Re: Solar for EV charging (was: Who Elected These People?!)

["Dennis Hawkins" <n4mwd@amsat.org>]

It depends on how you look at it.  A commercial grid has a lot of 
overhead that has to be added to the cost of generating electricity.  
As a result, it will become practical to have 100% solar powered 
homes long before it is practical for commerical power plants.

Nevertheless, if you amortize the high cost of solar panels over 20 
or 30 years, they break out about even with commercial grid power at 
TODAY'S RATES.  However, I suspect that with the price of oil 
reaching record highs, solar panels will pay for themselves sooner 
than that.

Then again, if you live in California, you can convert your house to 
solar electric at practically no cost thanks to all the rebates they 
have.  Some of the CA rebates are $4-$5 per watt and the current cost 
of solar power is about $4.75/watt.  I certainly know what would be 
on my roof if I lived in California.  They would break even in about 
a week.

Dennis.


On 30 Mar 2001, at 18:27, BillDube@killacycle.com wrote:

> Charging from the grid will always be cheaper than solar power.
> 
>   It has to be if you think about it.
> 
> If solar power were to become less expensive than other methods, the
> power companies would use it.


Dennis Hawkins (n4mwd@amsat.org)