to create both action on the ground with environmental footprint changes … and a real opportunity to help educate people on renewable energy options,” said Darby Hoover, a San Francisco-based senior resource specialist with the National Resources Defense Council. The environmental group advises Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, the NBA and MLS.

While NRDC does not advise NASCAR, Hoover praised Pocono’s solar installation “as a way where fans can see genuine effort by the league.” She commended sports leagues in general for efforts in promoting environmentally friendly messages.

The Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the NHL’s Kings and the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, has more than 1,700 solar panels on its roof in a system expected to provide environmental offsets over the next 25 years.

In baseball, the Rockies, Indians, Red Sox and Giants use solar power in some capacity at their stadiums. The Giants’ AT&T Park in San Francisco this year became the first major league park to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver certification from the U.S. Green Council.

In each case, teams have taken the initiative, without league mandates — though most sports leagues now also have green programs promoting or encouraging recycling, alternative energy or other environmentally friendly ideas.

“We understand each club has its own challenges,” said Sarah Leer, a spokeswoman for Major League Baseball. “We sort of realize each club is going to have different abilities in as much of what they can do.”

That includes money — small-market teams struggling to keep payroll, for instance, may be less apt to invest in solar power. Pocono’s installation cost about $16 million.

Other teams may be constrained from installing panels because of stadium geography or construction.

That wasn’t an issue at Pocono Raceway, where track owners installed its solar farm on a converted parking lot across the street from the 2.5-mile tri-oval track. The 40,000 solar panels are arranged in groups in parallel rows, barely visible beyond fencing and a tree line from a road next to the track.

After Pocono’s 3 megawatt system, the next-biggest solar installation at a stadium is the 1.4 megawatt roof at Kaohsiung Stadium in Taiwan, according to Seth Masia, deputy editor of Solar Today, the magazine of the American Solar Energy Society.

By comparison, AT&T Park has a smaller, 120-kilowatt array, and Coors Field has a 10-kilowatt system, enough to run the scoreboard, Masia said.

NASCAR says the Pocono project is so big it’s visible from space.

Saving money was the initial reason behind the installation, Igdalsky said. Price caps will soon be lifted on electric rates in Pennsylvania, and bills are expected to skyrocket. Windmills had been ruled out because of a lack of sustained winds in the area and the presence nearby of eagle and osprey nests.

The installation went partially online in time for Sunday’s race, won by Greg Biffle, and was expected to be completed within the week. When finished, it would provide enough energy to power the track along with 1,000 homes. The track would save between $300,000 and $500,000 in electrical costs each year, Igdalsky said.

NASCAR hopes other tracks — and fans — take notice. Mike Lynch, head of NASCAR’s Green Innovation program, realizes there is a perception among some in the public that the racing series is not environmentally friendly because of its reliance on fuel.

NASCAR says roughly 135,000 gallons of fuel are used per Sprint Cup season. That pales in comparison to a U.S. government estimate that American motorists consume nearly 9 million barrels per day of gasoline.

“It strikes a lot of people as surprising since our sport is [seen as] the stereotypical fuel-burning sport. … It’s really not,” driver Brian Vickers said in a phone interview about the environmental initiatives. He’s known as one of the Sprint Cup series’ strongest environmental advocates.

“Most important is that yes, NASCAR is going to do a lot more … such as what Pocono is doing on the solar farm, but a lot of times people forget what they’ve already done,” Vickers said.

NASCAR touts that it’s had green practices in place for years, some for two decades, including shredding and recycling used tires; capturing and recycling oils, fluids and batteries; and planting 10 trees for every Sprint Cup series race. NASCAR says such plantings mitigate 100 percent of the carbon produced from the race cars.

Instead of promoting goals, Lynch said the focus is showing fans results.

“One thing about a NASCAR fan at its very core is being genuine is absolutely critical to them. It has to be real,” Lynch said. “Symbolism is great. But real results, real projects … that’s what our fans are looking for.”

Solar Power Transforms Parking Your Car

While fossil fuel companies in the U.S. are busily wrecking vast sections of the country’s natural heritage, a new energy resource has been quietly emerging from an unlikely source: parking lots. More parking lots are being converted into solar energy farms that create clean, renewable power while also creating more green jobs in solar cell manufacturing, installation, and sales.

One relatively new player in the U.S. solar parking lot field is EEPro, an offshoot of the German company EEPro GmbH, which started up operations in North Carolina last year. Its main product consists of photovoltaic units mounted on steel frames, which dovetails neatly with support for renewable energy by the United Steelworkers and other labor groups that see a rich trove of new green jobs in the emerging green economy.

The basic idea behind a solar parking lot is simply to incorporate solar panels into a carport, which is basically an open-sided shed with a roof. Solar carports can be small enough to fit a single car at a residence, or scaled up for commercial and institutional purposes. The main benefit, of course, is to generate renewable energy that can be used to lower utility costs on site, for example at a mall or office complex. Depending on the scale, the installation could also yield excess energy in the form of electricity for sale. A solar carport can also help reduce the “heat island” effect of parking lots and contribute to a cooler community, and by providing protection from the elements it can help enhance vehicle lifespan.

The solar parking lot phenomenon also dovetails with a major ramping up of the EPA’s efforts to reclaim brownfields for alternative energy and green jobs. Like parking lots, brownfields are large patches of land (former industrial sites with varying degrees of contamination) that have already been paved over or otherwise altered by human activity, so it makes sense to put them to work at generating clean energy. It’s a safer, less riskier alternative to harvesting fuel from productive land or marine ecosystems that could be used for other purposes such as food supply, recreation, and nature conservation.

Amazing Solar Powered Buildings

The combination of solar power technologies and architecture are creating a whole new aspect of solar design. Every person has their own individual idea on what looks good and what doesn’t and now this is being applied to solar power structures. We are at a point where we are moving away from bulky solar panels and integrating renewable energies into building designs. Take a look at some of these buildings and you’ll see what I am talking about.