How many dollars would 1 kilowatt make, concerning electricity made by a solar panel?
sundance surfer asked:
Think of a solar panel.
How much money would you recieve from a power company (and this is if it is generating over the maximum needs of the home it is supplying) if the panel would make about 1 watt?
My electric rates are 8.52 cents ($0.0852) per kilowatt hour. That is 1,000 watt hours. It means the I can use 1 watt for 1,000 hours for 8.52 cents, or 1 watt for 1 hour for 8.52/1,000 cents = $0.0000852. So for every hour you sent 1 watt back to the power company you get $0.0000852. It would probably take 3 or 4 years to make $1 worth, taking into account night and clouds.
But that is what I pay for electricity. Usually they pay you less than that to buy electricity back from you.
Think about a situation like California where for a business might pay $0.16 per kilowatt hour to the power company. The state has a program that will pay for 60% of the cost of installing a solar panel array and intertie. With those economics it just makes sense to put in the panels if you have the roof space. Homeowners can qualify for 20% subsidy. The funding is limited, so most of the applicants don't get approved. Some local governments have subsidized loans too. State law now forbids local governments from banning photovoltaics. The bans were in place to protect tax revenue to the local governments. The power company is happy to go along with the program since they are not able to site new power plants in a growing state. If you are a homeowner and are paying about $0.14 per kilowatt hour, then whatever you use yourself offsets the $0.14 that the power company charges, and the power company then buys the rest at $0.14 per kwh. My information may be out of date.
Comments on How many dollars would 1 kilowatt make, concerning electricity made by a solar panel? »
about 4 to 5 cents per hour (half of your cost)
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If you think you are going to make money from solar panels, think again.
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My electric rates are 8.52 cents ($0.0852) per kilowatt hour. That is 1,000 watt hours. It means the I can use 1 watt for 1,000 hours for 8.52 cents, or 1 watt for 1 hour for 8.52/1,000 cents = $0.0000852. So for every hour you sent 1 watt back to the power company you get $0.0000852. It would probably take 3 or 4 years to make $1 worth, taking into account night and clouds.
But that is what I pay for electricity. Usually they pay you less than that to buy electricity back from you.
Reply
Think about a situation like California where for a business might pay $0.16 per kilowatt hour to the power company. The state has a program that will pay for 60% of the cost of installing a solar panel array and intertie. With those economics it just makes sense to put in the panels if you have the roof space. Homeowners can qualify for 20% subsidy. The funding is limited, so most of the applicants don't get approved. Some local governments have subsidized loans too. State law now forbids local governments from banning photovoltaics. The bans were in place to protect tax revenue to the local governments. The power company is happy to go along with the program since they are not able to site new power plants in a growing state. If you are a homeowner and are paying about $0.14 per kilowatt hour, then whatever you use yourself offsets the $0.14 that the power company charges, and the power company then buys the rest at $0.14 per kwh. My information may be out of date.
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I agree with the first answer
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