Anyone had any experience with hanging solar panels in this area? BTU is offering rebates and I was curious if anyone on here has done this. Are you seeing any savings? Where did you buy your panels?

Seems like a good idea; I know that the local utilities will buy back your power if you have solar panels.

Going off the grid must be wonderful.

funny you should ask,

i am starting a solar panel company here in cs

i apologize for my website is still under construction
www.scottsolar.us

to answer your question simply, CS utilities does not offer any kind of incentive for solar grid tie connectivity. i am not familiar with other utility companies policies in this area. however, the optimal program and what is starting to come around the state is the selling of energy back to the grid especially during peak hours of usage.

BTU (Bryan Utilities) does have a rebate program that pays $x/kW installed. I can't remember exactly how much per kW, but it was in their mailer two months ago.

The problem I saw when I looked at it a couple of years ago is that you were "required" to use the BTU approved installers, so no DIY. And the installers were charging much more than it normally cost per kW for installation (possibly because they knew you were getting the rebate).

I just couldn't justify it. If they opened it up to competitive bidding, then I'd consider it.

i have not looked much into Bryan details.

Trying to work out college station first, but from what i found

http://www.btutilities.com/New_Ventures/Rebates/Solar/

looks to me to get a rebate you need to use their installers but you can still get credit for energy back to the grid if you already have them.

quote:

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Use the Sun’s Energy to produce Electricity through Solar Photovoltaic (PV)

Bryan Texas Utilities is excited to announce the Green Plus PV rebate. We strive to be environmentally responsible and have decided to help customers implement solar photovoltaic technology in their homes and businesses. The rebates will be great enough to offset a significant portion of the cost for installing a solar photovoltaic electric system. This program is open to any BTU customer.

The rebate we are offering is highly competitive with other offerings nationwide. The rebate amount of $4.00 per watt will easily cover between 30% and 60% of the cost to install a system. In addition to a Distributed Generation contract this can substantially improve the Return on Investment in the majority of cases.

For a typical residence, the cost of installing a one kilowatt (1,000 watts) solar photovoltaic system—the smallest considered practical—is between $6,000 and $10,000. BTU will rebate up to $4,000 ($4.00 x 1,000 watts)** of that amount. Installation costs can vary and only a BTU authorized installer will be able to perform the work in order to receive the rebate.

The current max rebate amount for PV is 3000 Watts @ $4.00 per AC watts installed rebate will not cover more than 80% of the installation costs.

** rebates are based on system Efficiency

Credit for Excess Solar Power

BTU customers with solar energy systems continue to receive electricity as needed from the BTU electric grid.

BTU will provide "net billing" for customers on solar energy systems. Should a solar energy system produce more power at any given moment than the property consumes, the extra power will flow into the BTU electric gird.

If in any month a solar energy system sends more power into the BTU grid than the homes takes from the grid, the difference or net will result in a credit on the customer's electric bill. The credit will be determined by multiplying the net kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity fed into the grid by the current fuel charge. This is not common for small installations but can happen for larger systems.

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Scott, what is the simple payout on PV solar panels? Are you going to be stricly doing PV or also water heating? What is the life of current PV, and is it robust enough to stand up to local occasional hail? Any federal incentive $$$'s or fungible carbon credits for installation?

YuccaD

quote:

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Scott, what is the simple payout on PV solar panels? Are you going to be stricly doing PV or also water heating? What is the life of current PV, and is it robust enough to stand up to local occasional hail? Any federal incentive $$$'s or fungible carbon credits for installation?

YuccaD

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College Station or Bryan ?

Bryan.

You have to really be careful with the breakeven and payback numbers from promotors, utilities, universities and contractor/installers and pay attention to all their assumptions and non-inclusions. There are plenty of snake oil salesmen and flat out shysters that have picked up on the solar/renewable/clean energy theme that makes it tougher for the honest people in the industry.

One common overlooked "hidden" cost is the increase in homeowners insurance premiums if the homeowner uses traditional financing vehicles like a home equity loan for the panels and installation. This is especially true in the "hail belt" of the US.

The BTU rebate and federal rebates make the solar panels just about worth it. I have refrained thusfar because of the radical advances in solar tech that are constantly being released. Every year it is cheaper and cheaper.

BTU offers $4 and I think federal offers about $2 so that is 75-80% off retail. At that point your breakeven is probably 3-5 years.

Howdy Jeremy!

I work for a Company here in B/CS that has installed more Solar panels and more Solar water heaters than any other company in the area.

It's important to remember a few things when choosing a solar contractor, here are a few of the key ones:

Choose a Solar Energy Contractor that is on your utility companies approved installer list. If a company that not on the list sells you a system they must use an approved company to install it. Don’t pay any company to play middleman. Deal only with an approved installer. Your utility company will gladly provide you with this list, but they will not rebate an unapproved installation.

Ask to see References, as well as examples of the previous jobs the contractor has done, not stock photos from the internet of a certain type of panel or array installation. An experienced, reputable contractor will gladly show you pictures of systems that they have installed that you can go see in your local area.
Systems vary from situation to situation depending on many factors including available space, shading, future plans and budget. An installer with your best interests in mind recommends the components that will be the most productive in your specific situation. Contractors that offer only one simple to install system do not have the customer’s best interests in mind. These systems are unfortunately designed where less qualified installers can put in systems without providing the engineering required to produce the best possible energy system for your situation, while enjoying the highest profit margins.

T.G.E. is a multi-utility district approved installer. Our company staff includes a degreed Electrical Engineer and experienced installers. We will proudly show you examples of our systems, which you can drive by and view for yourself, not photos taken from the internet. T.G.E. also Staffs multiple Certified Building Analysts to perform Energy Audits, and a Green Home Program that provides discounts on “green home” efforts with many local companies.

If you want to check is out, our website is www.txgreenenergy.com My phone and email are on the contacts page, and I would love the chance to sit down and see if we can help you out.

I hope this isn't a spoiler alert, but I have good reason to believe that CSU IS*** coming out with a Solar PV Rebate. It is set to be less per watt than BTU but with a larger Maximum size allowance that makes it equal to theirs in overall rebate amount.

PS - If you think a 3KW system is going to be raking in the utility written checks every month, think again. 3kW is only enough to power between 10-30% of a homes energy needs, depending on how big of an energy hog they are. Energy efficiency and weatherization measures such as adding insulation and sealing air leaks can easily make up that 10-30% reduction, and in most cases, should be the first thing a homeowner considers when trying to reduce their energy usage.

Hope this helps!

Jordan

[This message has been edited by JordanENTC07 (edited 2/22/2010 1:02a).]

Jordan,

I sent you contact information thru your website.

YuccaD

Good info from all. I guess no one has actually installed these?

Hey All,

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We look forward to hearing from you!



Sponsor Message: Sundance Renewable Solutions - Your BCS solar & energy efficiency experts.

Jeremy if you would like for an Aggie to sit down and talk to you about a solar panel system for your personal needs you let me know.

gskunkle at gmail dot com