Archive for November, 2009

Home-Solar-PanelsHow much do solar panels cost? There is no single answer for that. We must discuss what you want first before we can come up with the price. How big is your house? And how many appliances are you going to use with the system? In conclusion, how many watts of electricity are you going to need for your house? In this article, we are going to see what type of options we have when we want to install solar power for our home.
 
Actually, you show not ask how much solar panels cost. The panels are only the part of the system. You should ask how much the system cost. That will give you more accurate picture. Still, the cost of solar panels still plays a big role in the total cost sheet. The price depends on many factors including the ease of having the panels installed on your roof top, the panel system rating, the manufacturer, retailer and the installation fee.
 
The size of the panels is the major indicator of the price you will have to pay. If you are talking about a small single panel, you will not have to pay much. The panel should come with built in inverters. It can produce about 75 watts. That will cost you around $900. This is equivalent to $12 per watt.
 
However, the above supply only covers a small part of your electricity bills. If you think bigger, you should go for the standard 2 kilowatt system. It meets most of the needs for the home use. That will cost you $16,000 – $20,000 for the total price including the installation cost. This is equivalent to $8-$10 per watt.
If we are talking about the high-end system, we should aim for 5-kilowatt panels. That will completely meet all the sophisticated needs required. It can cost you $30,000-$40,000. That is $6 to $8 per watt.
 
These are the rough estimations. You will have to take other factors into the calculation including the system configuration, the options of the equipment, and the installer’s fee. The best way is to check with your local contractors and ask them “how much do the solar panels cost?” They will be able to give you the most accurate bid.
 
If you want to have your solar system set up by yourself with the cost of less than $300, check out Solar Power for Home

man_install_solar_panelIf you decide to buy solar panel, you will have to find out who are selling the panels and how you can have the system installed at your house. There are many ways to do that. You can look it up from your telephone directory. Another choice is using internet to find out more. In this article, we are going to discuss how you can find the information.
 
To buy solar panel, you can do the following:
 
1 Search your local telephone directory. Look it up under “Solar Energy Equipment” category then dig down to dealers. You should be able to find enough information there. Select the ones you like and give them a call. You may find out that many of these companies are solar water-heating companies. Some of them may not be familiar with Photovoltaic system design and installation. In addition, many electrical contractors may not have enough experience in PV or home roof-mounting techniques although they may be good at typical electrical works. So, you will have to check out before you decide.
 
2 You can check out the source guide for renewable energy businesses. Type this onto the search engine and it will lead you to the site that provides the information.
 
3 Contact the Solar Energy Industries Association or SEIA. Their phone number is at 202-628-7745. This is an US phone number. They can give you a list of solar service providers.
 
4 Contact the local utility company that you are using. Ask them if they can recommend any vendor.
 
5 Conduct a normal search on the internet. Do it the same way that you do for searching any other type of information.
 
6 Buy a guide book for the installation of solar power for home. There are some free and paid guide books for solar system installation. You can check out to see if there is anything that matches your needs.
 

To buy solar panel is not difficult. You can make it easier by checking out you can find the right supplier here in this article.
 

If you want to build your own solar panels with the budget of less than $300, check out Solar Power for Home