Determine the Solar Potential of Your Roof Today!

[dannno]

This is a brand new website, just went live today.

Determine your solar potential:


http://www.roofray.com/




Share with friends.

[dannno]

If you are involved in the solar industry, I especially urge you to checkout that website.

They actually have a tool that calculates roof solar potential for neighborhoods, cities, etc.

[Anti Federalist]

This is a brand new website, just went live today.

Determine your solar potential:


http://www.roofray.com/




Share with friends.

Thankfully, my home does not appear on satellite imagery.

[rancher89]

This belongs in Freedom Living, great site, thanks for posting

[dannno]

Your welcome! And mods, feel free to move the thread to Freedom Living.

Here is a review of the website:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081502819.html


Discover Your Solar Savings at Roofray
If you've been thinking about solar power for your home, a nicely designed new site can show you just how much you'd spend and save for a custom array on your roof.

Erik Larkin
PC World
Saturday, August 16, 2008; 12:19 AM

With the constant flow of me-too social networking sites these days, it's nice to see a well-made site that identifies a real need and meets it. For solar power planning, that's Roofray.com, which just launched this week.

For your own custom plans, head to the site and start with a satellite view of an address you enter. Then define the solar panel coverage area by adding successive points around space where you'd put panels.

It's a simple process, but I did have some trouble with an orientation marker not appearing, which is supposed to indicate which way that roof section faces.

Once you've drawn your planned array, you can see a projected output in kilowatt hours based on "your coordinates and regional characteristics such as the average weather cycle, cloud cover, surface albedo, and the orientation and area of your solar array."

Then, after choosing your energy company and rate plan (it looks like the site probably doesn't have that many power companies listed just yet), you can see a detailed estimate of what your monthly power bills would look like with the solar array in place. It digs into such things as use of solar to offset "excessive" use rates and a comparison of monthly before and after bills.

The final analysis, of long term cash flow, is perhaps the most useful. It shows how much you'll spend and save over the next 25 years based on the cost of the system - including equipment costs and tax rebates - and the annual savings on your power bill.

On my mockup, it had me in the green after 13 years. After 25 years I would save a cumulative $31,521.14. That was based on a guess as to my average monthly electric bill, but I could have given specific data on monthly kilowatt usage and bill amounts for a more accurate analysis.

You can go through the full mockup without any registration, but to save your planned array you'll need to create an account with the site. There's also a Shedding Light section where you can see who has created their own mockups, in your neighborhood and elsewhere.

I can't vouch for Roofray's calculations or numbers, but if they're anywhere near correct this seems like a very useful site if you have any intentions of going solar and want to know how the numbers break down.

[sidster]

Cool use of Google maps API.

Lets see, for my building:
System Cost: $493,919.07
State Rebate: ($113,126.12)
Net Cost After Rebate: $380,792.95
Permit Cost: $500.00
Net System Cost: $381,292.95
30% Fed Tax Credit: ($2,000.00) (30% of what???)
Net Expense: $379,292.95

Annual Utility Savings: $13,651.10

Years to breakeven: 19!

And, do solar cells last 19 years? How does their efficiency
decline over years? I'm not sure if they account for that in
their calculations (but maybe they do).

[dannno]

And, do solar cells last 19 years? How does their efficiency
decline over years? I'm not sure if they account for that in
their calculations (but maybe they do).

What they DO account for is a decline in performance of the solar panels, which is about a 10% decline over 25 years.

What they DO NOT account for is the cost of an inverter which will need to be replaced once every 10-20 years. It looks like those are about a couple thousand dollars or so depending on your power, this is for the nice ones that tie you to the grid if you are making too much electricity you can sell it back to the power company... seems like that might be a better option than buying a bunch of batteries to "store" your power, though I've also seen people store their power by converting the solar energy straight to hydrogen and then storing that in giant hydrogen tanks and running your house off of hydrogen.

[dannno]

This belongs in Freedom Living, great site, thanks for posting

Mods, could we move this thread to Freedom Living? I want to make sure people who are interested in that topic see this, too.

Thanks :)

[Dieseler]

I checked it out a couple of years ago.
It has the potential to absorb and radiate incredible amounts of heat.
My roof is as hot as a fresh fucked fox in a forest fire.
My roof could power a small town.
They won't let us tie solar into the power co here.
We would put them out of business.

