YouSustain

Action - House Solar Augmentation

0% of members are reducing their footprint with this action!

Several solar panels installed to augment grid electricity. No, or limited, battery system included. Likely scenarios include switching specific appliances to use the output of the solar panels. The costs and benefits would depend heavily on how much electricity needs to be generated.

Known benefits and costs

Annual CO2 Savings400 - 1,500 kg
 880 - 3,300 lbs
Annual Cash Savings$200 - $800
Initial Cost$1,000 - $4,000
Time to pay for itself1.0 - 20.0 years
CO2 saved per year per initial dollar invested0.10 - 1.50 kg

* These value ranges were taken from many sources including product documentation, published reports, and the reference material linked here.

Reference Links

The site admins voted these articles very good references
Renewable Energy - Wikipedia

Recent Related Links

Links that were recently submitted related to this solution

Solar at Home: Solar panels for the rest of us

Great idea: solar panels with their own inverters, which eases installation and makes them useful in more scenarios.

Solar Power Costs 50% Lower in 2009 than 2008

New research by a leading alternative energy research firm finds that solar power will cost less by about 50% at the end of 2009 compared to the end of 2008.

Solar Power When the Sun Goes Down?

The holy grail of renewable energy is a solar power plant that continues producing electricity after the sun goes down.

Dow Unveils Impressive New Powerhouse Solar Shingle

A new style of solar panel that can replace traditional shingles will be available by mid-2010

Advanced Solar Panels Coming to Market

Detailing the status of Nanosolars new design and production techniques.

New battery could change world, one house at a time

A new generation of deep-storage battery that's small enough, and safe enough, to sit in your basement and power your home.

Steering sunbeams

Good analysis of the current cost/benefit of a full home solar installation.

Going Solar: One Year Later

Good description and lots of data about a home partial solar conversion.

How We Achieved - 9% Return On Investment Using Solar Panels

Interesting real-life example of the savings of solar panels installed at home.

Average Retail Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers in the US

Great reference: breakdown of US electricity costs by region, state and sector

All related links