Re: [cdn-nucl-l] interesting letter: " Savings from solar power don't add up "

[Bill Garland <garlandw@mcmaster.ca>]

Good.  I felt the same way when I read Sal's letter
last week but never got a chance to reply.  I would add that if we
all did what he did and all applied for the $40 subsidy, then we would be
paying ourselves via the government.  Since the government has not a
penny to call its own, we taxpayers are paying the subsidy plus the cost
of administering the subsidy.  I suspect the admin costs are as big
as the subsidy itself.  So Sal should have added in about an $80
personal cost for the $40 subsidy if he were to scale up his scheme to
mass levels.  As it stands, we are paying Sal to support his
folly.  Duh!

Bill

At 07:41 AM 30/06/2006, Jaro wrote:

> http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1151617835963&call_pageid=970599119419
>  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
>
> Letter: Savings from solar power
> don't add up
>
> Jun. 30, 2006. 01:00 AM
>
> Mike Graham-Smith, Georgetown, Ont.
>
> RE: Install panels on roofs, Letter,
> June 28.
>
>  
>
> Sal Amenta's letter justifying the cost
> of installing solar panels on his roof is complete nonsense. 
>
>  
>
> He will not recover the cost of this
> installation in 10 years just by the electricity it generates. He states
> that he is saving $130 per month on his hydro bill by generating
> electricity and through household power conservation. 
>
>  
>
> This covers the $130 per month cost of
> the 10-year loan he took out to pay for this installation.
>
>  
>
> He must be doing an admirable job
> conserving energy because he also states that he will get an additional
> $40 per month when he is paid 42 cents per kilowatt hour for the power
> that he generates in the future. 
>
>  
>
> This means that he is generating less
> than 100 kilowatt hours of power per month. 
>
>  
>
> The cost of buying this power, at say
> 10 cents per kilowatt hour, is only $10 per month and that is all that
> will come off his hydro bill for the power he generates.
>
>  
>
> If you add this $10 saving to the $40
> subsidy, you still only have $50 and his outlay costs him $130 per month!
>
>  
>
> The bulk of the saving he reports must
> come from conservation. 
>
>  
>
> The hydro the panels generate will never
> pay for their installation in 10 years.
>
>

Bill Garland, Executive Director of UNENE and Professor, Dept. of Engineering Physics, Bldg. NRB 117, McMaster University,  Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA L8S 4L7, Tel: (905)525-9140 x24925 Fax: (905)528-4339 Email: garlandw@mcmaster.ca
Web:< www.nuceng.ca> < http://canteach.candu.org> <www.unene.ca>