Re: Trolling on Solar (Was Re: Solar sham)

 On Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:57:12 GMT
mauried@tpg.com.au (Mauried) wrote:


<snip>


    From this page:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/29/solarpower.renewableenergy

-------------
"This is the world's lowest-cost solar panel, which we believe will
make us the first solar manufacturer capable of profitably selling solar
panels at as little as 99 cents a watt," said Roscheisen yesterday.
--------------

    A clear claim from a Nanosolar spokesman of a selling price of less
than $1 per watt.


    Various reports put the manufacturing cost at $0.30 per watt, see
for example:

http://www.celsias.com/2007/11/23/nanosolars-breakthrough-technology-solar-now-cheaper-than-coal/

    I think all the reports with this figure stem from the same press
release.


    The claim on their site is 12 months.


    No it has not - all that has been said is "capable of profitably
selling solar panels for as little as 99 cents a watt", they might be
charging more, charging less or even giving them away and taking a loss. I
haven't seen the contracts.


    Of course it doesn't - but where did you get the idea that the
manufacturing cost was $1 per watt ?

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I read that as meaning that someday they hope to be able to sell for as little
as $.99. It certainly doesn't say they do so now.

 Bob F wrote:

  They are shipping now at $.90, read the rest of the thread.

   Jeff

 

I believe Mike Brown is shipping steam engines at .25 a watt.
And Northern equipment is shipping pto generator heads at .10 a watt.
Makes you wonder about the profitability.....especially if you own a tree
farm.

 On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:56:15 -0600


    Sounds good - now add in the cost per watt of the concentrator
array or fuel to power the steam engine and the generator.

    Concentrator at perhaps $250 per square metre would add $1 per watt
(assuming 25% efficiency and counting peak watts in a sunny place).


    pto ? Anyway so you're saying .35 per watt plus whatever it costs
to get the energy. Not bad at all.


    Cutting, chopping, drying, stoking and probably cleaning up the
smoke output to satisfy emissions laws is all going to add to the cost.
It'll probably make money though - perhaps not as much as selling the wood.

--
C:>WIN                                      |   Directable Mirror Arrays
The computer obeys and wins.                | A better way to focus the sun
You lose and Bill collects.                 |    licences available see
                                            |    http://www.sohara.org/