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SunPower Solar Panels

I'm in the process of getting Solar Panels installed on our house, as the local power company has a generous rebate of $2 per watt based on the panel rating times number of panels times the efficiency of the inverter (96.5 %) up to a max of $15,000.  Plus the 30% federal tax credit on money spent above the rebate.  Then you get a credit on your electric bill of 12.8 cents for each kwh produced.  There is a separate meter for the panels.  The system is wired into the power grid and there are no batteries.  Not every house can qualify as it must pass an energy efficiency test, have a roof in good condition, minimal panel shading from trees, not on a north facing roof, etc.  The homeowner will never get a check but if more power is produced than used in a month the credit is carried over into following months and totaled out at the end of the year.  The purpose of the program is to avoid building a power plant.  You get something like a 5 yr contract which can be renewed if the system is still producing enough power.  In other words not shaded by growing trees, inverter working, all panels producing, etc. 

During the process of deciding about which panels, installer to use, etc.; SunPower seems to be producing the most  efficient panels regarding the space used in my opinion, I could be wrong.  They are not the cheapest per watt, but maybe anyone thinking of installing solar panels on their motorhome should consider SunPower due to limited roof space.  Solar Panels For Your Home | Residential Solar Panels | SunPower I suppose they would work on an RV with the correct controller.  I did not pick SunPower as I had enough roof space for a less efficient panel with a lower per watt cost.  One of SunPower's claims is that they preform well on cloudy days and when not aimed directly at the sun.  They are made differently than most panels with all the individual cell connections on the bottom side.  Of course all the manufacturers seem to claim that they make the best panels.  I don't know the actual cost of the panels as I was going by the total system cost which involves a lot of other stuff, wiring, disconnect switches, boxes, panels, inverter/s, etc. 

In case you are wondering I am getting 30 250 watt panels at a cost of about $8000 after rebate and tax credit and not counting the new roof.  I will be happy if it produces $1000 per year, but the installer's claim is $1200 decreasing to $1000 after 25 years.  We will see, but doubt if I will be around that long.  Over the last 10 years we have averaged about 11,800 kwh per year, but almost every year our power use has increased.  Last year it was 12,877 kwh, but this year should be less.  https://my.austinenergy.com/wps/wcm/connect/4ebedf004c9fd50a8267e60d6dcbcd10/RateInformation+brochure092712LR_AAP.pdf?MOD=AJPERES  Don't believe the rates as shown, add 5 cents for the real cost per kwh to cover all the other charges less the $10 monthly fee.  I now have a good reason to go somewhere in the summer.  :))

Maybe this should be in "Around the Fire Ring". 
 
Jerry Whiteaker former owner 96 U270  36' #4831 Austin,TX-Owner Mods LCD TV w/front cabinet rebuild - LCD TV bedroom - Dual Central AC, either can cool coach w 30 amp - Skylights at roof AC openings - Drop ceiling for ducting of AC - Shower skylight white gelcoat/wood/epoxy frame - Air Springs/Shocks replaced - 2014 CRV - 8K Home Solar - Chevy Volt

Re: SunPower Solar Panels

Reply #1 –
[Snip: SunPower seems to be producing the most efficient panels regarding the space used in my opinion, I could be wrong.]

Jerry; For what it's worth, you have my vote for SunPower panels. After very thoroughly researching options I installed a 48-panel (10.5 kWh) SunPower system on my stick-house and were a coach system in my immediate future, that's the direction I would go. Their panels are a bit more pricey, but all that I could find on them substantiated the value. They're more heat-tolerant, have a great warranty and rated at the top of a substantial number of independent tests.
Chad & Judy
'98 U320 - Build #5315
Motorcade 16317
Wickenburg, AZ

Re: SunPower Solar Panels

Reply #2 –
I wish I lived in Austin instead of Round Rock.  Their incentives are crazy good!
Benjie, Ashley, Zoey, Fallon, and Lake
Round Rock, TX
In search of our next monster...

Re: SunPower Solar Panels

Reply #3 –
You guys are heroes as far as I'm concerned. If we could do this for every home in the USA we would not have to build another power plant in the foreseeable future. We would need the existing ones for ancillary power, of course, but no new nukes!

Craig
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: SunPower Solar Panels

Reply #4 –
With incentives such as Jerry received, we would be seriously considering adding solar panels at the S&B house. We are about 100 miles away from Austin, TX, and have virtually none of the incentives. I have a friend in Austin who only spent about $2,000 to get his electric meter to spin backward. I think his neighborhood is part of a "demonstration project." He received some big subsidies.

