Should You Lease Solar Panels?

Leasing Solar Panels

For people that want to switch to solar power, the cost is probably one of the biggest hurdles to cross.  Purchasing a solar panel array is expensive, and then you also have to worry about maintenance.  However, if you have wondered if you should lease solar panels, that might be your answer.

Leasing solar panels is one of several ways that can help homeowners and small business owners finance solar power. When you enter into a solar power lease, you don’t own the system, but the terms of the lease agreement could save you significant funds that can help you with your monthly budget.

Consider this list before deciding whether you should lease solar panels

What are your monthly electricity bills?What would the monthly payments be (under a lease or a loan)?Make sure that the payments are less than your average electricity billsDo you have equity in your home?Are you planning on staying in your home for at least the next 12-24 months?Would you prefer maintenance or repair of the solar panels to be done by professionals, or yourself?How much liquidity do you have (available cash?)What is your credit score? (should be at least 640)

Before you enter into a solar lease, check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure that the company with which you are dealing is reputable. Review the official website and make a call to your local Chamber of Commerce to gather information.

Remember that, when you enter a solar panel lease, it is a binding contract. Both sides to the agreement must fulfill their promises, or risk facing the other side in court. Be sure to review every provision in the agreement carefully. Given the value of solar panels, you may want to consider retaining a lawyer to help you make sure that all potential concerns are addressed and there are no overly restrictive terms.

Consider these terms for a solar panel lease:

Lease term: How long will you be leasing the panels (usually at least 5 years)Lease payments: How much will you pay, how often? Is there an escalation clause that gives the solar company the right to raise the rent?Early termination: Do you have the right to terminate the lease before the end of the term without penalty? If there is a penalty, how much?Lease renewal: Can you renew the lease? How? Under what terms?Maintenance of the solar panels: This should be the solar company’s responsibility. Contact information should be spelled out specifically. Ideally, there should be a time stated within which a response must be made in case of damage or failure.Insurance: This should be the solar company’s responsibility – to insure the solar panels.End of lease: What happens when the term is over? Removal of the panels, or will you as a consumer have the right to purchase the panels at a reduced cost? How will that cost be determined?

Tags: install solar panels, lease solar panels, residential solar panels, solar panel lease

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Solar Powered Outdoor Shower

Solar powered outdoor shower

Looking for a comfortable way to rinse off outside after a swim, a run, or a dip in the pool?

Have you considered a solar powered outdoor shower?  You can save electricity for a pump and, if you go with one of the models shown above, there is no installation required.  No piping, no contractors, just a nice warm shower to enjoy outdoors.

You can install a DIY solar powered outdoor shower with the steps below:

1.  Find an appropriate location

Most people that shower desire some privacy.  Look for a place that is away from windows, and, ideally, concealed with landscaping.  You will need the outdoor shower to be within a reasonable distance of the hose pipe.

You will need to connect the shower to a hose, which will supply the water.  One end will be tied to the valve/tap and the other will end at the shower area.  Use a shut-off coupler on the end of the hose pipe, and make sure it is reachable.

If you would like to have a base for the shower (as opposed to a free standing solar powered outdoor shower as shown above), use two pressure-welded studs on a square frame.  This will add weight and stability to the base.  Then, install wood slats within the frame, with some space between each piece to let the water drain through.

For this semi-enclosed outdoor shower, attach 4 pressure treated studs, about 6-7 foot long and screw them to the corners of the shower base (which you completed above).  Afterward, tie them together at the top with pressure treated pipes. Some people like to put a top and/or sides on their outdoor shower, but I think they are nice without one.  If you desire, you may install a glass roof or side walls with screws.

For this completely DIY solar powered outdoor shower, you will now need to install a utility hook on the top of the shower roof in the center and then attach a sprinkler head in the center of the shower base joining the utility hook.

To use solar heated water, you will want to fill up a water can and allow it to warm in the sunlight before showering.  Make sure the shut off valve at the opposite end is closed.  When you are ready for a nice solar powered shower, just turn on the faucet and enjoy!

Tags: DIY solar, outdoor shower, solar hot water, solar powered outdoor shower, solar water, solar water heater

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Solar Panels for Boats

Solar panels for boats

Love the outdoors?  Want to keep the air clean and clear?

Instead of using a fuel combustion engine and/or grid-based electricity, how about solar panels for boats?  That’s right!  You can use solar power while you are out on the water, or even dock-side to charge the battery and power boat lifts.

Solar panels for boats are categorized in two main groups:  those that help move the boat, and those that help power electrical needs while you’re on the water.  Some PV panels accomplish both purposes.

Sailboats using solar power

All types of boats can use solar power.  Sailboats, yachts, motor boats and more.

In order to generate solar power, you don’t need bright sunlight.  Any UV light (filtered through clouds) will work.  Chances are that your boating excursion will include enough solar exposure to charge the battery and keep electrical appliances running.

Even if you don’t expect to run a boat motor on solar power, you can at least rely on solar panels to power on-board devices.  Your GPS, cell phone, mP3 player and more can all be recharged with portable solar power from any solar panels on your boat.

Do you use solar panels for your boat?  If so, why?  If not, why not?

Tags: boats solar, solar boats, solar panels boats, solar panels for boats, solar power boats

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Check Out Sustainable and Solar Empowerhouse

Empowerhouse at the 2011 Solar Decathlon

Curious about green living and solar homes?  Then you should check out sustainable and solar Empowerhouse.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, local communities can soon help construct affordable, energy-efficient housing.

To start – and to build awareness – you can see two Empowerhouses on display this year.  The first one will be part of the 2011 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C.  Not too far away, in the Deanwood neighborhood in D.C., another Empowerhouse will be constructed.

After the end of the Solar Decathlon, the two Empowerhouses will be joined together in Deanwood.  Each of the structures are sustainable independent of each other, but the most optimum energy efficiency can be achieved when they join together.   Just recently, we posted about net-zero housing, so this new project is quite timely!  According to a related post:

The major ‘green’ aspect of the Empowerhouse is the fact that it requires up to 80 percent lesser energy for cooling or heating up a room when compared with a regular home. However, even if you compare it with a very high energy-efficient home, the Empowerhouse saves on 40% energy – all this is possible as it conforms to the Passive House standard (which is the highest international standard in energy efficienty). The Empowerhouses have very energy efficient electrical appliances, energy recovery ventilation, well-located windows for utilizing natural light, heat-pump technology and more, which leads to a drastically reduced electricity bill.

Although the sustainable, solar homes are a bit more expensive to construct, the difference is quickly made up through reduced energy bills and improvement in property value.  In addition, the Empowerhouse is designed with a modern, urban flair, using pre-fabricated building materials.

Can you imagine living in an affordable home that pays for itself within a matter of years?  That’s what the Empowerhouse is all about!

Tags: empowerhouse, habitat for humanity, home solar, solar decathlon, solar homes, sustainable homes

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Eco-Friendly Portable Solar Power with YouShine

YouShine Portable Solar Power

Over the last few years, there are more and more portable solar power options. You can recharge the batteries of your cell phone, GPS, mP3 player, computer, camera and more with energy from the sun.  This means that you don’t need to find an outlet when you are camping, hiking, fishing or otherwise just enjoying the outdoors.

One of the latest offerings comes from a group of young Catalan entrepreneurs based in the Silicon Valley that developed YouShine, a 100% eco-friendly bag integrated with solar panels.  This means that you can literally sling the bag over your shoulder, plug in your electronic devices and let regular sunlight (even filtered UV light) to recharge your batteries.

The company states that you can recharge a mobile phone in only 2 hours with UV light exposure.  And, you can get these cool YouShine bags in 17 colors!

Don’t worry about an overcast day, or even if you are stuck inside a building (provided you have window exposure).  YouShine can be taken anywhere and operates on simple ultra violet light – no matter how much it is filtered.

Tags: portable solar power, solar panels, solar recharging, youshine

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Solar Power Air Conditioning

Solar power air conditioning

With summer here in full swing and people looking for ways to cool down in an efficient, cost-effective way, its time to consider solar power air conditioning.

There are two new A/C units that run on solar power, and help save energy and money.

The first is the SplitCool DC18 solar air conditioner from Solar Panels Plus.  Perhaps the best aspect about this device is not that its solar powered, but that it uses direct current (DC).

Generally speaking, solar energy must be converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) which is what you get when you plug into a socket.  The SplitCool DC18 is a 48 volt DC air conditioning unit with a variable speed compressor.

Use of DC means that no inverter is needed to operate the unit.  Not only does this save on the overall cost, but users also don’t experience the 15-20% power loss typically encountered during inversion. This makes this air conditioner far more efficient that a high-SEER AC unit connected to solar panels through an inverter.

Next, there is another solar power air conditioning unit from HotSpot Energy.  This alternating current (AC) product is the ACWH18 Air Conditioner Water Heater.  The HotSpot is a 18,000 BTU ductless mini-split heat pump that runs on 220v AC power.  It is a SEER 18 EnergyStar certified unit with an integrated heat recovery circuit allowing it to make hot water as a byproduct of running the AC.  A heat recovery circuit recovers heat that would normally discarded, and uses it to make hot water at temps up to 140F.  About 100 gallons of solar hot water can be produced each day.

The typical user with a 7-month cooling season will save $1,000 per year in electrical and water heating savings, compared to a customer running a SEER 13 unit and using a standard water heater. Even more exciting is the fact that a purchase of the solar power air conditioning unit will qualify for a federal tax credit.

Tags: solar cooling, solar power air conditioning, solar power cooling, solar powered air conditioning

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Solar Air Conditioning for Phoenix Arizona Urban Light Rail

One of my favorite solar power application is to use energy from the sun for solar air conditioning.  The same heavenly body that heats up the planet can also keep us cool and comfortable.

Light rail stations in Phoenix Arizona are cooled with solar power

In Phoenix, Arizona in the desert southwest of the United States, the A/C in their urban light rail stations is powered by sunlight.  This is welcome news for the people that live in this region.  During summer months, daytime temperatures can climb past 115 degrees F.  At the urban light rail stations in Phoenix, solar powered coolers can be activated with the touch of a button.  The chilled air produced can lower temps by 40 degrees.

The solar air conditioning system will automatically shut off after 15 minutes of operation to conserve energy.  Solar A/C is available at the urban light rail stations from May through September – Arizona’s hottest months.

Arizona’s light rail cooling system was initiated by Mayor Phil Gordon, who brought the idea back after a visit to Dubai. Phoenix has partnered with local utility NRG Energy, which agreed to fund the $300,000 project. NRG will operate and maintain the system.

Tags: light rail, solar air conditioning, solar cooling, solar phoenix, solar power, solar powered coolers, urban light rail

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