My PV's seem to be pretty good. The crash and bubbles didn't affect them one bit, and they pay dividends every day. Payout times vary of course, but the silver really isn't the big cost driver of *quality* panels, and neither is the silicon. It's the glass and frame - look at similar sized quality windows at the hardware store. There's not much of a difference per sq foot.
I consider this almost as much a preservation of wealth issue as PM's except these do have a payout now.
My latest were Schott, who tried to save on the glass (their expertise) by making it too thin. They wound up shipping me twenty to get me the 12 good ones I ordered.
They didn't know how to pack them right, and they were just too thin.
You can't cheat that one. $1.40/watt, more or less (times at my location 4.5 noon equivalent hours a day averaged over one year). They went out of the business shortly thereafter - you just can't cheat on something that's exposed to the elements.
Remember, kWH aren't the only junk on your power bill, nor do you have any say in it going up whenever they feel like it (Or the EPA demands extra costs, since the state corp commissions guarantee them a profit no matter what). Most of the comparisons on payback time are therefore utterly spurious - as if electricity would not go up for decades, we know better than that one, it's doubled around here lately, when old dirty coal plants fell off the grandfather clause and had to be rebuilt - with a payback time to the company of essentially zero - on the backs of rate payers.
I'd rather have Cramer pick my stocks.
The thin film panels have shown a very short lifetime due to micro-cracking. This nickel might have the same issue - it work-hardens in the thermal cycles all panels go through every single day (sometimes more than once). Silver is chosen not only for electrical conductivity (aluminium would be cheaper) but that - and a big part of the science in making a good panel is to have a backing that has the same thermal tempco as the cells - else something cracks. The thick poly crystalline silicons hold up the best - I've got some 35 years old that still do 70% of the original ratings.
Those were made by BP solar, who in their fantastic timing, shut down US production just before they oiled up the gulf. And so I got the last 10 or so at fire sale prices as the distributors didn't want to deal with them anymore. Like half price. Nice - they were the highest quality out there, which is why they didn't make so much money on them.
I've bought some of the "new tech" ones, and have yet to have one last longer than 6 months due to microcracking, at which point the company declares chap 7 to avoid warranty payoffs. It's a rip, misses the point (it has to last long enough to be worth it, and it's not like (re)installing it is easy/cheap either).
Don't forget also that solar guys are obsessive conservers. I'm using about 5=6kwh in 24 hours, sans the electric car (13 kwh from empty to full, but that's not every day or always empty).
So don't think you'd wind up having to buy enough panels to support a wasteful lifestyle. A little looking at the numbers tempers that one quick - you'll stop wasting power - cheaper to conserve than to generate. Which of course, also saves money on a regular power bill, just not as much, those fees and taxes have a way of hanging around even if you don't buy any kWH at all.
Conservation need not be that painful. Things like all "vampire" loads on power strips, so their soft-on feature doesn't draw 15w per appliance. Led or CCFL lights that get turned off when a room is unoccupied. Hot showers by plan, rather than anytime, but enough - you do them on sunny days when there is extra.
Today, in winter, I drove my car more than half empty at noon, and charged it back up before sundown (house batteries full too), leaving the 250w computer on while I was gone. Not that bad....and no bill since 1979 from a power co. It adds up to freedom AND money.
