http://www.solar-electric.com/ Solar panel shortage There is currently a worldwide panel shortage. With the combination of very high prices and subsidies in Europe, increased solar subsidies causing increased demand in the US, and the shortage of refined Silicon, there simply is not enough production to supply both markets. Manufacturers can sell them for more in Europe, so guess where they send most of them? Our availability changes almost daily, and some panels have 3 to 9 month lead times. We have been getting enough to barely keep up, but we do not have nor can we get any extras.
Over the past few month there has been a 10 to 15% increase in the cost of solar panels. We expect this situation to continue at least until the end of 2005, maybe longer. With the new higher prices we expect demand to slow down some, but not a lot. --- Paddy O'Reilly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The Dutch have lined a considerable stretch of one > of their motorways > with solar cells. Don't know what the purpose of the > exercise is but > anything to bring solar panel into mass production > and bring down the > price is good. I've priced solar panels for my house > at 1000 Euros per > 165 watt panel. I figure I'd need 10 of them to get > 1kW average in Irish > climate so the cost is 10k Euros and at an > electricity rate of 12 cents > per kW and an average of 8 hours per day of light, > that's about 30 years > to amortise my investment while the panels are > guaranteed for something > like 10 years and have a working life of 20 - hmm, > much as I love this > planet and all, I need cheaper solar panels to come > out on top. Solar > water heaters are a different matter - but this is a > biofuel forum so > we'd better stick to the topic like using biofuel to > fire burners to > heat the house - but wait, weren't we talking about > powering cars. > > Apologies, I'm wandering - my brain has indeed > reached meltdown - roll > on the weekend. Maybe the heat from my brain could > be used to power a > Stirling engine to get me home this evening!!! > > bob allen wrote: > > > how about decking over the parking spots with > solar panels? How much > > energy could be captured if the whole parking > space is paneled? the > > spaces in front of my building are 9X18 ft or 162 > feet each. or about > > 15 meters squared. > > > > > > > > > > Paddy O'Reilly wrote: > > > >> I've often thought about a car that would > re-charge itself by solar > >> panels when its sitting outside our offices for > 8+ hours a day. Based > >> on current technology it could convert about > 2.6kW (0.33kwH x 8 > >> hours) into electrical energy. However a 20 mile > journey home could > >> use up this energy in the first few miles. Has > anybody looked at this > >> scenario - where the electric-only car recharges > itself during > >> daylight hours through the use of solar panels > integrated into the > >> body panels? > >> > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> > >>>> ILEA Leaf #10: WHAT KIND OF CAR? > >>>> > >>>> You're concerned about the environment, but you > need to drive. Which > >>>> car will do the least damage? There's no easy > answer, and you will > >>>> have to make some tradeoffs between your budget > and your determination > >>>> to help change the world. But you will also > need to think about what > >>>> "changing the world" means to you: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Is it more important to (a) help reduce future > emissions an uncertain > >>>> amount by investing in advanced technology or > (b) reduce immediate > >>>> emissions a known amount with existing > technology? > >>>> > >>>> Is it more important to (a) fight climate > change and foreign oil > >>>> dependence by reducing fossil fuel use or (b) > help clean the air in > >>>> your region by reducing traditional pollutants > from the car tailpipe? > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> At ILEA we are all about life-cycle > assessment, so we like to take > >>>> the big picture approach: advancing technology > trumps personal > >>>> emissions, and greenhouse gases trump local > pollutants. If you answer > >>>> the questions differently, keep those > differences in mind as you read > >>>> through our recommendations; near the end of > the email there's a > >>>> comparison table to help you do this. > >>>> Below are five basic choices you can take, > beginning with the most > >>>> conventional and ending with the most > adventurous.[1] <#_edn1> We > >>>> think the most adventurous steps probably have > the most impact on the > >>>> big picture, but if you answered the questions > differently than we > >>>> do, you may want to take one of the other > choices. > >>>> #5: High-efficiency conventional cars > >>>> > >>>> If none of the more advanced options meet your > needs, then you can > >>>> still reduce both your greenhouse gas and your > traditional pollutant > >>>> emissions by being careful to choose a car with > the highest fuel > >>>> economy. Keep in mind though, this option will > do little to advance > >>>> new technologies. > >>>> The U.S. EPA's fuel economy website > <http://www.fueleconomy.gov/> > >>>> provides comparative ratings of nearly all cars > available in the U.S. > >>>> The American Council for an Energy Efficient > Economy publishes the > >>>> Green Book <http://www.greenercars.com/> , > which provides even more > >>>> detailed environmental information. Though the > EPA website is free, > >>>> the Green Book is not: a month of access costs > $8.95. > >>>> Diesel engines are on average more efficient > than gasoline engines. > >>>> Just as one example, a manual transmission, > 2005 VW Jetta Wagon is > >>>> rated 36 city and 47 highway > >>>> <http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm> . > In the United States > >>>> we tend to think of diesel cars as dirty, and > indeed historically the > >>>> tailpipe emissions have been much worse than > for gasoline cars. But > >>>> beginning in mid-2006 all automotive diesel > fuel in the U.S. will be > >>>> ultra-low sulfur > >>>> > <http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/fuels/diesel/diesel.htm> > , allowing > >>>> better emissions control and eliminating nearly > all of the irritating > >>>> exhaust fumes we normally expect from diesel > engines. That means > >>>> beginning in 2007, many diesel vehicles will be > preferable to their > >>>> gasoline counterparts. Also, if you choose a > diesel vehicle, you will > >>>> always be able to leapfrog to the much more > aggressive biodiesel > >>>> solution, #3 below. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> #4: Gasoline-electric hybrids > Gasoline-electric hybrids (usually > >>>> just called "hybrids") have by far > >>>> been the most popular choice of environmentally > conscientious car > >>>> buyers over the past few years. Hybrids are > fueled at the gas pump > >>>> just like any other gasoline-powered car, but > boast particularly > >>>> impressive mileage (the 2005 Toyota Prius does > 60 city and 51 highway > >>>> <http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm> > ).[2] <#_edn2> > >>>> A hybrid car has both a gasoline engine and > an electric motor, > >>>> but it > >>>> does not need to be plugged in. The gasoline > engine takes care of > >>>> charging the electric motor's battery. The > battery is also charged > >>>> when the driver steps on the brakes: the > electric motor works in > >>>> reverse to stop the wheels by converting their > rotational energy to > >>>> electricity saved in the battery. Hybrids also > cut out the gasoline > >>>> engine when the car drives very slowly or > stops, minimizing energy > >>>> wasted in idling. > >>>> > >>>> Gasoline-electric hybrids are an excellent > choice for the > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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