solar panel estimate

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How much for a 8kwh solar panel system?

If I wanted to add solar panels to my home to produce on average, 8 kWh of electricity daily, how much do you estimate it would cost using state of the art technology?

I live in Virginia (Washington DC Metro Area), and I have Dominion Power. I pay the following electric rates:

Jun-Sep $0.0904/kWh
Oct-May $0.0776/kWh
Annual Ave: $0.0824/kWh

Distribution charges add on approximately another $0.0228/kWh.

How long would the ROI for an 8 kWh/day solar system be?

Figure 8 hours of sun per day, so 8 kW-hr is a rate of 1 kW, which is a medium sized panel, probably not enough to operate your house totally, unless you have a very small unit. Averaged over 24 hours, that is power at a rate of only 300 watts, enough for a TV.

Average US home use is 1.2 kW, which over 24 hours is 29 kW-hr, plus you need extra for cloudy days, peak demands, and to charge batteries.

You have to decide off-grid or on-grid, and if you want to (and are allowed to) sell excess power to the power company. Off gird, the cost of batteries and charge controller are a large part of the cost. On-grid, you have to purchase equipment approved by the power company to match your power with the grid.

Panels will cost about $3 per watt, so for 1000 watts that is $3000. Double that for installation, then add in cost of charge controller, inverter, batteries, etc. The last items depend on your alternatives, see paragraph above.

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