How To: Cheap or Free Solar Panels
My cousin mentioned to me that her family wanted to install solar panels on their roof. She said it was a huge disappointment because it was far too expensive. It would take twenty years for them to regain the cost in energy savings, even with state solar initiatives! I decided to do some digging and came up with a handy solution to help reduce the cost:
Find used solar panels. Maybe you can get them for free.
It may be the next best option after joining a solar group discount program.
If you’ve ever passed highway construction or remote weather sensors, perhaps you can see where I’m going. Solar panels are ideal for electric equipment without access the power grid. Being in “the field” can be rough on rigid silicon wafers. Any time a solar panel gets chipped or cracked it becomes “unsafe” and must be replaced. Fortunately for us, “unsafe” is relative to rough road-side or wilderness conditions, not a cozy rooftop. Those panels have to go somewhere and they can be expensive to dispose of. Some companies would rather give them away to greenies. Sound too good to be true? Well consider that some of that damage, cracks or chips, also degrade the efficiency of the panels - anywhere from 10%-60%. It’s not going to generate as much energy as a swanky new panel. But if you buy it for a song, or even convince them to give it to you for free, who’s complaining? Subtract 10% off a 22-watt panel and you still get 19 watts. That panel will still reduce your electricity bill.
So where do you find used solar panels?
Step 1: Collect Contact Info.
Next time you spot a panel in “the field”, there should be a sign on or near it with a contractor’s name and contact information. These are the people who provide solar panels for “in field” use. Just be careful: it is dangerous and sometimes illegal to stop on the side of a highway just to jot down a name and number. Instead look for weather sensors or portable electric signs on local roads. If that fails, try scouring your local phone book for contractors who provide equipment for road construction. Make a list of these names, phone numbers and their addresses.
Step 2: Go see them.
Convincing someone to sell/ give you an expensive piece of hardware is less likely to happen over the phone. You’ll want to talk to the mechanics or the maintenance department: gentlemen who are probably very busy. Be friendly and always offer to pay for the damaged panels - they’ll appreciate the offer even if they don’t intend to charge you. If they do want cash, bargain. Keep in mind that they are doing you a favor by selling/giving something to you. Forging a good relationship will help in the long run. They wear out panels regularly; if they give to you once, they’re more likely to do it again. Remember to call back every few weeks to check if they’ve “received” (i.e. broken) any more panels.
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[...] more about this idea at GreenTechnica. Digg [...]
[...] where you live and what kinds of panels you buy, “long term” can mean 10-40 years. With cheaper solar panels, obviously you would regain your investment [...]
This hopefully will all be a moot point soon as some smart guy from MIT just developed a new solar panel design that will make new panels of 50 watts cost around ten bucks instead of 300. This new material he found performs just about as well as silicone , but is very cheap to make. He claims you could put the chemicals into your ink jet printer and make your own panels by spraying the stuff on to a plastic paper and soldering wires on to a certain pattern. I saw the units on their web site and later in the same month I saw it again on a program on the history channel called green power I think. Anyway, I goggled the stuff and it was true, but a lot of big money was put into a large corporation and I’ll bet it will be years before we see this stuff because of all the damage it could do to our economy. It could cause everyone in the nation with sun to unhook from the grid and buy electric cars and how would all of the power companies make money? I hope you see my point instead of thinking I’m just paranoid. Well, look it up and maybe they actually have the stuff in production by now, as this was four months ago. Good Luck.
dennis
Dennis,
It’s true that there are a lot of exciting innovations in solar technology right now. It’s getting cheaper and more efficient every day - with important announcements cropping up almost weekly. As for the economic impacts, electric companies actually save money when demand on their infrastructure decreases to a certain amount. It’s not just that they’re producing less, but they don’t have to produce more. Building new power plants of any shape or size is expensive. If they can keep what they have (without losing *all* of their business of course), they can spend more time earning profits instead of expanding and upgrading an already-stressed system.
I think in my country Cape Verde I’m paying too much on electricity bills and I’m looking if I can get a deal with a solar panel? My output is 220 volts so tell me if you have something with total price and I’ll see if we do business.
Jose,
I’d love to, but unfortunately I’m not a business. Just a humble blog. However, if you see anyone with solar panels in your country, ask them where they got them and for how much. They might know some way to get a great deal.
Actually, I have a friend in Cape Verde. She’s an English Teacher. Unfortunately, she probably doesn’t know anything about solar panels.
I interested to solar energy then you will give some tips.
We saw the same twenty year scentance, chained to a heavy repayment !
Guess what the price of power went up and in 4.5 years we are paid for and making a profit!
Do not be discouraged, just look at the pricwe of gas over the last 2 years!!!
Mike
Michelle: thank you for the great post! I am in the market for some solar panels and seems that my financial whoes are echoed by many. This gives the opportunity to still pursue solar energy at a cost that is actually feasible for me. And Brent: thank you for the suggestion for batteries! Moving to sustainable energy is a great idea, it’s just so expensive initially, and it’s really exciting for me to hear that I also have all these alternatives to make sustainable living more affordable for the “fresh out of college” too.
Thank you!
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