Solar Resources for Electricians
Solar Resources for Electricians
Some of the cost confusion in this thread is due to the fact that the module cost is only a portion of total system cost. System cost varies with project size?from, say, $5/watt to $10/watt?but where modules were available from manufacturers for $4/watt or more 12 to 18 months ago, they are available in the $3/watt range today, less at higher volumes. Global market conditions and commodities, determine what that price is. Also, this is the price for modules made with conventional silicon cells. At least one thin-film manufacturer claims to that their manufacturing costs are less than $1/watt. Who knows what their cost to integrators is? They exclusively sell product onto utility-scale and large-commercial projects and they are pre-sold years in advance.
The main things to know is that utility prices are trending upwards, while the cost for solar and solar-generated electricity is trending lower. Also the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" will encourage a lot of solar capacity building. This will take many forms, including utility-scale projects and efficiency upgrades for Federal facilities. The commercial and residential markets will grow as well. In general, solar electric, or PV systems, are not carrying 100% of the load where they are installed. These are utility-interactive systems, without battery backup, that only generate electricity during the day. So even if the the solar electric system is sized to offset 100% of the load, the utility still carries the load at night and many times throughout the day or year. PV is a supplemental resource to the overall mix of electric generation resources.
John Wiles and his "Suggested Practices" document is a great resource for electricians and inspectors new to solar. But the most comprehensive manual on the subject by far is the "Photovoltaic Systems" textbook developed by the NJATC and published by ATP.
SolarPro magazine is another useful resource. It is a free technical, trade publication for the North American solar industry, focused on design and installation best practices or nuts and bolts type issues.
Here are links:
Photovoltaic Systems
SolarPro magazine