What does it cost to have a solar setup?

[Valdemar]

I was quoted $3.96/watt for a 7.2Kwh (24x300W) Suntech array install with a single inverter by a local contractor, seems a bit high, no? I'm a bit hesitant to commit to these Chinese panels. What would be a better alternative over Suntech?

Seems a bit high to me since Mother Nature Solar is at $3.39 a watt for Canandian Solar with Enphase microinverters. I've been very happy with the Canandian Solar panels and definitely am a fan of Enphae and microinverters. Don't know much about Suntech except that they are having financial troubles earlier this year.

$3.39 before tax or any other credits or after? In my case it is $3.96 before any credits.

[QueenBee]

I was quoted $3.96/watt for a 7.2Kwh (24x300W) Suntech array install with a single inverter by a local contractor, seems a bit high, no? I'm a bit hesitant to commit to these Chinese panels. What would be a better alternative over Suntech?

Seems a bit high to me since Mother Nature Solar is at $3.39 a watt for Canandian Solar with Enphase microinverters. I've been very happy with the Canandian Solar panels and definitely am a fan of Enphae and microinverters. Don't know much about Suntech except that they are having financial troubles earlier this year.

$3.39 before tax or any other credits or after? In my case it is $3.96 before any credits.

Before

[Burr]

I'am new to this forum. I see a lot of independence and innovation. For a house with a composition roof, why don't you install your own solar system? Eight years ago I paid way to much for a 5.7 kW system. Since then, solar panels have gone down 75% in price, and "micro-inverters" are now plug-in-play. I added an independent, 1kW of additional power , with plans to add another. Total cost was under $1600/kW. The second kW will be cheaper. I paid an electrician $150 to connect this new kW to the house-electric panel( and to check my work). I live in the Los Angeles area and found all my hardware on Craigs List (new). I also spent about 2 hours reviewing" how to" on U-Tube. My only skills are : electric drill operation, finding and measuring roof joists, caulking gun operation, and climbing a latter. My handicaps: I'am afraid of heights, had to borrow a pickup to carry (2) 14 foot rails and (4) 250 watt panels, and I needed my son to lift the panels to the roof. There are several other important legal details, but easily overcome.
Solar installation is not rocket science. If you can understand the electronics of a Leaf, then the solar panels are child's play, not magic. The California State rebate has deteriorated greatly, do you really want SCE in your business?

[dgpcolorado]

I don't know how many utilities have community solar arrays, but I finally got a picture of the one my local power co-op — San Miguel Power Association — installed in the usually sunny Paradox Valley:



The mountains in the background are the La Sal mountains near Moab, Utah (I was headed over to Arches National Park for camping and hiking). Although it looks like a fairly large installation in the picture, it is actually just a tiny speck in the huge Paradox Valley. This satellite picture is a small part of the valley:



Panels can be purchased by residents, businesses, and local governments for $705 to $745 each. They are expected to offset power bills by $45 a year, so payback is in the fifteen to sixteen year range. (The panels will produce more power than that but some of the revenue generated is used to maintain and replace the panels over fifty years.)

I might have gone this route if I didn't already have my own panels since it would have been cheaper. But I have to say that having my own panels, which I can adjust in angle as the seasons change, is a lot more fun. However, I am thinking of buying a panel in this community array and donating it to my local library.

My local utility is one of the few rural co-ops in this region that is strongly supportive of renewable energy; most are opposed or indifferent. Any other utilities that have solar farms that customers can buy into?