Why not use Solar Panels instead of using generators?

[Sly21C]

Because of Eskom's inability to supply South Africa's electricity demand and the effects coal power stations have on the environment as a result of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and causing climate change, we as South Africans should start using solar panels and wind turbines as well.

A lot of people are using generators, but generators harm the environment as much as eskom's power stations. Generators are also expensive as much as solar panels. So why not use solar panels instead of generators?

There are a lot of people in SA who can afford to install solar panels in their homes but they are not, instead they still continue to use either eskom's electricity or generators. Ofcourse there are a few who have solar panels and solar water heaters installed in their homes, but they are few and far in between.

When I am talking about solar panels, I am not refering to solar water heaters that only heat water in our homes, but refering to powering each and every appliance in our homes.

I for one cannot afford solar panels, and there are a lot of south africans who also cannot afford them, but there are a few people who can, and for those who can, why don't they use solar panels? I don't think it's the cost.

 

[Moederloos]

Generators are also expensive as much as solar panels. So why not use solar panels instead of generators?

Err, no they are not.
Solar panels are moer expensive, as are the batteries.

 

[BCO]

Sly21C, I understand and sympathise with your sentiments about the benefits of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines to the environment.

A little more info for you though: a normal home sized petrol or diesel generator actually pollutes more per kW of electricity output than a coal fired electrical station.

Solar panels currently are *much* more expensive to use for power than a generator (in terms of initial captial outlay at least). If you wanted to run your whole average-sized house off solar panels, you'd be spending about R500k on the system, if not more.

For example, I've just spent R10k on a PV system that can run 6 energy saver lamps in my house for 10 hours a day. These are the lamps I use the most each night, so they'll be running off solar power all the time, but still it's a lot of money for 6 lamps... now imagine you wanted to run power-hungry equipment like washing machines, gaming PCs, kettles etc. off such a system.

 

[gifs]

Err, no they are not.
Solar panels are moer expensive, as are the batteries.

Yip, they are very expensive and the problem is that you need to store the energy in batteries, to power a house off batteries you need some monstrous batteries which again cost a lot of money as well as requiring replacement as they will eventually wear out. You will also need an inverter, a decent sine-wave one of sufficient capacity will also cost tens of thousands of rands.

 

[Pilgrim]

I would love to run my home off "free" energy but the problem is that that energy is not free.

If it was cheap enough don't you think everybody would be using it by now? It is not like we want to pay eishkom. We have to!

 

[Sly21C]

Sly21C, I understand and sympathise with your sentiments about the benefits of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines to the environment.

A little more info for you though: a normal home sized petrol or diesel generator actually pollutes more per kW of electricity output than a coal fired electrical station.

Solar panels currently are *much* more expensive to use for power than a generator (in terms of initial captial outlay at least). If you wanted to run your whole average-sized house off solar panels, you'd be spending about R500k on the system, if not more.

For example, I've just spent R10k on a PV system that can run 6 energy saver lamps in my house for 10 hours a day. These are the lamps I use the most each night, so they'll be running off solar power all the time, but still it's a lot of money for 6 lamps... now imagine you wanted to run power-hungry equipment like washing machines, gaming PCs, kettles etc. off such a system.

Yeah, they are very expensive. I was driving past a very affluent suburb in pretoria the other day, the houses there cost maybe a minimum of R3 million if not more, i mean those houses are quite big, huge! And after noticing that their roofs did not have any solar panel or solar water heaters, I was thinking to myself, why aren't they not using solar water heaters or solar panels to power the homes? Why are they not paying R300 K (or more) for a solar panel system that will power their homes, reduce their carbon footprint and rely less on eskom's unreliable electricity supply? I mean the initial figure is extremely expensive but they WILL recoup the initial cost over a number of years and they have enough money to finacce those solar panels. I am just wondering why "rich" guys are not using solar panels.

 

[gifs]

Here is an interesting document with some info on the equipment needed and how to calculate your solar requirements:

http://www.solarmetrics.co.za/images/Systemplanning.pdf

A system which can operate a whole house = R740,000 !
http://www.solarmetrics.co.za/images/Complete Off-Grid.pdf

 

[Pilgrim]

Let me think. A R300 per month power bill and a R5,000 generator for just in case, or R740,000 for solar.

Tough choice...

Not even rich people will spend a quarter of a million rand just to power their homes (unless they are very upset with eishkom or have some point to prove)

In fact, a rich persons home will probably need 2 to 3 times as much power.

 

[Ozymandias]

Generators are also expensive as much as solar panels. So why not use solar panels instead of generators?

Solar panels to run appliances would be prohibitively expensive to the home consumer. Eskom should be moving more to solar and wind power but the inititial setup costs are about double that of coal-fired power stations for the same output. Those costs would most probably be recouped because wind and solar inputs are free whereas coal is not. Wind and solar farms have a lifespan of about 25-30 years whereas a coal-fired power station has one of between 40-50 years.

 

[icyrus]

It would become more feasible for people to convert to clean energy if government got rid of all taxes on such equipment and heavily subsidized it like some other countries do.

 

[Sly21C]

It would become more feasible for people to convert to clean energy if government got rid of all taxes on such equipment and heavily subsidized it like some other countries do.

I agree!!!

 

[onebrickshort]

One of the real reasons rich people don't do things one would imagine them to be able to do is: they can be ****ing stingy

 

[CathJ]

One of the real reasons rich people don't do things one would imagine them to be able to do is: they can be ****ing stingy

Which is why they're rich.

You don't get rich by spending money willy nilly.

 

[BCO]

It would become more feasible for people to convert to clean energy if government got rid of all taxes on such equipment and heavily subsidized it like some other countries do.

They should also encourage/allow co-generation from private users/providers such as homes with generating capacity.

Let me think. A R300 per month power bill and a R5,000 generator for just in case, or R740,000 for solar.

Tough choice...

Not even rich people will spend a quarter of a million rand just to power their homes (unless they are very upset with eishkom or have some point to prove)

In fact, a rich persons home will probably need 2 to 3 times as much power.

Well if I could afford R700k or so I would do it, not for financial reasons but for environmental reasons. For some people like myself solar power is not immediately out of the question just because it makes no financial sense. Does spending R700k on a fancy SUV make any financial sense either?

 

[dam]

In time prices will come down, and the efficiency of solar panels will go up (already happening). Batteries will always be a problem though, they are expensive and they are not friendly to the environment either.

 

[sand_man]

What I don't understand is why Eskom hasn't turned the karoo into the worlds biggest solar power farm? The same would apply to all the worlds great deserts...

 

[BCO]

What I don't understand is why Eskom hasn't turned the karoo into the worlds biggest solar power farm? The same would apply to all the worlds great deserts...

There's more than enough insolation (solar energy hitting the earth) in the Karoo to power the whole of SA - it's actually possible to do given political will, long-term thinking and wise allocation of state funds IMO.

 

[ColinR]

What I don't understand is why Eskom hasn't turned the karoo into the worlds biggest solar power farm? The same would apply to all the worlds great deserts...

Yeah, me neither, and as someone already said, building a power plant takes 10 years from start to fully online, whereas after each panel is laid, its online.

 

[dam]

I think the problem is where do they store that power, it will be fine during the day but what about at night time?

 

[BCO]

I think the problem is where do they store that power, it will be fine during the day but what about at night time?

Solar thermal plants typically store power as pressurised steam or molten salt (!) overnight.

Another way is to pump large quantities of water from one low-lying reservoir to a high-lying one and then generated hyrdo-electric power at night.