[dannno]

I checked it out a couple of years ago.
It has the potential to absorb and radiate incredible amounts of heat.
My roof is as hot as a fresh fucked fox in a forest fire.
My roof could power a small town.
They won't let us tie solar into the power co here.
We would put them out of business.

Well the technology is better now, and cheaper. Did you find that using the website? Solar panels aren't powered by heat, but if your roof is getting that hot then it's probably getting a lot of sun.

I would recommend checking back with your power company on tying into the grid, I'll bet they have changed their policy by now.

[Dieseler]

Well the technology is better now, and cheaper. Did you find that using the website? Solar panels aren't powered by heat, but if your roof is getting that hot then it's probably getting a lot of sun.

I would recommend checking back with your power company on tying into the grid, I'll bet they have changed their policy by now.

No, I just climbed up there.
I can't justify putting $300,000 in equipment on a $63,000 mobile home right now.
I would love to do it aside from that.

[dannno]

No, I just climbed up there.
I can't justify putting $300,000 in equipment on a $63,000 mobile home right now.
I would love to do it aside from that.

No, I meant did you find that the systems were cheaper now using that website? I wouldn't think a mobile home setup would cost you that much.

[Dieseler]

Heres what I come up with.

Potential Power per Sq. Ft. Area Total Peak Power
75% 9.85 Watts DC 1238 Sq. Ft 12200.97WattsDC
95% 12.39 Watts DC 3854 Sq. Ft 7761.09 Watts DC

They don't have numbers for our area yet.
The Power company is not going to be in a hurry to facilitate this where I live. If everyone could afford these systems it would destroy them.
Thats why they are so expensive.:rolleyes:
If I install the system my rate will only go up about $700.00 per month in May.??? The highest bill I ever had here was THIS MONTH, $305.00. I'm all electric to.
It won't be cost effective for a good long time with a system cost in excess of $325,000 when I would be lucky to get $90,000 for my house and property right now.
I guess the Illuminati don't want us soaking up their Sunshine.

Edit: How in the Hell should a Solar System cost 5 times as much as a brand new (3 yr old) mobile home?
3 guesses and the first two don't count.

[dannno]

Yes, the NWO is adamantly against anything that frees us from the system..:mad:

I'll give you a fourth answer..

The two people I know who helped work on this website?? Both Ron Paul supporters..

[tmosley]

Not really. Most electricity companies love this because it reduces their peak load, and thus reduces their costs, moreso even than the amount of money lost to you generating your own electricity. Often those kWH cost them more than they sell them for (assuming you have a flat rate as I do), so reducing their output in peak times saves $$.

Electricity companies are generally separate from any shady NWO-like organizations, at least that is the case in my area. the cost for solar cells comes entirely from the fact that they are just really REALLY expensive to make. Silicone is cheap, but semiconductor is expensive, sort of like the difference between graphite and diamond (not quite that bad, but you get my drift). If you want something cheaper, build yourself some solar concentrators (shiny metal and hoses) and boil water--use the steam to power a generator. You can set up a good system for about $20K.

[Deborah K]

I'll give you a fourth answer..

The two people I know who helped work on this website?? Both Ron Paul supporters..

Thanks for this, Danno. My husband and I have been talking about converting entirely to solar energy. I'll have him look at the site. Also, I must admit, I'm more inclined to do business with Ron Paul supporters.

[Acala]

I recently had a 2kw system installed on my house in Tucson. The manger who came out to do the walk through with me after it was installed was a Ron Paul supporter!

[tmosley]

I recently had a 2kw system installed on my house in Tucson. The manger who came out to do the walk through with me after it was installed was a Ron Paul supporter!

Might I ask how much one of those set you back? That's about what I need for self sufficiency. Every place I have looked it would cost upwards of $40-50K for the whole setup (cells, battery bank, inverter, etc), which is a bit much for me at the moment.

[dannno]

Thanks for this, Danno. My husband and I have been talking about converting entirely to solar energy. I'll have him look at the site. Also, I must admit, I'm more inclined to do business with Ron Paul supporters.

No problem. One of them was a precinct leader and the other was my roomate, who helped me out with my precinct and donated on money bombs, etc..

[noxagol]

That seems like a LOT of money for that.

