>> I still like those stick on flexible panels by unisolar that I put on
>> my flying cloud , still putting out the amps after 14,000 plus miles ,
> What's the bottom line for these newer panels in dollars per watt. There
> is a flexible film panel maker near here but their present prices are
> much higher than conventional poly silicon slices. They have great
> flexibility, but their cost of production has not proven cheaper than
> the conventional techniques which was their original premise.
At the time (three years ago), my panels were priced at less per watt
(barely )than solid crystal panels , say BP 85`s which were popular
then . However ,for an airstream application , they were a savings
,because they just stuck on,and I didnt have to build any racking
system to hold them .They also are not as sensitive to partial shading
as solid panels (where one shaded panel affects the output of the
whole module )which is good here where there are trees everywhere at
campgrounds ,and its foggy ,rainy ,overcast more than its sunny .I only
have 140 watts up there ,but will run everything fine if I have some
sun every four days ,and I tend to fall asleep with the tv and lights
on sometimes . I have a little inverter which plugs into the cigaret
lighter for the laptop and dvd player which is about all the ac I use .
My trailer is 22 ft , larger trailers or other users might want more
wattage .I dont scrimp , but I dont need a toaster or a blow drier
either .I use these 12 volt edison base halogen light bulbs in the
original 63 lights ,they are 15 watts instead of 50 for incandecent . I
run the furnace as neccesary ( and I hate the cold ! )The original
compresser for the h2o uses alot of amp hours , but I wash dishes and
shower every day ,without thinking about it .I do try to use the heavy
amp hrs during the day when I`m charging.
One other thing to look at with solar is the watts per square ft ,the
flexable panels are much less output than rigid ,but I was able to use
the curved area of the roof ,making up for that .I have a 10 ft x3 ft
area covered on the top and down to the windows on one side .If you use
solid panels ,youre limited to the flatter areas of your roof ,like
between the vents, so you want to look into that. You`ll get much more
power out in less space with rigid panels useing one 195 watt panel
than two 85`s for example .
Not to get too political , but if the government subsidised the solar
industry the way they have the nuclear and oil companys we would be
talking pennies per watt ,not dollars (think yucca mountain ) .The true
cost of say a coal powered btu is yet to be accounted for ,considering
the environmental damages which lie ahead to be paid by our children
.The true cost of oil is measured in dead soldiers .With solar you are
prepaying and locking in your utility expenses at a fixed rate (however
high it seems ) ,with conventional sources ,my guess is the cost per btu
will only go up .
Chris