Massive solar photovoltaic plants are California-bound

Iria · Aug 15, 2008, 02:31 PM

Pacific Gas & Electric has inked deals with OptiSolar and SunPower to establish 800 megawatts of solar farms in California, which could become the world's largest set of grid-tied photovoltaic installations.
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Source: Green Tech Blog

**kris23** · Aug 15, 2008, 05:17 PM

maybe california's air can finally recover in quality?

mike2h · Aug 15, 2008, 05:31 PM

with the amount of sun we have up here in norcal im stunned that they didnt put some in years ago.

Iria · Aug 15, 2008, 07:24 PM

Frankly, I don't understand why we don't put solar panels on every state or federal building.

mike2h · Aug 19, 2008, 03:46 AM

cause its not always cost effective. & requires considerable outlat of $$. though that is changing.
high effeciency panels asre pricey. the equipment(batteries, circuitry for conversion & switching, etc) to make use of them isnt cheap either(tho that is also changing) then throw in having a qualified installer...
i semi- helped a buddy of mine install his panels & elctrical components. he is very kowlegable about such thing( he is a electroniucs tech at my old job). he did a lot of research, found out was best bang for buck, the shopped internet/ebay until he got what he wanted averaged about 50 cents on the dollar compared to retail. still cost him close to $1500. we(meaning mostly him

) did all the work, wich saved him close to $800. plus since we did it didnt have to pay all the silly city, county, & state fees. we arent sure how much that saved but is at least a couple of hundred dollars.
now that is just 2 panels for a house 3yrs ago. imagine what it would cost for a large building.
not saying it isnt feasible & shouldnt be done, its just not the 'throw up a cpl of panel on the cheap & u save big bucs right away' thing that lots of peep imagine.
upside is that efficiency& durability of panels has increased a lot & the price of panel & associated components has gone down. fees to various agencies hasnt.
he has since added to more high end panels(worked out a deal with one of the docs were he designed the system, got the components, & installed so nothing can be seen by prying eyes & got the panels & upraded electrical components in return!)
i ve bee over there & there is times his meter is actually running backwards! lol.

Aug 15, 2008, 02:31 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Massive solar photovoltaic plants are California-bound Pacific Gas & Electric has inked deals with OptiSolar and SunPower to establish 800 megawatts of solar farms in California, which could become the world's largest set of grid-tied photovoltaic installations. _______________ Source: Green Tech Blog

Aug 15, 2008, 05:17 PM	#2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,019 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	maybe california's air can finally recover in quality? __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Aug 15, 2008, 05:31 PM	#3
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	with the amount of sun we have up here in norcal im stunned that they didnt put some in years ago. __________________

Aug 19, 2008, 03:46 AM	#5
mike2h DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: norcal Posts: 6,483 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	cause its not always cost effective. & requires considerable outlat of $$. though that is changing. high effeciency panels asre pricey. the equipment(batteries, circuitry for conversion & switching, etc) to make use of them isnt cheap either(tho that is also changing) then throw in having a qualified installer... i semi- helped a buddy of mine install his panels & elctrical components. he is very kowlegable about such thing( he is a electroniucs tech at my old job). he did a lot of research, found out was best bang for buck, the shopped internet/ebay until he got what he wanted averaged about 50 cents on the dollar compared to retail. still cost him close to $1500. we(meaning mostly him) did all the work, wich saved him close to $800. plus since we did it didnt have to pay all the silly city, county, & state fees. we arent sure how much that saved but is at least a couple of hundred dollars. now that is just 2 panels for a house 3yrs ago. imagine what it would cost for a large building. not saying it isnt feasible & shouldnt be done, its just not the 'throw up a cpl of panel on the cheap & u save big bucs right away' thing that lots of peep imagine. upside is that efficiency& durability of panels has increased a lot & the price of panel & associated components has gone down. fees to various agencies hasnt. he has since added to more high end panels(worked out a deal with one of the docs were he designed the system, got the components, & installed so nothing can be seen by prying eyes & got the panels & upraded electrical components in return!) i ve bee over there & there is times his meter is actually running backwards! lol. __________________

Aug 15, 2008, 07:24 PM	Thread Starter #4
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Frankly, I don't understand why we don't put solar panels on every state or federal building.