[Dieseler]

That website really is nice.
Somehow I feel like I just played X marks the spot on somebody else's house though. Better them than me I reckon.
Just paranoid I guess.

[Acala]

Might I ask how much one of those set you back? That's about what I need for self sufficiency. Every place I have looked it would cost upwards of $40-50K for the whole setup (cells, battery bank, inverter, etc), which is a bit much for me at the moment.

The system I installed is a grid tie with no batteries.

The total price was about $16,000. The local power company reimburses $3100 per kw, so they wrote me a check for $6200. The Federal government gives a $2000 income tax credit, which I will benefit from next year. And the State of Arizona gives a $1000 income tax credit. So at the end of the day the total out of pocket was about $7,000.

Batteries will be more.

[noxagol]

When you say kilowatt, is that the max output the panel can do?

[Acala]

When you say kilowatt, is that the max output the panel can do?

I'm not sure but I think so. The actual output depends on several factors including seasonal angle of the sun's rays, heat, clouds, dust on the panels, etc. The most I have seen the system produce is just under 1800 watts, but it may get better as the weather is very hot now and heat lowers efficiency. Of course the output varies during the day as the sun rises and then sets.

[noxagol]

If it is small enough, you should look into getting a heliostat. This device will keep the panel perpendicular with the sun all day long giving you maximum efficiency. Also, you can get a Fresnel lense that is bigger in surface area and focus the light from that area onto the area of the solar panel. This is a trick a lot of people use to get more power from their panel.

[Acala]

If it is small enough, you should look into getting a heliostat. This device will keep the panel perpendicular with the sun all day long giving you maximum efficiency. Also, you can get a Fresnel lense that is bigger in surface area and focus the light from that area onto the area of the solar panel. This is a trick a lot of people use to get more power from their panel.

I think the cost of a heliostat and the necessary swiveling equipment outweighs the benefit. It would be cheaper to just put up more panels unless you have limited space and need to maximize efficiency. I have room on my roof for another 5kw if I want to spring for the panels.

I think the fresnel lens would only work on a heliostat system. But I DO have a giant fresnel lens - 40" x 40".

What I HAVE thought about is attaching coils to the back of the panels for cooling water. The panels run more efficiently when cooler AND I could have hot water! But that is pretty far down the list at the moment.

[Athan]

So your saying this site is Ron Paul Revolution approved?! Svveet!

[Athan]

"New solar cell material achieves almost 100% efficiency, could solve world-wide energy problems

Trendwatch
By Rick C. Hodgin
Monday, October 20, 2008 13:32


Columbus (OH) - Researchers at Ohio State University have accidentally discovered a new solar cell material capable of absorbing all of the sun's visible light energy. The material is comprised of a hybrid of plastics, molybdenum and titanium. The team discovered it not only fluoresces (as most solar cells do), but also phosphoresces. Electrons in a phosphorescent state remain at a place where they can be "siphoned off" as electricity over 7 million times longer than those generated in a fluorescent state. This combination of materials also utilizes the entire visible spectrum of light energy, translating into a theoretical potential of almost 100% efficiency. Commercial products are still years away, but this foundational work may well pave the way for a truly renewable form of clean, global energy.


A complete study of the team's work appears in the current issue of "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" (PNAS).


Fluorescence and phosphorescence

Traditional solar cell materials use a property called fluorescence to gather electricity. Energy from the sun strikes whatever material they are made of resulting in a momentary "dislodging" of electrons into an excited state. The excited electrons exist due to a property called fluorescence. They last only a dozen or so picoseconds (trillionths of a second) in this state, which is also called a "singlet state." The many picosecond dwell there is fairly typical among traditional solar cell material in use today.

The new material, which was accidentally discovered using supercomputers to determine possible theoretical molecular configurations, causes not only fluorescing electrons in the singlet state to be created, but also phosphorescing electrons in what's called a "triplet state."

These triplet state electrons remain in their excited state of phosphorescence for scores of microseconds (up to about 200 microseconds, or 0.0002 seconds). With such a long lasting state of free electron flow, their ability to be captured is theoretically significantly greater than existing technologies.

And if the research team's current efforts (of using only a few molecules of the hybrid materials suspended in a liquid solution) can be extended into practical real-world scales, then products yielding nearly 100% solar efficiency may soon be achievable.


