Are solar panels for green energy worth getting?
Posted by admin on Jul 28, 2010
Looking at getting solar panels for house whole energy savings and to have a green element to my way of life. But my concern is that I think they have a limited shelf life of 10 years is this true? It’s such a large out lay for only 10 years of use. Could I be wrong?
Solar panels are warranted for 25 years. Generally, companies warranty for half the product’s expected life span, so they expect 50 years from them. We can’t tell for sure how long panels will last, because the first ones made are still working.
If you have a solar system with battery backup, the batteries do have less than a 10 year lifespan. But 80% of solar installations are straight to the electric grid with no batteries.
If you are looking for a good return on investment, look into solar water heating. It’s a much bigger bang for the buck for saving energy. Let the sun heat the water instead of the dirty fuels.
Whether they are worth it or not depends a lot on how much sunlight you get. If you live in Florida, they will pay for themselves pretty fast. If you live in Michigan, probably not.
But they tend to last longer than 10 years, it all depends on the weather conditions where you are.
References :
Solar panels are warranted for 25 years. Generally, companies warranty for half the product’s expected life span, so they expect 50 years from them. We can’t tell for sure how long panels will last, because the first ones made are still working.
If you have a solar system with battery backup, the batteries do have less than a 10 year lifespan. But 80% of solar installations are straight to the electric grid with no batteries.
If you are looking for a good return on investment, look into solar water heating. It’s a much bigger bang for the buck for saving energy. Let the sun heat the water instead of the dirty fuels.
References :
AltE Store - http://www.altestore.com/store/
Are solar panels for green energy worth getting? That depends on:
1. Your cost of electricity from the power company.
2. What the panels cost.
3. Maintenance cost of panels.
4. Borrowing costs
5. How long you are going to own the home
6. What the power output will be on average over a year.
7. How long the panels last.
I think for most people, they do not make economic sense.
References :
Hey G, Amy is quite correct on the life expectancy numbers. Most reputable manufacturers do warranty their product for 25 or 30 years, and many have outlived even those warranties. We have 1.4 kilowatts of Kyocera panels at our place, been there for almost 9 years now. Last spring we discovered one was not putting out power, so I contacted Kyocera, they replaced not only the one, but all 12 of them because they had a defect in the particular batch they made that month. So I have an entire new array now.
There are some other considerations too, such as where you live, but there is more to it than just hours of sunlight. We do live in Michigan, and it turns out our particular corner of the state is a great place for solar. One thing not mentioned commonly is solar panels are temperature sensative, that is they produce more power when they are cold than warm. For this reason manufacturers warn you to upgrade wiring if you live in areas that experience frost so your system can accomodate the panels putting out more power than they are rated for, a nice bonus for us in the northwoods. Another bonus for solar is it is easily expandable. So you can put in a small system today, but with larger than required wiring and inverter, then add more panels later to spread out the cost. My suggestion is you do some reading and ask some people questions about what you are planning to do. You might not decide to get involved at all, and that’s fine, but at least you will be well informed. Take care, Rudydoo
References :
Home Power Magazine
Backwoods Home Magazine
Midwest Renewable Energy Association
Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association
American Wind Energy Association
yes it does! and really it does, you can get 40% to 75% less costed hot water and heating, but for electric power it’s better and cheaper to get a wind power netywork, it’s easy and not expanssive and you can get 50% to 75% less in paying your energy bills.Free courses available: http://www.windpowercost.org
Thanks to go green living
References :
http://www.windpowercost.org
Like what the other person said, manufacturers typically guarantee 25 years.
In theory solar panels are designed to last past 25 years, probably closer around 60 years. As long as it’s up, it will convert electricity. If it doesn’t for some reason you can call up the company to have it checked out. When you install a panel, you will be able to check your production live online.
Solar is a great investment, but it’s not for every household. It really depends on how much electricity you can offset to save you money on your bill. If you aren’t saving enough, it won’t be worth the investment. Of course going green is great, but I think people are more interested in saving money.
Take a look at our website and give us a call if you are interested in getting a free quote. That is of course, if you live in California.
http://www.mslsolar.com
References :
I work for a solar integrator located in los angeles, ca. For more information go to http://www.mslsolar.com