Do PV factories power themselves completely with their own PV panels?

I thought the production of PV products was harmful to the environment. Has this changed?

Finally getting panels that blend in and don't make the structure look like a space station. This is a big advance, especially in areas with strict building codes.

most pv factories probably don't produce 100% of their energy from pv modules, and yes, pv modules generally contain nasty substances that aren't really eco-friendly. usually, when installing a pv array, you want to do a cost-payback analysis as well as an energy-payback analysis that will take into account the embodied energy involved in producing the cells.

PV electricity is less carbon intensive than nuclear - without the waste. I want some, where do you get them?

The production of any product is harmful to the environment, but it is a myth that the production of PV panels takes more energy than they produce. Or if it is not, I have never been able to find a single lifecycle analysis, like this one, supporting that rumor.

If you are going to comment, at least make it constructive.

Production of PV may be harmful to the environment, but if it's less so than producing the same amount of power that the PV's can do over their lifetime, there is a net savings of pollution and power.

I definitely need to learn more about solar power because I don't know what the lifetime of a panel or panel array is. How do you fight rain, dirt and animal messes? How easy is it to replace an individual panel?

I had the same concerns regarding PV and some of the above posters. I thought I had heard, albeit anecdotally, that PV production was more harmful to the environment than the resulting savings after installation. I'd like to know whether this is true now.

I recently completed a major renovation of my house and considered a number of power ideas. I almost immediately rejected PV panels since they weren't econmically feasible, even with local utility and governement rebates. You never made back your initial investment. I live on Long Island, in New York and we have some of the highest electricity rates in the US.

I had heard of these solar roofing products but none were in production, yet. Hopefully by the time I re-roof, increased production will have lowered the price of this product to where it makes econmic sense for home-buyers.

Unless you live in a country where the electricity is produced by wind, solar or geothermal, there is no way that the production of a PV that can produce clean energy for decades and decades will be more harmful to the environment than using 40 or 50 years (or more) of electricity produced from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, etc).

Ya'll might want to read this article in Slate:
http://www.slate.com/id/2136780/ about future costs of solar panels.

Kids from 4 to 40 can learn about solar, wind, sail, and Stirling engines in a fun way, too. Also, look at the jump at stock prices of green energy companies!

http://www.geocities.com/sustainabilityfun/solar_powered_road_show.html

If the panels are flush with the roof, that means the efficiency of the panels will be decreased. Solar panels are most effective when they are perpendicular to the suns rays. Will this inefficiency outweigh the cost of having the panels installed?

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) has some of the best incentives for solar in NYC. you can get somewhere around 60% of the installed cost covered.

good guy: while there are efficiency losses for having a fixed array (including those that form part of a structure) there are also gains made from not requiring power for mechanisms to keep the cell(s) aligned normal to the suns rays. It should be noted that a cone projected from a point, with an angle to the normal of 60 degrees, will at a minimum collect 50% of the direct incident sunlight. ie the rays normal to the cell(s) drop off with a cosine function (where the angle is between the ray & the normal of the cell). That is ignoring the much higher costs in installation and maintenance.

How much for this solar system for a 2000 sq ft house?

dennis: that's not the right question to ask. You need to know how much power you consume and what your expectations are from a solar system - not your house size - are you looking to power your entire household needs day and night? are you looking to run something only during the day? are you planning on remaining on the grid as a backup? Don't forget that PV systems rely on the sun, which isn't around 24 hours/day but your needs might be. If this is the case (as with most people) you will likely require a battery storage system - then the whole thing has to be tailored to your consumption rates. Do you have a pool? do you heat water with electricity, gas or solar? do you heat your house with electricity? etc. For a reasonable comparison between PV systems, price/KW can be used. Normally PV runs between $5-10/Watt and you should know how much power you consume per month on average. But that's just the panel costs, you also need to factor in batteries, chargers, converters and related connection equipment.

@steve, Dennis: a large portion of a systems initial cost is labor which is very location dependant.

One thing to consider when weighing options is how much you're willing to spend for 'clean energy'. Maybe a few dollars a month to not be burning coal?

In most systems the panels go on top of your roofing system. So you pay for Roofing materials and labor; and then PV system and labor. This system replaces the slate panels on your roof (so you don't need buy a roof) and makes the system more architecturally apealing. As for the people who think that PV production is more damaging than useful, the warranty on the actual pv module is 20 yrs, lifetime is expected to be 30 yrs. Your best bet is to reduce consumption, open windows instead of turning on AC, getting rid of old style lightbulbs, and in US purchasing 'energystar' compliant or better appliances.