Solar cell technology

Today's best solar cell technologies utilize several material layers to convert the infrared, ultraviolet and visible portions of the spectrum into electrical energy. This equates to about 61% efficiency in the furthest extremes of the technology, though something around mid-40% is far more typical. Solar cells like these are also incredibly expensive, fragile and impractical for mass production, making them useful for projects like satellites. They have no real potential to become real alternatives for the base consumer's energy needs.

Quite recently, plastic solar cells have been created which achieve between 7% and 11% efficiency. While this may not sound like a lot, such products and materials are extremely inexpensive to produce in bulk quantities, costing about $3 per square meter. The idea of having a rooftop covered by plastic solar cells in place of tar-based shingles has drawn many a consumer's thought since being first reported in 2007. Commercial consumer products based on the technology, which could offer up to 14% efficiency if theories are to be believed, are promised within the next five years.


Alternate forms of using solar power

One of the biggest downfalls of using solar energy on the Earth's surface is that it only works when there is strong sunlight. If it is overcast or if there are clouds, then the resulting efficiency drops sharply and much less power is generated. Also, on most places during most of the year it is dark about 50% of the time. This means some kind of battery storage system must be used to gather the energy during the sun's brilliance in daylight hours, only to then rely on batteries during the night. This adds expense and complexity to solar cell solutions and produces a solution which has peaks and valleys of available power.

Another form of solar power, however, has bypassed some of those limitations. A phenomenal heat absorbing material (made primarily of sodium) uses a relatively simple technology to power itself. By directing the sun's rays through a large array of mirrors which focus the sun's heat and light onto a single spot of the material, it quickly heats up to a few thousand degrees. The material's properties allow it to absorb and store much heat, and then release it slowly over time.

Building technologies around this solution have allowed the sun's direct energy to continue to give off power during darkened times, much like a battery solution but without the need of a battery. The heat is stored in an insulating container, only to be tapped to power steam turbines or some other form of heat-sensitive motor technology.


Still not enough, more to come

The materials these researchers have created is not ready for prime time. Only a few molecules were created through a joint effort of the Ohio State University team and a team of chemists from the National Taiwan University. They synthesized enough of the material to carry out preliminary tests. And while these early findings are truly remarkable, there are still more on the horizon.

Supercomputers are enabling an entire new area of materials. No longer do scientists have to physically create samples of every possible material in the lab, only to test and document everything they find about it. Today they can set up a series of parameters and instruct a supercomputing machine to find the one that best aligns with their desires, wants and wishes. And while such computations often takes many days or even weeks for each trial material, it's more economical and feasible than the old route. Plus, it enables materials like these which were, in this context, accidentally discovered using computers.

The materials analysis these supercomputers carry out is only as good as they are properly designed, and the machine is powerful. Technology sciences like semiconductors and machine manufacturing are quickly overcoming every aspect of limitations regarding the machine's power. And ironically, faster computers are allowing research teams to develop better and more comprehensive models for materials research.

It won't be too long before supercomputers light the way for the truly revolutionary form of renewable energy generation. Who knows, it may come from a bacteria inside the digestive tract of a beetle. But, if you believe anything in science then you must believe it's out there. We just have to find it. And tools like supercomputers, and efforts like these at Ohio State University, are proving time and time again how valuable they are in increasing man's knowledge."


Link: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39807/113/

[Matt Collins]

And, do solar cells last 19 years? How does their efficiency
decline over years? I'm not sure if they account for that in their calculations (but maybe they do).And therein lies the problem. Just about the time you get the things paid off and they begin to save you money either their efficiency goes down, or it's time to replace them. That's not to say some will last longer, or that some will maintain their efficiency over a longer period of time. Under the right conditions solar will indeed save you money over the long term.

However the investment is so large, and the payoff is not that great (at least in proportion to the required investment) that it currently isn't worth pursuing for the average home owner.

If electricc costs skyrocket, or solar cell tech costs plummet, then yes we could start see these come in many many new homes and retrofitted to pre-existing homes. Just hope that you never have a hailstorm or nuclear winter.

[Matt Collins]

My roof is as hot as a fresh fucked fox in a forest fire.
How colorful :)

[opal]

anyone have an updated link for this? http://www.roofray.com/ results in page not found

[AFPVet]

Everyone should get solar if they can... great way to reduce dependence on commercial energy. You can order some new houses with a solar package now... pretty cool.