Comments on: Contractors Corner: Proving solar is viable in even the darkest Alaskan communities https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/01/contractors-corner-proving-solar-viable-even-darkest-alaskan-communities/ Covering the world of solar power technology, development and installation. Wed, 03 Jan 2018 18:55:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2 By: Mariano Orellana Ureta https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/01/contractors-corner-proving-solar-viable-even-darkest-alaskan-communities/#comment-34241 Wed, 03 Jan 2018 18:55:04 +0000 https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/?p=73072#comment-34241 Congratulations for work you are doing.! Very similar what we have in Chile in the South close to Antartic.
I do know very welll reasons why Florida es short of solar energy. I am membership for Al Gore The Climate Change.

]]> By: Ronald P Barrett https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/01/contractors-corner-proving-solar-viable-even-darkest-alaskan-communities/#comment-25043 Wed, 01 Feb 2017 20:48:34 +0000 https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/?p=73072#comment-25043 ROI for Solar, both S-Photovoltaic and Thermal, is that it has increased returns 7% per annum for the past 5 years and is expected to continue to show increased returns for the future five years. Solar KWhr production costs are below coal and just above the cheapest thermal systems, aka gas. Note: Solar O&M costs are 80% to 90% below thermal systems, long term.

The average annual per capita increase in the use of electrical energy is approximately 7% per annum and is expected to always increase. And one never owns it. Solar arrays you can own outright.

The average electrical utility increase in PU rates (monthly billing) is well above 7% per annum and in some states twice that!
THE best thing about utility electrical is that it is set to needed “base load.” And it does this well.

The worst fact about Solar is that it is produced mostly during the daytime. So the big need here is solar-energy storage.
The Tesla 3KWhr Lithium unit costs approximately $4000. Energy-Storage is not there yet.

The answer to human electrical energy needs is to overall decrease consumption, and increased Renewable Energy utilization.
Alaska’s solar effort will indeed help meet the needs, as opposed to the sunniest state in the union, Florida whose leaders have shown the poorest support for Solar. Florida could be 40% free-solar powered, but is less than 1%. Financial ROI will change this.

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