solar costs …

according to an article in “solar power” magazine you end up with almost $10 per W installed: the panels are $5, install $3.80, inverters $1.20

in bigger installs the costs are down since bigger inverters cost less per W and installers can work quicker (it’s more repetition!)

my thought: pre-fabricate connectors with inverters, so the whole thing is as simple as drilling holes, plugging cables in and turning on the master switch!

another thought of course … cconserving electricity … getting better lights, newer A/C units … and improving ventilation (a little fan can help a lot)

besides i always wonder why the panels have costly aluminum all around, why not have glass plates that are held by brackets that mount it somewhere … and a few mirrors that can help getting more sunlight on the panel (cheap, cheaper …)

also why can’t we power an A/C unit with 26V DC … and 50 A … so you don’t loose anything thru the converters? at least try to use only DC/DC, i think getting a nice sine wave is cool but really not necessary in most cases