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	<title>Comments on: Solar panels as an investment and saving &#8211; sounds too good to be true!&#8230;?</title>
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	<link>http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true</link>
	<description>Discovering Low Cost  Solar Panels</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:29:14 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>By: roderick_young</title>
		<link>http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true/comment-page-1#comment-3827</link>
		<dc:creator>roderick_young</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:58:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true#comment-3827</guid>
		<description>Not bad.  I&#039;ll answer with what I know about California (USA) - it may or may not apply to where you live.

If your power utility offers net metering on an annual true-up basis, then less sun in the winter doesn&#039;t matter.  You would theoretically build up a credit on your power bill in the summer, and draw it down in the winter.

If your utility offers time-of-use metering, where the rates are higher during the sunny hours, then you may not need to size your system so large.

The value for sunlight hours - was that &quot;peak equivalent sun,&quot; intended for sizing solar systems?  In the winter here, the sun is out for 10 hours, but the equivalent sun is only about 2 hours, when dawn, dusk, and overcast weather are taken into account.

If your utility is set up such that they will never pay you cash for power, then it&#039;s pointless to size your system so large that you might generate more than you use over the course of a year.  This is in fact how the utility works where I live.  The first year that our system was installed, we generated $80 more electricity than we used.  We didn&#039;t get a check for it, the balance was just set back to zero at the end of the year, as a donation to the grid.

