Are solar batteries the cheaper alyernative for electrical power?
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note that there are no such thing as solar batteries. If you mean with solar battery is a solar cell (light -> electric converter) paired with a battery as temporary storage for excessive energy produced.
Yes, and no. Solar cells are expensive and it produces much less energy than other power source, but maintaining a solar cell is very cheap, you don't need to feed the solar cell with fuel. But note that in the case that there is no light around, you'll need an alternative backup (usually battery). Solar panel are also less polluting and slightly more mobile.
Solar cells is cheaper if:
- The energy needed is quite low (you don't need a lot of energy)
- It's planned lifetime is long
A significant example where solar cells is cheaper is in calculators (you don't need to replace the batteries every so often).
To power a house with solar cell might be an idea, every house have a small solar cell rooftop to reduce the need of main power use.
If you mean using solar power, and disconnecting from the power grid, then no - you'll spend 2-3 times per kilowatt, I think.
But if you've already got property that's far from the closest power line, then solar power is one possible way to have electricity. It will probably be cheaper than paying to extend a power line a half mile or more to your house.
No. Solar cell installations cost about $10 a watt, installed (with battery backup), and can produce under ideal conditions 2 kWh per year per rated watt, which at today's prices is worth about 25 cents. However, subsidies of various sorts can pick up a substantial portion of the cost, so if you can get a juicy subsidy, it may make sense to proceed with one. I recently examined the numbers for a friend's installation; the list price was $13,000 but subsidies picked up $8,000 of this. The facility has been producing about $300 worth of electricity per year, so it is marginally profitable.
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