solarray

From void into vision, from vision to mind, from mind into speech, from speech to the tribe, from the tribe into din.

Thursday, February 08, 2018

Everyday Solar

There's a lot of solar street furniture that's appeared around town in the last few years.




Like this solar garbage can.



Or this bench with solar phone charger.








And this solar powered pay station for the local bike share.







There are even solar signs.


Increasingly, solar electric installations, big and small, are becoming everyday objects.

The renewables transition is well underway and gaining speed.  Solar is weaving itself into the fabric of this 21st century world.  Soon it will be almost invisible, ubiquitous, and available 24/7/365.

posted by gmoke @ 10:23 PM

1 Comments:

At 2/13/2018 11:17 PM, Anonymous Solar Cellz said...

Hey guys first post. For a while now, Duke Energy has sent these "energy performance" evaluations to me. I pay attention to them. However, I think they are bogus. I know the average home energy usage in the US is around 1000 kw/h per month but Duke says that I am using way more than I should. I average 1700 kw/h per month. My house is 40 years old, brick, 2000 sq feet with the same size unfinished basement. I have 3 daughters so yes, the shower and washer and dryer runs all the time. I have tried to be aware of usage. I have made a few changes though as of late and they are small, I am trying. Heres the upgrades so far....

Trane XL824 smart thermostat (My unit is 3 years old (trane XR15 indoor and out is new)
All LED lighting throughout.
Smart timers for all phantom products
75 foot of insulated pipe on all hot water lines in basement (its hot in 20 seconds vs 60 now for only $9)
Insulated blanket for my 15 year old electric water heater.
Blew in R19 cellulose in the attic.
New 30 year Architectural shingles.

So not much but hopefully these small changes will add up. What I dont see is the ROI of the Sun bandit Solar water heater. Has the price dropped or is it still the same? Last I saw it was $6999. In my state there is no state incentive but from what I understand there is some type of federal incentive. Maybe 35%? I may be wrong on my water heater costs per year but saving $30-$40 per month on it, wont get you out of the Sun Bandit hole for many years right?

Panels are another option but my house only has 2 areas of rooftop that faces south so I cant do more than 14 panels. I just dont think it would be cost effective to do that unless those 14 panels were the Sunpro 435 watt panels. Then it would cover but maybe 25% of my total energy bill per month. Can anyone shed some light on the sun bandit? Most videos I see are ones where people went to do panels to power the home and opted to also do the sun bandit. Not seen a review of the water heater alone.

Thanks alot!

Nathan Roberts with SolarCellz

 

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