Solar PV Panels

The previous owners constructed a huge honking arbor beside our house. The Wife wants it covered with clear corrugated fiberglass. Before I fell off the thing, I thought I’d at least take a look at some other options. Of course, solar photo-voltaic panels would obstruct the sunlight.

From Bob Keefe of Cox News Service at Semiconductor International:

In a recent report, market research company iSuppli predicted that as a result of the recent buildup of the solar industry, the supply of silicon for solar panels will outstrip demand by 2010, driving down prices sharply.

Of course that could be good news for consumers waiting to install solar power systems, which today can cost between $13,000 and $30,000 for a typical house before government rebates.

Michael V. Copeland of Fortune, took a hard look at the major players about a month ago:

Given the uncertainty of the economy, some analysts fear that the solar industry’s customers could have trouble financing utility-scale solar projects that use lots of modules. Most residential solar installations, which can cost $20,000 to $30,000, require homeowners to borrow, and that money has all but disappeared. Subsidies in Spain, a huge market in recent years, are decreasing, and it is an open question whether countries that have new subsidies coming online, like Italy, Greece, and France, will fill the void.

I work with a guy who is on a local electric co-op board. They give chicken farmers a credit for allowing the co-op to cut their power at peak hours, causing the farmers’ generators to kick in for 30 minutes or so. I was surprised at the common sense approach. I mentioned putting PV panels on the houses. It was by far the best idea I had that day.

From Gargi Chakrabarty at the Rocky Mountain News:

Solar company Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. will announce today that it has taken a major step toward commercial production of its thin-film modules, which eventually could be used in building materials to produce solar energy.

From Wikipedia:

CIGS solar cells are not as efficient as crystalline silicon solar cells, for which the record efficiency lies at 24.7%[5], but they are expected to be substantially cheaper. CIGS can be deposited directly onto molybdenum coated glass sheets in a polycristalline form, saving the (energy) expensive step of growing large crystals, as necessary for solar cells made from crystalline silicon. The latter are made of slices of solid silicon and require therefore more expensive semiconductor material.

17:30: Research has led me to Tallant Industries of Fredericksburg, VA and their Tuftex Seacoaster line of corrugated PVC panels. I’m particularly interested in ten 26″ x 12′, No. 121136, retailing at around $22 each. Unfortunately, Lowe’s and Home Depot remain ignorant of such things. Yon hardware store will ship them for a princely sum. Now, to find a local retailer and forgo that expense.