Silence the EV critics with the 2.5 kW solar pledge

[txlibdem]

http://solarchargeddriving.com/news/solar-charged-driving/407-silence-the-ev-critics-with-the-25-kw-solar-pledge.html
Silence the EV critics with the 2.5 kW solar pledge
Monday, 26 July 2010 20:48 | Written by Christof Demont-Heinrich, SCD.Com Editor

There’s also a lot of stuff out there that questions whether electric cars are in fact greener than their gasoline powered counterparts. The preponderance of evidence shows that even when the electricity in an electric vehicle’s batteries has been produced by a coal-burning power plant that, on the whole, the EV is greener than its ICE counterpart. Plus, an EV is far more efficient.

Of course, the more of the electricity in your car’s batteries produced by renewable energy, the better. As we’ve noted in our series on what you’re plugging your EV into, if you live in the U.S., there are some great (Idaho, 90 percent renewable energy generated electricity) and not-so-great (West Virginia, 98 percent coal-produced electricity) places to plug in.

It’s simple: Anyone who buys a new EV pledges to put a 2.5 kW solar system on their home, garage, or elsewhere on their property.

In the vast majority of places in the U.S., and in terms of the average miles driven annually by most Americans (10,000 to 15,000 miles), a 2.5 kW solar system is enough to cover all of the miles you drive in your EV per year. More concretely, with a 2.5 kW solar system, we’re talking about a system that can produce between 5,000 solar-charged EV miles in extremely cloudy spots in the U.S. to up to 15,000 miles in ideal solar spots with the out-of-pocket cost for the system somewhere between $4,000 and $10,000 in most places in the U.S.

Is it going to be cheaper for you in the long run to own a solar array to power your vehicle instead of driving a fossil fuel burner vehicle? This article takes a stab at the math:

Re-doing the solar math on the Nissan LEAF
http://solarchargeddriving.com/editors-blog/on-evs-a-phevs/321-re-doing-the-solar-math-on-the-nissan-leaf.html

Needless to say, the more expensive your solar installation, the less savings you will get in the long run.

[saras]

1. It may as well be the 1% to me. When electric cars are $300 on Craigslist, I'll get one

The rest of the math is as irrelevant as discussion of which country has the best tax shelters.

[txlibdem]

2. Which do you hate: our economy; our national security; our jobs; our lack of terrorists

etc.

Obviously you love that we send up to $400 Billion each year out of our economy by buying foreign fossil fuels.

Or do you love the military strength of the middle east powers and their habit of funding terrorist networks?

Or do you love seeing American jobs go to other countries: we could build a heck of a lot of buildings and bridges with that $400 Billion. Oh, well. There's always next year right?

Frankly, your comment is confusing to me.

[txlibdem]

3. That was a little harsh

Sorry

[txlibdem]

4. bump

[tinrobot]

5. Seriously thinking about it...

We have the EV. We're now looking at solar.

The quotes I've gotten here from installers are pretty high ($5-10/kWh). I can buy raw panels for $1-$2/kWh, and a whole system at Costco for a little over $3/kWh, and that's without any incentives.

[txlibdem]

8. Check with a local electrician to see if he can install it for you

Many states allow any licensed electrician to connect up the grid tie inverter to the grid. If you're willing to do some of the work (like putting up the panels and running the wires) you can get it hooked up for a very reasonable price.

Remember, you cannot hook up the wires, you can run them to where they are supposed to be but not hook them up: that takes a licensed electrician in most states.

I share your frustration with "solar" installers. They are the biggest impediment right now to more people having solar panels due to their prices.

[TheWraith]

6. You're way better off with a small wind turbine.

A solar installation is absurdly expensive for the amount of power you get. A small wind turbine will cost less and produce more.

[txlibdem]

7. While I agree that some of the small wind turbines are good

the majority of the ones on the market are not as you describe.

1. They rate their power output at 28 to 30 mph. How often do you get 30 mile per hour winds? Not very often.

2. Many of them cut off at wind speeds as low as 40 mph although some have a higher tolerance for high winds.

3. Most people cannot install one due to restrictions imposed by the city, county or Home Owners Association.

4. When you get any significant amounts of power out of a small wind turbine you should send it all back to the grid so none is wasted (as is the case if you have an off-grid setup with a bank of batteries).

Refs:
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp - scroll down for chart
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/downloads/climate/windrose/

Example wind power output (watch out for m/s, meters per second instead of mph)
http://www.windenergy.com/sites/all/files/3-CMLT-1338-01_REV_J_Skystream_spec.pdf - shows you don't get any power until the wind gets above 12 mph and it rates its output at 29 mph wind speeds.

Not that I'm against wind turbines. I'm not. I just want realistic expectations and the industry needs to stop diddling with the numbers and tell you how many kWh you're actually going to get.

Solar, on the other hand, is rated by a scientific testing lab so every solar panel is accurate in how much power it's going to output. You know how many hours of sunshine you get and if not just google solar power maps USA. Therefore, you can calculate how many panels you're likely to need.

Now, all that being said, if you've got the money then get both the solar and the wind. Missouri Wind and Solar makes a great (and inexpensive) wind turbine: http://www.mwands.com

[TheWraith]

9. I guess it depends a lot on where you live...

...but around here, 30 mile per hour winds aren't that uncommon at all. Winds up to 30 today, in fact. That said, if low wind speed is a problem in your area, you should select a vertical axis wind turbine. They have lower startup speed and lower overall speed requirements for maximum production.