Friday August 20, 2004
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Friday August 20, 2004 | To solar or not to solar? That is the question... | Life |
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to save the environment...
Bzzzt
Okay, enough of that, but the question does remain, should I install solar-electric panels or not? Doing the math, I probably won't save any money, in fact, it may even cost me. That leaves the "green" factor. The process for making the panels themselves takes its own toll on the environment and I would just be adding to the demand for them (it's fairly high).
On the flip side, now is the time since California's rebate program is almost out of money and I would be saving about $10,000 off the price. It would be impossible to break even paying full price. Even with the rebate, I'd still pay about $18,000 for a 3.5 Kw system (about 80% of my total yearly usage)and save from $50 to $60 a month.
The panels are warrantied for 25 year, but the inverter for only 5 (at which time, if it breaks, costs about $2000 to replace).
Anyone have any really compelling reasons why I should do this?
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August 20, 2004 09:00 AM PDT
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Kevin Chu, Some Rights Reserved.
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