- Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:42 am
#5585
An interesting idea with promise. I don't want to rain on your parade, but there are some problems that could make this impractical.
First, the builder never pays for anything, the costs (plus some reasonable profit) the builder incurs are always paid by the buyer. Otherwise, the builder will soon go bankrupt.
Second, solar cells and the associated electronics necessary to tie them into the house power are not forever. Would the power generated offset their purchase and installation? How about their maintenance costs after 5 or 10 years? What about damage due to a passing hailstorm or your kids baseball? And if it does pay for itself in Phenix how about Seattle? And when the system dies beyond the cost of economical repair, what do you do then, reinstall? If they do not offset their cost would you be willing to pay for them? I'm not! I would rather spend the money on better house insulation or more efficient appliances which I guarantee could have a bigger impact.
Third, keep in mind that the very manufacturing of the solar cells invokes an environmental cost. To manufacture these requires the use of toxic chemicals. Fortunately, most manufactures are responsible and properly handle these, but I beleive that their processes are not 100% benign to the environment.
Still, this could be promising and should be considered especially in locations that receive considerable sunlight.