pros and cons of solar panels?

Peter Gore Seer,

They Are Manufacture To Last The Garantee, Then GOD Help You.

Pros - None. Cons - Everything

For those that cant afford it there is a problem.

We have grid-ties panels installed because we seem to use a lot of electricity. Now we don't have the concern of running our AC and such. It will take several years (i.e. I think we are on target for 8-10) for them to completely pay for themselves, but then it is essentially free electricity.

Hey Erskine, we have them on our home and our cabin. Both arrays charge a bank of golf cart batteries that run all 12 volt DC stuff, under cabinet LED light strips, garden spot lights, bedroom reading lights, and charge cell phones, ipads, ipods and portable electronics as well as a portable DVD player and MP3 speakers. They work all the time, offsetting some of our electric use, and they continue to work when the main power is out, as James states. Nice thing about 12 volt DC is most of the stuff is very efficient, and in a jam, like an extended power outage, you can jump power your home from your car.

Morkie is reading tea leaves, solar photovoltiac panels, the kind for home use, do not reflect sun up and cook birds any more than the windshield on your car does. Eagles were only killed by wind turbines at the Pleasanton facility when it first opened in the late 80's, that problem has been resolved. They don't "chop up" birds, Golden Eagles mistook the audio signature from those particular turbines for a mating call, modern turbines do not have this problem, including the one that has been running in my yard for 17 years now. My picture window and our cat have way more kills than my turbine.

The "cooking" he is referring to is happening at the Crescent Dunes solar thermal plant in Tonopah, NV right now, a new facility only open for 15 months. It's a problem they have to address there, and they will. And the panels do not cost, "a fortune." They did in 2001 when I purchased mine, about $5 a watt, still we did it and will break even in a couple more years. Today those panels are $125 per watt, or one quarter the cost. If you install yourself, like Anonymous did, it's a no brainer. I'll add that panels do not have to go on the roof, there are several problems with this, not the least of which is installing them. We have ours in the back of our garden, easy install, easy to brush snow off in the winter. I'd forget getting your renewable energy info on an open forum like this, people love to chime in with their expertise, who have never laid a hand on a panel. I'll tag some sources below. You have to decide what you want your home to do for you. We started because the power was always going out at our cabin, today it makes almost all it's own power with the wind and sun, and the power company is our backup. For me it's a hobby, like growing tomatoes. Tomatoes are cheaper and easier to buy at the market, still, some people grow them. We just grow electrons in our garden. Take care, Rudydoo

They blow away in typhoons. A few small panels are nice to have. One to charge 1 or 2 12v batteries. So you have lights led bulbs when the power goes off at night. Keeps them charged in the day if no power. for 3 or 4 days. I run a generator to keep things cold in a power outage. A fan going. Part time. A small fold up one that fits in my carry on size bag. & a battery dry cell for it. 2 plates. This is nice if we have to evacuate. It keeps the cell phones charged, A small flashlight charged. Once you are charged any extra can be traded for rice at the evacuation center to charge others phones. So you eat better. At home. The big disadvantage is I will turn on one 60w rated led bulb on the front porch till 10 or 11pm. As most will have no power at home. I find that the kids will set on my porch & drive or lay about. Doing homework after dark. Who needs kids all gathered under the only light bulb in the area doing home work on there property I ask. Our power here is very unreliable Some times goes off for a day for no reason at all. A tropical depression can shut of power for 2 or 3 days. A typhoon for a week. So it is nice to be able to charge a few batteries for light in a power outage. But securing them to sheet metal roofs does not work well. Best to just set them out at daylight. & keep the battery's charged before the power goes out.

In australia, land of eternal sunshine, the government gave rebates and incentives years ago so people would install solar panels. When enough had been installed they abolished the rebates and energy buy back schemes and now literally steal the power you generate and charge you for the priveledge. I pay more now with solar than i did when i didn't have it.

But i also know families of 6 or more that have solar off the grid. They don't skimp on energy. Heating, swimming pools, endless hot showers, and they don't pay a thing after initial installation. Although batteries need replacing every so often, 5 or 10 years. Still much cheaper than being on the grid.

In short, solar really good. If government are aholes in your area it just makes you feel used and abused for doing the right thing.

They cost money. They operate at low efficiency. They don't work when the sun is down. Depending on where and how they are used, they may cover the cost of utilities. Some systems "sell" electric power back to the grid.

Cons, they don't work at night.

Cost a fortune--only work in sunshine--and do not work well once they get a layer of dust--can cook birds alive while flying while reflecting sunlight back up--the good--can cover some of the cost of energy. More bad then good.