The estimate for solar to compete with coal was set at I believe $4 dollars a watt installed years ago. A simple look at where the power companies investment is going shows the future of both wind and solar power. It should be noted, I guess, that IC generators are far higher in per watt cost than any other options. Footprint of the equipment is the only drawback, and the development effort for solar is reduced cost, not efficiency. Off grid I can set up a solar farm for under $2w. In China power plants have been set up at 50 cents US per installed watt. I wonder if there is a future in solar power.
It is estimated that 5000w of solar cells will fill the estimated demand of a typical US dwelling. At current pricing a back yard solar farm would cost under 7000 US for a diy installer. In Phoenix AZ 200 dollars US monthly electric bills are not uncommon. A payback would be less than 7 years using 25 year life panels. Leaving questionable paint thickness, not to mention bad color choice to a DIY could be priceless. Silk screened panels, called Dye panels, have reduced the cost of better panels to the point they are affordable. Boat decks are walked on and would then deteriorate over time any surface applied. A shade over the cockpit using laminate panels would be my choice long before I would try to paint on solar.
Conclusion:
There is no better time to buy panels if that is where you are headed. Mono or Poly produce better than dye silkscreen per square area of install. With the current state of the economy I don't believe prices will be lower than they are now.
Boats have little room for solar so efficiency must be considered as most important. High efficiency panels have been produced for years. Space exploration set the standard for space and weight of panels but these are still expensive. Best compromise would be poly in my book. You could build your own but the price is higher than some laminate so your support should be sized for laminate. Sorry for the size of this post. I hope it helps.
Kevin Pemberton
On 12/21/2011 11:25 PM, Eric wrote:
Hi Aaron,
They say that the efficiency is only 1%, which means that a 1 square meter of surface oriented correctly (perpendicular to the sunlight) will only generate 10W. This makes sense that a chaotic layer of nano-dots would operate at much lower efficiency than much larger mono-crystals with very consistant crystal lattices.
To put that in more practical terms, a typical panel today can generate approximately 240W from 1.4 square meters. This paint would generate only 15W from the same area. You would need more than 15 square meters (more than 160 square feet) to generate the same energy tht you can get from today's 3' x 5' panels.
So even if it goes public, finding effective areas on a boat to harvest energy will be difficult.
But it's nice to see so much development in different areas, even if they don't promise much value to our niche market.
Fair winds,
Eric
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Aaron <akenai@...> wrote:
>
> This may be the future for solar. I wonder how long before it is made for the public?
> Â
> http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1527/499/Solar_Paint_Promises_To_Turn_Any_Surface_Into_A_Solar_Cell.html
>
> Aaron
>
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