Solar Energy = Inefficient

[patmac]

I was looking for Solar Panels, in my country my favorite shop is offering me a solar panel 12 volts @ 20 W, and cost me U$ 430 Dollards.

Then I'm living near to ecuator line, about 5 hours full sun per day.

20W x 5 hours = 100 Watts-Hours

100 Watts/h x 30 days = 3000 Watts/h per month

3Kw monthly, this power grid company sells me that 1Kw per U$ 0.12

3Kw x 0.12 = 0.36 per month, what type of saving method is this?

U$ 436 / U$ 0.36 per month = 1211 months / 12 months per year = 12.1 years

How much petroleum is needed to make a solar panel?

[Vortex]

Not to burst your bubble or anything.. Some cheaper panels?
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[theremart]

Check this link out...

Solar Panels Compared

Updates every 5 min on comparing solar cells.... thought this was very nifty.

I guess other factors would be weighed in as to if the solar cell is full spectrum, or how long the solar cell can last.

[EgmQC]

I was looking for Solar Panels, in my country my favorite shop is offering me a solar panel 12 volts @ 20 W, and cost me U$ 430 Dollards.

Then I'm living near to ecuator line, about 5 hours full sun per day.

20W x 5 hours = 100 Watts-Hours

100 Watts/h x 30 days = 3000 Watts/h per month

3Kw monthly, this power grid company sells me that 1Kw per U$ 0.12

3Kw x 0.12 = 0.36 per month, what type of saving method is this?

U$ 436 / U$ 0.36 per month = 1211 months / 12 months per year = 12.1 years

How much petroleum is needed to make a solar panel?

Hi Patmac,
20W X 5 Hour is 100 watt Total ,and not 100W/h, its 20w/h for 5 hour. So 100w per day then 3kw per month, in Watt/h its (3000/30) / 24 = 4.16W/h constant for the month. 20w/h is for a continous output of 20w for 1 hour. So , (0.00416 KW/H * 24) * 0.12 is your saving per day.

Its 0.12 by 1KW/H , not KW.

For exemple, if you let continously open 10 100w light bubble for 1 month, you use 1kw/h its 24000w per day, so 720000 Watt per month, so its (720000/30)/24 = 1kw/h constant per day so ((1kw*24) * 30) * 0.12 = 86.4$ is what you have to pay for 10 100w always open per month at 0.12c per kw/h.
Best Regards,
Eric

EDIT : Sorry for the long post, you got the right number , its realy 0.36c per month of saving, was just how you explained how you got that number who confused me.

[Aaron]

Save On Home Energy

The only time solar or wind is economical or efficient is if you hardly have to use any. The only way to get in the position where the need for solar and wind is very small is when the house is efficient so that there isn't a lot of waste.

The average home in America wastes about 1/2 the energy that is purchased...so if you prevent and eliminate the waste, you just dropped the amount of solar or wind you need by half.

If for example it costs $10k for a solar setup for a certain home...that wastes half it's energy.

Maybe it costs $1000 to eliminate most of the waste, which can actually be done for less but if that $1000 eliminates half the waste then you only need $5k for the solar setup for example.... so spend $6000 to do the same thing as what $10000 of solar will do without fixing the waste first.

This is the only way solar will ever be cost effective anytime soon. This is partly what Save On Home Energy is about with solutions provided.

Anyway, just a point I wanted to mention.

[patmac]

Eric... Don't worry, only I was fast, sorry

20W x 5 Hour (each day) = 100 Watt-Hour Daily
100 Watt Hour X 30 days = 3000 Watt-Hour Montly

So, 3 Kw/h Montly X 0.12c = 0.36c Saving.

Panel Price in my country: 436 / 0.36c (per month) = 1211 months

1211 Months / 12 months per year = 100 years, oops. I was wrong, is worst yet, oh my god.

100 years? I think is better use stubblefield?

[Xenomorph]

@Patmac:
Hmmm, Stubblefield ???
Except if you achieve Stubblefield´s exact method, you will find yourself with 0.9 to 1 Volts coming out of it.
So in what way is that superior to a cheap mini-solarpanel for 5 $ that gives you for example 18V,40mA ?
And it`s not cheaper, because for the stubblefield set-up you would have to invest into the metal plates, which will cost you more.
I mean the earth battery is great, it is just not very efficient compared to solar energy for everything other than milliWatt/low voltage applications.

[patmac]

Sorry my brain is burning self.

Xenomorph

you're right that was stupid, is better a solar panel. I found on peswiki a company can produce solar panels on 1$ per watt, is great, so there is so much techniques to produce solar panel by screen printing on home but I need some supplies.

The real differece is how much are (feet - squeres) you need, then for this reasen compact but powerfull solar panels are high cost.

First Solar :: Lowering the Cost of Solar Electricity :: Home

Seems a good chance to definitely support a house with solar panels, if we can for example connect the refrigerator on solar energy, my mothly payments can get low to half. Seems to be a good option.

[Xenomorph]

Patmac,
The big bang for the buck will come when the 80%+ efficiency panels will (ever) be available to ordinary customers:
Nanosolar (there is a couple of others too)
It seems like the oil industry has bought up the first production wave entirely, but i still have hope for this improved technology.

You might wanna check out this thread over at overunity, they discuss how to build DIY solar-panels :
Finally : cheap selfmade solar cell with common materials !

[Aaron]

world's most efficient solar cell

Several years ago, a friend told me about someone he knew that developed the world's most efficient solar cell...close to 100% efficient. Was based on molecular sized "antenna's", etc... The name was Carl Marx or Karl Marx...something like that...that is the inventor's name.

I didn't see anything online about it back then.

[theremart]

Now I understand...

I heard some of the solar cells on the space station could power a house...

Take a look at how much this guy puts out..

Special Photo-Voltaics - Science Gifts - Edmund Scientific

amazing something that small puts out that much current.

[patmac]

Good Opinion Mart

You're right, in this days I was thinking how can work a Satellite for GPS, Internet or TV Digital?, you need good Watts quatity to reach power necessary.

Space Station seems highly advanced, we can get info about, how much resources send to the space station from the earth, that give us a good overview about cost. Or space station use a tech only avaible outer space with low gravity and pressure?

[ashtweth]

Thanks for those links guys. I have one word, BP solar (British petroleum) Ask your self why its at a high price. Try a solar sterling engine in a parabolic dish, it was more efficient and cheaper.
Solar panels at cost

There is a lot more resource and info on them on this page now please refresh the page guys.

Ash

[CloudSeeder]

@Patmac:

Hi. I read not long ago that solar panels die the death in about 8 years. So whatever you pay out needs to pay for itself. I also read that due to increased solar cells being produced the world supply of precious metals used in them is running out a lot faster.

So getting ointo solar cells seems to be a card game where the stakes just get higher & higher. If you want to reduce your electric @30% OF MONTHLY ELECTRIC BILL going to keep hot water maybe this would be of interest, pays for itself under about 4 months, then gravy =>

Save $3-$4oo a Year > Water+Heater+Taped+Pipe Slows Thermostat NOW Lowers Electric/Gas Bills Runaway Carbon+Footprint Costs Wrap+Pipe doityourself Tankless but CHEAPER

[patmac]

I think, life time is over 30 years

I refer to produce solar energy vs power grid. The solar cell need produce energy by 12 years (depending sunlight) in the case of the panel on 436 dollars but this is exagerated like the price , with new tech, panels on 1$ per watt is very low.