Solar Panel Pricing

Solar Panel Pricing
By Amanda Lacasse

Pricing solar panels for your home solar energy system is a good way to get started with familiarizing yourself with the components of a solar power installation. After all, everyone knows that panels are an integral part of the system, right? As you research prices, types and brands of solar panels, you will also learn about other parts of a solar energy system, as well. Just Google the phrase, "residential solar panels" under the shopping tab and you will be presented with pages and pages of results to peruse. Visiting manufacturers' sites will give much more information to digest, and some of these sites have calculators to help you figure out approximately how many panels you will need to power your home. Armed with that information, you'll find pricing your system much easier.

Government Incentives Bring Hefty Cost Reductions

Industry experts estimated solar panel costs at $3 per watt as of June 2011 and predict prices will fall to $1 per watt within the next two years or so. Does that mean that you should put off planning a solar energy system? Probably not. Federal tax credits and incentives have been extended for the year 2011 and it is unclear whether they will extend further into the future. In addition, many states and some localities have added their own incentives into the mix. Depending upon where you live, you could conceivably shave up to 60% of the cost of a solar power system installation if you buy this year. Of course, all incentives may be extended into next year and beyond - hopefully, that will be the case. Planning a solar power system takes time, just like any other home improvement project, so starting as soon as possible can only be helpful to you. Professional installation is one of the costlier aspects of a solar project and likely won't be affected by a drop in solar panel prices. Rebates and incentives can and do help with those costs, however.

Compare Solar Panels Among Manufacturers

Knowing the current price per watt will be very helpful to you once you start comparing prices. Some companies offer entire grid-tied systems for sale, so pricing individual panels and components first will give you a much better idea of the cost savings, if any, that may be rolled into these offers. Comparative shopping will help you find the best deals on solar panels, components and installation, so take your time and look around. Keep an eye on the latest news concerning federal and state incentive programs (Google Alerts can be very helpful here) to be sure that you don't miss out on getting the most affordable solar energy system for your home.

Amanda Lacasse lives in a passive solar home and is looking into ways to segue into a more active solar lifestyle. Read more about all things solar by visiting http://SolarizedHome.com/.

Jobs In Solar: Want a sales job in Renewable Energy? (San Diego CA County)

Date: 2011-08-26, 12:59PM PDT
Reply to: job-kkxgp-2567549513@craigslist.org

We are seeking a starter/professional for the position of a Sales Representative for our Solar Company: Qualifications: Good command of written and spoken English. Proven sales experience/records are a plus. Well organized, creative, enthusiastic and result oriented. Excellent interpersonal communication and ability to demonstrate a high level of empathy. Experience managing internal projects is a plus. Good interpersonal, presentation and communications skills. Self motivated, eager to learn and willing to work with excellent execution. Computer skills (Word, Excel, & PowerPoint).

For immediate consideration, please respond by sending your resume as an "attached" document in MS Word. You will be contacted within two days of submission of resume.

Location: San Diego, CA County

Compensation: Competitive compensation commensurate with experience

Solar Food Dehydrator

Here's an interesting video for people who want an introduction on how to use solar power to dry or dehydrate their food:

Jobs In Solar: Solar Advocates: Immediate Openings Available p/t (Denver, CO)

Date: 2011-08-23, 2:15PM MDT
Reply to: job-5xbsh-2562229832@craigslist.org

Solar Advocates: Blazing Hot Field of Solar (P/T)

We are looking for four (4) part time solar advocates. You are not selling anything, just generating enough interest with the homeowner for them to set an appointment with you for a FREE solar consultation. You get paid an hourly wage, commission for setting the appointment, and commission if the customer purchases a solar system.

Essential functions:
Be a door-to-door "solar advocate" helping people understand the simplicity of solar.
Work with both residential and business prospects.
Acquire prospects by conducting door-to-door canvassing in assigned territories.
Attend sales meetings as required.
Maintain required record keeping and reporting of all activities.

Requirements:
• Reliable, professional appearance & punctual
• Outgoing, talkative, people person
• Willing to work the hours of 4-8pm M-F and 10-3pm Sat (flexible, but would like 4 days of availability); 20-25 hours per week
• Expert at outbound cold calling
• Excellent time management and organization skills
• Positive and able to take constructive feedback
• Teachable, trainable, and able to retain information
• Energetic and ready to chat
• Persuasive personality a must

If you have experience with sales, door-to-door or telemarketing, you will be successful at this.
We will compensate you hourly, and pay commission for each appointment that you set and for each appointment that becomes a sale. Most advocates make $15-$25 per hour, but our best advocates make even more.

Future Position:
We will have lead solar advocate and full-time sales positions that will become available to the top performers that make the cut.
We will provide you with the tools necessary to generate sales including marketing materials, ongoing training and sales support.

Send us a current resume and a cover page, listing why you would make the perfect candidate. Please respond to the Craigslist email or call Elizabeth between 10am-12pm at 720.648.3086.

• Location: Denver, CO
• Compensation: Hourly plus comission; $15-25 per hour on avg
• This is a part-time job.

Silicon Chip Artwork Called Sollage

Jayant Shidhaye is a former solar power expert, a developer of solar power systems. He had a passion to be creative using the medium he knows well-silicon chips. Silicon is often used as the material for creating solar cells that make up solar panels for rooftop installation.

Mr. Shidhaye has developed his own art form called "Sollage" or Collage with Solar. He takes irregular shaped silicon chips and uses them to create interesting looking portraits and landscapes. Very similar to mosaic but the medium here is silicon chips.

Jayant has no formal art training. He was motivated to use what he knows best-silicon chips and use them in a non-mechanical way for creative expression. He has created over 100 pieces of artwork and thinks he may be the only silicon chip artist in the world. One of the reasons his artwork is so unique is that it's made of irregular and rejected materials producing a one-of-a-kind artistic expression.

His gallery of solar related artwork can be viewed at his site Jayant Shidhaye.

Ford Electrifies the Focus

Auto giant Ford will team up with solar power company SunPower to create an electric version of the Ford Focus. The all-electric version of the Focus will begin production later this year and will be offered for purchase or leasing.

Tom Werner, SunPower CEO, said his partnership with Ford will "take solar mainstream."

The electrified Focus will be offered with the option to purchase a  a 2.5 Kilowatt rooftop solar powered system all in one visit to a Ford dealership. Customers can choose to buy or lease a solar power generator for $10,000. SunPower will install the generator that will be able to charge up the Focus for an approximate 1,000 miles per month and maybe have a little energy left over to run an appliance or two.

If you want to go all in-while you're getting the charged up Focus and the solar powered rooftop generator you might as well take advantage of Best Buy's agreement with Ford and pick up one of their 240-volt charging systems too! Of course you can always just pick up some brochures, go home and think about it before diving in.

The gasoline version of the Focus runs around $16,500 but Ford is keeping mum about what price point they'll be offering the green mean Focus. They will also be offering plug-in models in 2012 and beyond

Many details at the Ford Focus Site.

San Jose based SunPower site.

Jobs In Solar: Lead PV Installer (Hawaii - All Islands)

Date: 2011-08-17, 8:54PM HST
Reply to: job-wncdu-2552862431@craigslist.org

Adon Solar is hiring full time lead solar Installers for all islands. The lead Installers will be responsible for all photovoltaic and solar hot water system installations. Successful applicants will coordinate with customers, supervise on site crew members, install all solar hot water and photovoltaic system components and electrical equipment, fill out all system documentation, and ensure successful operation of complete systems, while proficiently communicating and updating project status with operations management staffs.

Responsibilities:

Organize, lead, and train crews to complete projects within established policies and procedures
Complete projects within strict time frames and allowed budgets
Maintain high levels of quality assurance and quality control with an emphasis on crew safety
Assemble the solar array racking, properly seal all roof penetrations, and install all relative equipment
Competently delegate work amongst crew and resolve potential crew issues
Diagnose and troubleshoot system malfunctions and operational issues
Communicate with customers in a professional, considerate, and respectful manner, answering all questions and complaints to the best of your ability.

Qualifications:

More than 2 or 3 years of solar and solar electric experience required (applicants with no solar and no extensive electrical experience will not be accepted and/or reviewed)
NABCEP Certification Preferred
Must have electrical and/or roofing experience
Experience complying with OHSA safety requirements and regulations
Must have full range or mobility in upper and lower body; ability to work in various positions and environments
Ability to climb, lift, pull and push materials and equipment weighing approximately 50 pounds on a frequent basis.
Professional appearance and excellent customer service
Great attention to detail
Good attendance
Valid Driver's License with a clean driving record

Location:  Hawaii-All Islands 

Compensation: Base salary plus profit sharing, 401K, Medical, PTO

Evergreen Solar Inc Files for Bankruptcy

Massachusetts based Evergreen Solar Inc has filed for bankruptcy claiming they have $485.6 million in debt. The company closed one of it's plants in March and also let 800 workers go. Since then they've been attempting to restructure their debt.

August 15th 2011 Evergreen announced that they have filed for Chapter 11 are seeking reorganization in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware. They've also reached a deal with some of their note holders to restructure that part of their debt as well as auction off some of their assets.

Some Massachusetts residents are lamenting that the state provided a $58 million financial aide package to Evergreen. At the time they considered the aide a waste of money and didn't agree with financially supporting Evergreen's $450 million factory.

The reorganization was sparked by Everygreen's troubled solar panel sales which had been in decline for a month.

Read more at Evergreen Solar's Statement to Investors.

How To Make a Solar Panel-The Basics

How To Make A Solar Panel - A Brief Summary Of The Basics
By Paul McKenna

Many people interested in saving on energy costs may like to know how to make a solar panel. Firstly, it is necessary to choose the style of panel and how it is to be mounted to collect solar energy. It will need to be positioned for maximum effect, and you will also need to consider the aesthetic consequences of its positioning. After deciding on the mount and obtaining parts, it's time to begin assembly.

With parts bought from the hardware store, you can easily assemble your own photovoltaic (PV) unit. A simple DIY version may be assembled using copper flashing that has been heated until a layer of cuprous oxide forms on the sheet. Placed in a jar of salt water and connected with wire, this will produce a small amount of electricity. Not enough power is produced for practical use, but this demonstrates the theory.

To construct a panel that can be used to supplement one's power usage, an orthodox PV unit is the practical choice. Using the basic unit of the PV cell, these may be built from scratch or by buying a kit that includes parts and instructions. This type can be assembled for less than $200 by purchasing the pieces separately. To determine the unit's output, connect it to a voltmeter - you will then be able to calculate the number of units required to generate the desired amount of electrical power.

A piece of inexpensive plywood can be cleaned and used to mount the PV cells which convert the sun light to energy. Broken cells work, and are least expensive, but are more work to wire together. Whole cells can be bought on-line or from local dealers. Plexiglass is used to protect the unit and seal in the cells. Assembly also requires UV protector, wire, solder, tin tabbing wire and silicone glue.

After the plywood is cut to size and prepared by several coats of UV protector, to protect it from the suns rays, the PV cells need to be attached together. Add a drop of solder to the tabs on the rear of the cells. Connect the cells in rows using the tabbing wire, from the front of one to the rear of the next, in a series. Another wire connected to the back of each row will transfer the power to a battery.

Drill holes in the plywood through which the wires can be run to the battery and affix the cells to the plywood. The plexiglass needs to cover the cells and be sealed with silicone glue. Seal the holes and any gaps, and drill other holes near the wires so that heat build-up can escape. A junction box on the panel is used to connect the cells to it in order to charge the electrical storage battery. This last point is important, because learning how to make a solar panel is as much about storage of electrical energy as it is about producing that energy via the solar cells.

A voltmeter purchased from a hardware store is inexpensive and is used to measure the power output. Upon learning how to make a solar panel, others can be assembled and connected as arrays to supply ones power needs. Then they are used to either supplement the power to ones home, or supply all the power. You can easily find more detailed instructions on how to make a solar panel, either online or at local hardware/energy supply stores.

Check out our tips on how to make a solar panel by visiting Solar Energy DIY today to grab your Free Report on 'Renewable Energy & Other Money Saving Secrets For Your Home.'

Jobs In Solar: Electrical PE (Edison, NJ)

Date: 2011-08-11, 1:06PM EDT
Reply to: job-76ths-2541524189@craigslist.org

Electrical PE

We are a New Jersey and Portland, OR based business seeking a highly energetic and efficient individual to provide full-time support in our engineering department. This position is for the Edison, New Jersey office.

We are a rapidly expanding professional solar company. The work environment is very fast-paced. The ideal candidate will be a licensed Electrical PE and have 5-10 years experience in electrical design, with special consideration to candidates with experience in commercial and utility scale photovoltaic (PV) system design.

REQUIREMENTS:
- Professional Engineering License (In New Jersey, with the ability to obtain licenses in other states)
- Bachelors degree in electrical engineering or similar engineering discipline
- In-depth understanding of building electrical systems
- Must be familiar with electrical codes and standards
- Experience with utility electrical distribution systems and transformer specification, preferred
- Familiarity with data monitoring systems and communication protocols
- Basic electrical estimating skills
- Strong attention to details
- Highly organized
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work in a team environment in a multi-disciplinary design process
- Project management experience
- Strong computer skills including:
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including complex formulas in Excel.
- Proficient with AutoCAD LT (3D and Inventor a plus)
- Experience with PV System Modeling software such as PVSyst & PV Watts
- Experience with Microsoft Project
- Experience with Google Sketchup is a plus

DUTIES INCLUDE, but not limited to:
Solar Module layout for optimum solar energy production
PV module string sizing
Voltage drop calculations
Wire and conduit sizing
Specification of Electrical equipment and connections
Drafting of electrical and structural documents.
Assembling engineering documentation and plan sets.
Working on multiple projects concurrently; requiring the ability to prioritize and deal with highly technical and important issues that directly impact operations

This is a full time position 40+ hours a week. Please reply with resume and salary requirements.

We will respond to those applicants who meet our criteria.

Location: Edison, NJ
Compensation: Please reply with resume and salary requirements.
 

Self-Assembling Micro-Robots

Physicists from Argonne National Laboratory have created self-assembling micro-robots from tiny ferromagnetic particles. The little Robby the robots are a whopping 0.5mm in diameter. They free-float in oil and water and are controlled with magnets. They assemble into "spiked circles" the physicists call "asters" after the flower they resemble.


They can be controlled with a magnetic field that is parallel to their surface. The nano robots can be directed to gather together to surround an object and push it to a desired location. In the two videos on the site we see the micro-robots capturing a glass bead and ushering it to a destination and the second video shows them collecting particles and transporting them.

These micro-robots remind one of the character in Terminator 2 the T-1000 that could reassemble itself after melting and breaking into little pieces.


The scientists hope that someday the improvements they hope to make will transform these little robots into conveyors of medicine inside a body or actually construct things. After transporting and or constructing they can be directed to disassemble or take on another form. 


As stated in the article you can conjure up all kinds of projects and applications these little fellows could be used for such as producing silicon chips-a key component in photovoltaic panels. 


Unlike the T-1000 these little robots are not self-aware (yet). They can't move or behave independently (yet).  The thought of larger versions of these robots being programmed to become self-aware and being able to replicate themselves is thought provoking to say the least! 

In this video the micro-robots are collecting particles and transporting them to a destination:






* Photo by Alex Snezhko and Igor Aronson courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory.

Jobs In Solar: Residential Administrative Assistant (Los Angeles, CA)

Date: 2011-08-08, 7:37PM PDT
Reply to: job-ybzvq-2537209083@craigslist.org

About the Company:
We are a global solar company. We specialize in the design, engineering and installation of residential, commercial and industrial-scale photovoltaic (PV) electric systems and components.

Title:
Residential Administrative Assistant, Los Angeles, California

Department:
RLC Division â€" Los Angeles, California

Reports to:
RLC Project Manager â€" Los Angeles, California

Job Objective:
The Residential Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the providing administrative support to the RLC Project Manager in various areas related to the Construction industry.

Responsibilities:
1. Procurement of Solar materials.
2. Tracking of Purchase Orders through delivery.
3. Manage the inventory process of solar equipment, materials, and safety gear.
4. Maintaining the stock levels for standard solar materials.
5. Organize and maintain the storage facility.
6. Scheduling deliveries of materials with the vendors and customers.
7. Coordinating the day to day activities with the Project Manager.
8. Similar duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications and Experience:
- Construction experience a must.
- At least 2 years administrative support in the construction industry.
- Strong MS Office Skills
- Excellent communication and time management skills.
- Must be able to multitask in a fast paced environment.
- Some college or AA degree preferred.

Salary and Benefits:
The Residential Administrative Assistant is a full-time position. The company offers a benefits package including medical, dental, paid holidays, vacation, and excellent room for growth.
For consideration please email your resume and cover letter. This position is an immediate hire.

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Compensation: $25,000 - 28,000 DOE plus benefits after probationary period

Pythagoras Solar Windows for Buildings

Israeli based Pythagoras Solar has developed solar windows as a way to get the benefits of solar power without a rooftop installation. The integration of these windows into typical commercial buildings is their current focus.

Pythagoras says their windows as easily integrating into buildings which are the largest users of energy. The windows are available in skylight, curtain wall and colored tile form with a choice of colors and adaptable design.



More details at Pythagoras Solar.

Pizza Box Solar Oven

Here's a quick and easy fun little project to show kids how a simple solar oven works:

Jobs In Solar: Solar-Systems Designer Portland OR Area

Date: 2011-08-01, 1:34PM PDT
Reply to: job-x28m4-2524739239@craigslist.org

National Solar Company seeking Solar system designers.

Responsibilities

* Provide leadership in residential PV system program and process to include post-sales support, documentation, configuration and design.
* Explain program parameters, solar and solar design to customers as needed.
* Produce PV system conceptual designs and cost estimations to support customer project development.
* Guarantee proper roof and site measurements.
* Use of SunEye tool to create line drawings to be submitted for permits.
* Coordinate with sales and operations to providing a seamless process.
* Create a professional and pleasant PV installation and customer experience.
* Ensure full completion of documents with customers and timely, efficient form submissions.
* Self-starter, multi-tasker and problem solver who can create results with minimal supervision.
* Daily and weekly tracking reports to Territory Development Director.

Qualifications

* Familiarity with solar PV system design including electrical components and codes.
* More than one year of PV installation experience a plus.
* Excellent customer relation skills /Sales abilities.
* Extremely organized and ability to meet aggressive time-lines
* Strong computer and communication skills (Excel, Windows, PDF skills required)
* Ability and willingness to travel.
* Take accurate measurements, lift at least 100 pounds, and be comfortable with rooftop heights
* Clean, valid driver's license , drug test and background check.
* NABCEP Certification a plus.
* Own a reliable vehicle. Be a reliable person.

Send Resume to set up an interview.

Compensation: $2000 to $5000 a week