I (and colleagues) designed this product. Reading through the above prompts the question..."what is the energy invested in quarrying, preparing and transporting a slate or a concrete tile?" .and then how does it take for the slate to pay this back? The energy payback for a slate as a roofing material is infinity.....a PV tile does it in 3-4 years. Not bad.

how much money would you get of your your bills if you got solar panels

I have a 714 sq. ft. roof that needs a new roof. I am comtemplating putting up solar panel to function as a roof while also providing free energy during the daytime. Is this practical? Can solar panels function as a roof, i.e. protecting the inside from the outside weather? The way I figuire it I am going to have to pay for roofing materials, whether solar or conventional roofing materials, in any case. Can anyone tell me what the cost of solar panels to cover 714 sq.ft.? Please remember I don't need the electricity, any energy obtain from the roof would be a bonus. Maybe outdated panels that don't cost as much "todays" products. Any help offered is appreciated.

Very unfortunately SolarCentury won't supply the C21t Solar Thermal tiles to anyone except government associated bodies until 2008. So they are aesthetically pleasing but limited in their supply. Shame.

There is a discussion on energy payback here. For Uni-Solar lminates, the energy payback is fastest, 1-3 years because there are no frames and glass to fordge.
The machine rolls them out in 9 mile long sheets with a triple layer that is only 1 micron thick. There is no molten silicon to deal with so the temperatures to manufacture them are significantly lower. I have a download on my site from the D.O.E. about this fascinating subject. Solar Century claims their solar tile instals just like conventional roofing. This could not be the case. It looks like a roof over a roof, rather complicated with hole in the roof for wires and water. What if it starts leaking? The integration of hot water and PV is interesting for sure. Its well known that spraying a PV array with cool water will give it better performance as well as keep it clean. This is not needed with laminates from Uni-Solar because of the better temperature coefficients of Uni-Solar triple junction, about twice as good as crystaline PV.

There is a discussion on energy payback here. For Uni-Solar lminates, the energy payback is fastest, 1-3 years because there are no frames and glass to fordge.
The machine rolls them out in 9 mile long sheets with a triple layer that is only 1 micron thick. There is no molten silicon to deal with so the temperatures to manufacture them are significantly lower. I have a download on my site from the D.O.E. about this fascinating subject. Solar Century claims their solar tile instals just like conventional roofing. This could not be the case. It looks like a roof over a roof, rather complicated with hole in the roof for wires and water. What if it starts leaking? The integration of hot water and PV is interesting for sure. Its well known that spraying a PV array with cool water will give it better performance as well as keep it clean. This is not needed with laminates from Uni-Solar because of the better temperature coefficients of Uni-Solar triple junction, about twice as good as crystaline PV.

i am studying the programme, "sustainable product design in enginering" MSc., in bournemouth university in the UK and I have been given a report to complete within two (2) weeks titled: 'Sustainable power supply in Nigeria: a hope for renewably energy'.

I will be extremely appreciative to get e-mails of very useful articles and contributions covering the following:

*The design of low-cost, affordable, long lasting, water proof, environmental friendly & re-cyclabe solar panels.
*I plan to campaign for the gradual but complete replacement of corrugated-zinc and asbestors roofing sheets in all old buildings (both in homes and industries), and also in newly constructed houses with solar panels designed & styled as roofing sheets.
*I expect contributory e-mails from you good people including pictures of different designs and product life cycle analysis from different solar roofing firms.
*I will also appreciate a direct communication with any interested party that will like to make a contribution to my chosen topic, giving me insight on issues like abstract preparation, introduction, the main body (Including charts of comparative critical analysis), references and final evaluation of the whole report.
MY APPEAL GOES TO ALL SITE VEIWERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD!! THANK YOU.

pv is less carbon intensive than nuclear? you have any evidence supporting that? i have my doubts

Building a house from scratch - want to integrate the possibility of this roofing option into contractor plans. What are the best methods? Consumption relates to a one-two person household with low load (exact numbers not avail at this moment). Home sq footage is small (less than 100 sq ft) and working on DC for some of the lighting basics. Can anyone help get me started? Thankfully - we are in 2008 - are these roof tiles available for residential consumption? Thanks to any/all who can help open a few doors ... jtw