Posted on 07/29/2006 3:34:37 PM PDT by BenLurkin
When the Costco managers at the headquarters in Issaquah, Wash., decided it was time to embrace solar photovoltaic technology, they selected the Costco warehouse in Lancaster - from among their 480 warehouses worldwide - for the prototype project.
At the completion of the project the last week of August, the Lancaster facility will be the site of one of the largest privately owned commercial photovoltaic systems in the United States, said the builders.
According to Craig Peal, assistant vice president, when powered up, the system will reduce 44% of the building's peak electrical load on a peak day and "if it produces as much energy as predicted, it will produce 19% of the total energy consumption" of the warehouse during a year.
The sea of dark blue silicon on the Costco roof will generate 600,000 watts, or 600 kilowatts, on a day with maximum conditions. Each 4- by 6-foot module will capture enough blue-green light to produce 310 watts of electricity.
The installation of a total of 1,864 modules on the galvanized aluminum roof of the 148,000-square-foot warehouse is 40% complete.
As of Friday, 869 of the modules had been installed by Los Angeles-based Permacity, which has designed the proprietary system using photovoltaic modules made by Schott Solar, a German company with U.S. headquarters in Billerica, Mass. Delivery of the remaining 1,004 modules is expected Aug. 15 in spite of a worldwide silicon shortage, said Permacity CEO Jonathan Port.
The Lancaster Costco installation is the result of extended planning.
"We had been looking at solar for a number of years," Peal said. During the last 12 months, he said, after an analysis of the financial picture, including market conditions, the cost of power and energy available in California, "the numbers started looking good enough to get started with the project."
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
LOL. Time to start shopping elsewhere when they pass those costs to the consumer
Solar makes no economic sense. Even in California.
My local Wal-Mart is in the midst of a re-model. Wood floors and shelvinjg are being installed. Aisle widths have been narrowed and shelves lowered. Lighting is being controlled by motion detectors in the different depts. Oh, and the prices are already reflecting the cost of this.
"Solar makes no economic sense. Even in California."
Why not?
Are you saying:
Investment too high? Saved dollars too low? If so, due to low volume of energy units saved, or low cost per unit of energy saved?
To do such calculations involves estimates. Today many decision makers will be including estimates of HIGHER future energy unit prices.
A few years ago oil was $10 to $15 per barrel. Now it is $70+.
Solar makes no economic sense. Even in California.
Solar power means batteries. Batteries last 3-5 years.... I could not imagine the ecological damage from burying millions of tons of batteries each year.
The only way solar will ever make sense is if government outright bans other forms of energy and heavily subsidizies and mandates solar.
Natural gas could easily be the best alternative energy if government restrictions were lifted... and no millions of tons of batteries dumped annually.
If you have to spend $10,000 to save $500 your probably better off investing it somewhere. But the desert is the only place, especially with other things where it could make some sense.
I still ask:
Investment too high? Saved dollars too low? If so, due to low volume of energy units saved, or low cost per unit of energy saved?
The system in the article does NOT involve batteries, nor do home and water heating with solar.
I am referring to using solar as a source of power in general in this country.
I've read that California has spent $3 billion on solar power and are getting about $25 million worth of electricity (over time).
Between them, their shareholders, and their customers.
The free market talks...and sometimes swears.
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