Solar power would be a significant cost item rather the savings item in my neighborhood. I am spending my money on fuel, maintenance, and "stuff" for the FT. I'll keep checking to see how much extra I would have to pay to use solar.

Boondocking in the FT would provide a significant incentive for solar on the coach, along with lots of LED replacements for the incandescent light. Boondocking, solar, and full timing could be a cost effective "alternative" lifestyle, even without special financial incentives.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: SunPower Solar Panels

Reply #5 –
Quote from: J. D. Stevens –
Boondocking in the FT would provide a significant incentive for solar on the coach, along with lots of LED replacements for the incandescent light. Boondocking, solar, and full timing could be a cost effective "alternative" lifestyle, even without special financial incentives.

There are more constraints on boondocking than just power. Propane for cooking and heat (it gets cold in the desert at night), emptying holding tanks, and getting fresh water are the other little details that have to be covered.

I have considered setting up a composting toilet in a tent "cabana" outside to use in lieu of the indoor toilet. This would solve the black water disposal problem.

Gray water disposal is another matter. I suspect some folks just dig a hold and put the hose down it. Solar showers outdoors (maybe in yet-another tent "cabana") wouldn't harm the environment much as long as one selected the soap carefully.

Propane for cooking can be bought in town. There are some very efficient solar ovens on the market now and, of course, a charcoal and an assortment of dutch ovens will also do the trick (pretty easy cooking, too).

Fresh water in our coaches is generally provided under pressure through hoses. Unlike a sailboat where you can simply pour water into the deck fitting, we'd have to make a fitting for the coach for an alternative "just pour it in" arrangement.

Of course there are some places (like Quartzite) where entrepreneurs will come and - for an exchange of money - empty your holding tanks and fill up your propane and fresh water tanks. I don't know how many other places there are that do this.

And for some of us who still get some income from the Internet there is also the issue of staying connected; which reduces by some factor (although I don't know by how much) the selection of places to boondock.

Craig
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."
 

Re: SunPower Solar Panels

Reply #6 –
Quote from: wa_desert_rat –
There are more constraints on boondocking than just power. Propane for cooking and heat (it gets cold in the desert at night), emptying holding tanks, and getting fresh water are the other little details that have to be covered.



Gray water disposal is another matter. I suspect some folks just dig a hold and put the hose down it. Solar showers outdoors (maybe in yet-another tent "cabana") wouldn't harm the environment much as long as one selected the soap carefully.



Fresh water in our coaches is generally provided under pressure through hoses. Unlike a sailboat where you can simply pour water into the deck fitting, we'd have to make a fitting for the coach for an alternative "just pour it in" arrangement.

Of course there are some places (like Quartzite) where entrepreneurs will come and - for an exchange of money - empty your holding tanks and fill up your propane and fresh water tanks. I don't know how many other places there are that do this.

And for some of us who still get some income from the Internet there is also the issue of staying connected; which reduces by some factor (although I don't know by how much) the selection of places to boondock.

Craig

We dry camp most of the winter. After a while you "learn" where to dump the black tank and fill the fresh water tank. Folks in the area are always happy to assist in sharing locations. We usually let grey water out in the desert, we do not let it accumulate in the grey tank until a bit before we go dump the black tank. Gosh when we tent camped grey water went on the ground and you dug a hole for the "other stuff". A black water dump and fresh water fill was priced at $10 in Bouse AZ last year. We can usually go two weeks before we have to dump the black water tank. For fresh water fill only, we have a 45 gallon bladder that we fill (at $.05/gallon in Bouse) and pump into the coach with a water pump that I have mounted on a board. In Ajo AZ we get fresh water for free, dump fee and freshwater is/was $10. Our propane tank holds 45 gallons so propane fill is infrequent. As to staying connected, again you kinda learn where the "hotspots" are. We used to have Hughes internet service, with that setup we had good internet wherever we were. There were issues with VOIP because of the signal delay, but otherwise the service was excellent. We switched to a Verizon card because I got tired of carrying/setting the thing up. We now use a Verizon air card (4G/3G) jetpack that works OK for us. It all takes a bit of getting used to, but we just do not like staying in RV parks, especially in the Southwest. Hate to pay to use our own "stuff".

Roland

1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers