> I can't advise you what to do with *your* investments, as everyone has different needs, but these days a safe high dividend paying stock will give you better and relatively safe returns.
Sure, and now much of those S&P investeemtns are in oil and gas and all manner of status-quo heading pel-mel down the dead end of human extinction? Solar is not "relatively safe", it is quite strongly safe, since the Sun will always shine and the value of the return only goes up as the cost of energy goes up. Bob On Sep 22, 2015, at 1:50 PM, Robert Bruninga <[email protected]> wrote: >> Most investments pay more than that. Using bank interest as an > indication in this low interest rate environment isn't appropriate. > > Huh? Tell me where? I have a CD at 2.2% and my advisor said hang on > to it, since she knows of no other similar secure investment rate. > The other CD is at 1.9% and same thing. She says that is about the > same or better than she can get. My bank pays 0.8%. > > Sure there are better rates but at commensurately higher risk. But > there is nothing more guaranteed and secure than the sun and solar. Period. > 10 to 18% return on your solar panel investment on one's house. For > example. Bob > > On Sep 22, 2015, at 9:55 AM, Robert Bruninga via EV > <[email protected]> > wrote: > >>> Sounds like yearly payback is somewhere between $10.00 and $40.00. >>> Sounds kind of small for an investment of more than $1000. >> >> That's 1% to 4%. Better than most banks. And FAR better for the >> future since it displaces X amount of coal burning. >> >> So if it is equal or better than most other investments, AND it is >> definitely better than using coal electricity for ALL of us, then >> many would jump at the chance. >> >> Bob >> >> On September 22, 2015 7:19:43 AM MDT, EVDL Administrator via EV >> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> On 22 Sep 2015 at 3:50, brucedp5 via EV wrote: >>> >>>> ? Is this a useful product worthy of the co$t, or is it a >>>> profitable feel-good add-on for bragging-rights ? >>> >>> Much of the answer is right in the story: >>> >>>> As a yearly average, the system generates 29 percent of the total >>> energy >>>> required to drive eight miles per day in West Palm Beach, Fla. That >>> reduces >>>> the energy needed to recharge the battery by 29 percent. Results >>>> may >>> vary >>>> depending on area and usage. >>>> >>>> By continually transferring energy to the batteries, the panels >>>> limit >>> how deep >>>> into the battery reserve a vehicle must go during a typical use. >>> >>> I suspect this is a best-case estimate. Let's run some numbers. >>> >>> First let me warn you that there's a fair bit of hand-waving here. >>> I'm not an expert in these matters. If you're a PV expert and can >>> come up with >>> >>> better numbers than mine, by all means please do so. >>> >>> IIRC a typical golf car range is around 40-50 miles. Using standard >>> T105 >>> type batteries this amounts to an energy usage of between 126 and >>> 158 Wh/mi. >>> Let's call it 150 Wh/mi for convenience. >>> >>> Driving 8 miles per day will require 1200 WH per day or (1200 * 365) >>> == >>> >>> 438000 Wh/year if you drive the car every day (as the PR release >>> seems to suggest). >>> >>> This panel can produce 100 watts, but if that's a typical rating >>> it'll only apply when the golf car is parked in the sun with the sun >>> directly overhead. >>> At other times the output will be lower, but I'm not a solar expert >>> so I don't know by how much. I'll take a wild guess and estimate >>> that the panel will average 30 watts over an average day's sunshine >>> (including dawn and dusk). Someone please correct me if that's too >>> far > off. >>> >>> So that's 30W * 12h == 360 Wh/day * 234 days (average sunny days per >>> year in West Palm Beach) == 84240 Wh/year. This is 19% of the >>> energy required to drive 8 miles per day, about a third less than >>> Club Car claim, but surprisingly close. >>> >>> But even my 19% estimate assumes the golf car will be in the sun any >>> time the sun is shining. If you park it in a garage, or in the >>> shade of a building or tree, it gains little or nothing. How many >>> people deliberately park their cars (golf or otherwise) in the sun >>> on a hot summer day in Florida? >>> >>> Other factors will affect solar gain. For example, if you drive it >>> on a tree lined street, or a city street with tall buildings around >>> it, it will gain less solar energy. >>> >>> So, is this just a "feel-good add-on"? Well ... as with any other >>> vehicle option, how much a given user gains from this one depends on >>> where and how she drives. But for most users, I'd say it'll >>> probably yield more bragging rights than range. >>> >>> What it MIGHT do that's potentially at least as useful -- IF you >>> park mostly in the sun --- is dribble a little charge back into the >>> battery when the car isn't being driven. That'll improve battery >>> cycle life a bit. >>> Calculating >>> whether the resulting battery cost savings will offset the cost of >>> the PV panel will be left as an exercise for the reader. ;-) >>> >>> FWIW, in looking for info on this I ran across several dealers >>> offering >>> >>> aftermarket PV panel options for golf cars. One claimed a (peak) >>> output of >>> 220 watts. The price was $1450. >>> >>> Is it worth it? I see 12v 50w generic PV panels on Ebay for around >>> $100 >>> each. Five of them would give you peak 250W into a charge controller. >>> >>> Speaking of which, I see 48v, 30-45 amp charge controllers on Ebay >>> at prices from $160 to $260. >>> >>> The dealer I mentioned above also provide a roof frame and struts. >>> What do >>> you think that's worth, maybe $150? So they're making around $700 on >>> each >>> kit. That's a 100% return on the parts cost. Not too shabby. >>> >>> David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA >>> EVDL Administrator >>> >>> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL >>> Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. >>> To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the >>> webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . >>> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub >>> http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org >>> Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV >>> drag racing at NEDRA >>> (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) >> >> _______________________________________________ >> UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub >> http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org >> Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV >> drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) >> _______________________________________________ >> UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub >> http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org >> Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV >> drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag > racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
