BillBrasky
#PSF
In 2017 America the guy selling you on solar panels is looking to take your money, not save the environment. Trust no one. 2008 has only emboldened the snakes.
(Yes I'm becoming that man)
(Yes I'm becoming that man)
Anybody put solar panels on their home through Vivant Solar? Had a guy come out today. He lives in our neighborhood and has installed for some neighbors. Their pitch is pretty straight forward. You can either buy them straight up or take out a 20 year loan that would yield a monthly payment around the same as an average electric bill.
A team of engineers at Stanford University have developed a solar cell that can generate some electricity at night.
The research comes at a moment when the number of solar jobs and residential installations are rising.
While standard solar panels can provide electricity during the day, this device can serve as a "continuous renewable power source for both day- and nighttime," according to the study published this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
The device incorporates a thermoelectric generator, which can pull electricity from the small difference in temperature between the ambient air and the solar cell itself.
[h=1]Solar panels that can generate electricity at night have been developed at Stanford[/h]
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/07/1091...tricity-at-night-have-been-developed-at-stanf
So far so good with the panels. There were some hitches with the installation and set up, but they've been working continuously for about 10 weeks now. The way it works is the electric company (TECO) installed a netmeter which tracks energy going in and out. The solar panels power the home during the day and put energy back into the grid. At night, we use the energy from the day and energy from TECO. Most days we bring in significantly more energy than we use thanks to a combination of sunny days and low temperatures. The netmeter tracks total energy use, energy put back into the grid, and the difference (the net). TECO credits us with the net and pays out the remainder once a year. We still have to pay $19.99 in energy fees and such.
So far the solar panel payments + fees are about $20 less than our average bill last year. Most likely the net now will cover the summer months when it rains more and we use the AC. So in terms of cash, we'll probably save $240 for the year and we essentially got a $12,000 15 month loan because the tax credit was part of our tax return and we have to pay it back within 18 months of installation. All and all, I'm happy we did it. It's not a huge amount of direct savings, but it's a little bit and the tax credit helps us pay off some debts and get started on other home projects.
How about a four year follow-up? How are the solar panels doing four years after installation?
The park features sidewalks that use technology called Pavegen pavers, a flooring material made from recycled polymer and truck tires that converts energy from pedestrian’s footsteps into electricity. The energy from the pavers is stored in batteries, which power LED accent lights in the park at night.