What you should do is ask a professional installer to look at your house and make a quote.  They will probably know about the financing angle, too.  Then decide whether it&#039;s truly a value, or whether they&#039;re trying to do a sales job on you.&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;References : &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#78;&#111;&#116; &#116;&#101;&#114;&#114;&#105;&#98;&#108;&#101;.  I&#8217;ll &#97;&#110;&#115;&#119;&#101;&#114; &#119;&#105;&#116;&#104; &#119;&#104;&#97;&#116; I know &#97;&#98;&#111;&#117;&#116; California (USA) &#8211; &#105;&#116; &#109;&#97;&#121; &#111;&#114; &#109;&#97;&#121; &#110;&#111;&#116; apply &#116;&#111; &#119;&#104;&#101;&#114;&#101; &#121;&#111;&#117; live.</p>
<p>&#73;&#102; &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; power utility offers net metering &#111;&#110; &#97;&#110; annual &#114;&#105;&#103;&#104;&#116;-up basis, &#116;&#104;&#101;&#110; less sun &#105;&#110; &#116;&#104;&#101; winter doesn&#8217;t matter.  &#89;&#111;&#117; &#119;&#111;&#117;&#108;&#100; theoretically build up a credit &#111;&#110; &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; power bill &#105;&#110; &#116;&#104;&#101; summer, &#97;&#110;&#100; draw &#105;&#116; down &#105;&#110; &#116;&#104;&#101; winter.</p>
<p>&#73;&#102; &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; utility offers time-&#111;&#102;-&#117;&#115;&#101; metering, &#119;&#104;&#101;&#114;&#101; &#116;&#104;&#101; rates &#97;&#114;&#101; higher during &#116;&#104;&#101; sunny hours, &#116;&#104;&#101;&#110; &#121;&#111;&#117; &#109;&#97;&#121; &#110;&#111;&#116; need &#116;&#111; size &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; system &#115;&#111; large.</p>
<p>&#84;&#104;&#101; value &#102;&#111;&#114; sunlight hours &#8211; &#119;&#97;&#115; &#116;&#104;&#97;&#116; &quot;peak equivalent sun,&quot; intended &#102;&#111;&#114; sizing solar systems?  &#73;&#110; &#116;&#104;&#101; winter here, &#116;&#104;&#101; sun &#105;&#115; out &#102;&#111;&#114; 10 hours, &#98;&#117;&#116; &#116;&#104;&#101; equivalent sun &#105;&#115; &#111;&#110;&#108;&#121; &#97;&#98;&#111;&#117;&#116; 2 hours, &#119;&#104;&#101;&#110; dawn, dusk, &#97;&#110;&#100; overcast weather &#97;&#114;&#101; taken &#105;&#110;&#116;&#111; account.</p>
<p>&#73;&#102; &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; utility &#105;&#115; set up such &#116;&#104;&#97;&#116; &#116;&#104;&#101;&#121; &#119;&#105;&#108;&#108; never pay &#121;&#111;&#117; cash &#102;&#111;&#114; power, &#116;&#104;&#101;&#110; &#105;&#116;&#8217;s pointless &#116;&#111; size &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; system &#115;&#111; large &#116;&#104;&#97;&#116; &#121;&#111;&#117; &#109;&#105;&#103;&#104;&#116; generate more &#116;&#104;&#97;&#110; &#121;&#111;&#117; &#117;&#115;&#101; over &#116;&#104;&#101; course &#111;&#102; a year.  &#84;&#104;&#105;&#115; &#105;&#115; &#105;&#110; fact &#104;&#111;&#119; &#116;&#104;&#101; utility works &#119;&#104;&#101;&#114;&#101; I live.  &#84;&#104;&#101; first year &#116;&#104;&#97;&#116; &#111;&#117;&#114; system &#119;&#97;&#115; installed, &#119;&#101; generated $80 more electricity &#116;&#104;&#97;&#110; &#119;&#101; used.  &#87;&#101; didn&#8217;t &#103;&#101;&#116; a check &#102;&#111;&#114; &#105;&#116;, &#116;&#104;&#101; balance &#119;&#97;&#115; &#106;&#117;&#115;&#116; set back &#116;&#111; zero &#97;&#116; &#116;&#104;&#101; &#101;&#110;&#100; &#111;&#102; &#116;&#104;&#101; year, &#97;&#115; a donation &#116;&#111; &#116;&#104;&#101; grid.</p>
<p>&#87;&#104;&#97;&#116; &#121;&#111;&#117; &#115;&#104;&#111;&#117;&#108;&#100; &#100;&#111; &#105;&#115; &#113;&#117;&#101;&#115;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110; a professional installer &#116;&#111; look &#97;&#116; &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; house &#97;&#110;&#100; &#109;&#97;&#107;&#101; a quote.  &#84;&#104;&#101;&#121; &#119;&#105;&#108;&#108; probably know &#97;&#98;&#111;&#117;&#116; &#116;&#104;&#101; financing angle, &#116;&#111;&#111;.  &#84;&#104;&#101;&#110; &#99;&#104;&#111;&#111;&#115;&#101; whether &#105;&#116;&#8217;s truly a value, &#111;&#114; whether &#116;&#104;&#101;&#121;&#8217;re trying &#116;&#111; &#100;&#111; a sales job &#111;&#110; &#121;&#111;&#117;.<br /><b>References : </b></p>
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		<title>By: Uncle D</title>
		<link>http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true/comment-page-1#comment-3826</link>
		<dc:creator>Uncle D</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:49:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true#comment-3826</guid>
		<description>You have made a bad assumption. You will only get peak power four hours a day November through January and then only when the sun shines. You will get power at other times just varying degrees of full power. If you average 8 Kilo Watt hours per day you will be lucky.&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;References : &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#89;&#111;&#117; &#104;&#97;&#118;&#101; &#109;&#97;&#100;&#101; a &#116;&#101;&#114;&#114;&#105;&#98;&#108;&#101; assumption. &#89;&#111;&#117; &#119;&#105;&#108;&#108; &#111;&#110;&#108;&#121; &#103;&#101;&#116; peak power four hours a day November through January &#97;&#110;&#100; &#116;&#104;&#101;&#110; &#111;&#110;&#108;&#121; &#119;&#104;&#101;&#110; &#116;&#104;&#101; sun shines. &#89;&#111;&#117; &#119;&#105;&#108;&#108; &#103;&#101;&#116; power &#97;&#116; &#111;&#116;&#104;&#101;&#114; times &#106;&#117;&#115;&#116; varying degrees &#111;&#102; full power. &#73;&#102; &#121;&#111;&#117; average 8 Kilo Watt hours per day &#121;&#111;&#117; &#119;&#105;&#108;&#108; &#98;&#101; lucky.<br /><b>References : </b></p>
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		<title>By: Josh</title>
		<link>http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true/comment-page-1#comment-3825</link>
		<dc:creator>Josh</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lowcost-solarpanels.com/low-cost-solar-panels/solar-panels-as-an-investment-and-saving-sounds-too-good-to-be-true#comment-3825</guid>
		<description>it usually takes like 20 years before u make your money back on the panels&lt;br&gt;&lt;b&gt;References : &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#105;&#116; usually takes &#108;&#105;&#107;&#101; 20 years before u &#109;&#97;&#107;&#101; &#121;&#111;&#117;&#114; money back &#111;&#110; &#116;&#104;&#101; panels<br /><b>References : </b></p>
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