Comments on: How Much Does a Solar Installation Cost?

By: Margaret Collins

Margaret Collins — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:02:49 +0000

Thanks for reading and offering the insight, calsolareng–it’s good to hear that you’re seeing decent payback periods on smaller solar installations. From a financial investment viewpoint, it’s just that these systems tend to be less appealing, as you mention. But I absolutely agree that since the systems will pay for themselves well before the end of their useful lifecycle, and will bring their owners energy security and independence, they can still be an excellent choice.

By: calsolareng

calsolareng — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:36:32 +0000

Thank you for this article, Margaret. It is very helpful and well written.

We do installations in Southern California. Many of our clients were, in fact, people who spent less than $100 a month on electricity. In their case, the systems we installed were smaller than 4kW. This means their initial solar cost was much less and their payback period is very comparable (9-12 years as opposed to 7-10 years ) to other customers who require more energy and larger solar installations.
True, they have to wait a little longer to start making money, but they will make money. There is no doubt about that! And most were very happy to be reducing their dependence on non-renewable energy from a power plant. That is something we can’t put a price tag on–renewable energy is priceless.

By: Mr. Brown

Mr. Brown — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:17:36 +0000

We have found recently that we can install a complete system with all balance of system components for as little as $6.50 a watt. Or less.

We use only American made PV panels with a 25 year power production warranty, Top shelf inverters and we can design the entire system to fit your budget.

In Colorado, Xcel energy offers a $3.50 a watt Solar Rewards rebate and Black Hills Energy takes it a step further and offers $4.50 a watt.

With the Federal Tax Incentive of 30% you can end up reducing your Carbon Footprint for only pennies on the dollar.