Comments on: To PV, or not to PV, that is the question. http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/ Musings on investing, renewable energy, the global warming, denver, and the stock market. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:10:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: tomkonrad http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-2270 tomkonrad Sat, 10 Feb 2007 05:57:39 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-2270 John, As a matter of fact, I have not yet received a single form asking for a rebate. I have, however, been contacted by several nonprofits who were planning CFL giveaways. In response, I have made donations to the <a href="http://www.eenc.org/sandhills/Sharing_a_Sense_of_Wonder.html" rel="nofollow">Environmental Educators of North Carolina</a> (this page lists me as a "seed level donor" because of it, <a href="http://www.greenlightneworleans.org/" rel="nofollow">Greenlight New Orleans</a>, The <a href="http://uubloomington.org/" rel="nofollow">Bloomington Unitarian Universalist Church's </a>Green Sanctuary project, and Boulder's <a href="http://www.conservedproject.com/" rel="nofollow">ConservED Project</a>, totalling well over $1000, before the tax deductions (rebates on my website reflect lower numbers because there I am including only after-tax money I've spent on this project, and some of the charities have not yet given away the bulbs (or at least have not told me about it) for the programs I helped fund. I also have personally given away about 50 CFLs to aquaintences and prospective clients, and I'll be donating a bunch of Candelabra bulbs to the Colorado Renewable Energy Society's Annual Auction at the end of this month. I did say "no" to one charity which asked, because I felt that my contribution would not actually increase the number of bulbs given away (the bulbs had already been purchased.) Due to the number of charities who have asked me, I have gone to donating only $1 per bulb for such programs... the charity has to come up with the rest of the necessary money on their own. The rebate offer remains open, mainly because I'm curious if anyone will ever send one in. John,
As a matter of fact, I have not yet received a single form asking for a rebate. I have, however, been contacted by several nonprofits who were planning CFL giveaways. In response, I have made donations to the Environmental Educators of North Carolina (this page lists me as a “seed level donor” because of it, Greenlight New Orleans, The Bloomington Unitarian Universalist Church’s Green Sanctuary project, and Boulder’s ConservED Project, totalling well over $1000, before the tax deductions (rebates on my website reflect lower numbers because there I am including only after-tax money I’ve spent on this project, and some of the charities have not yet given away the bulbs (or at least have not told me about it) for the programs I helped fund. I also have personally given away about 50 CFLs to aquaintences and prospective clients, and I’ll be donating a bunch of Candelabra bulbs to the Colorado Renewable Energy Society’s Annual Auction at the end of this month.

I did say “no” to one charity which asked, because I felt that my contribution would not actually increase the number of bulbs given away (the bulbs had already been purchased.) Due to the number of charities who have asked me, I have gone to donating only $1 per bulb for such programs… the charity has to come up with the rest of the necessary money on their own.

The rebate offer remains open, mainly because I’m curious if anyone will ever send one in.

]]> By: Solar John http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-2267 Solar John Fri, 09 Feb 2007 21:33:01 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-2267 Tom, I've switched to CF's long ago, and am happy to be working on my PV system. I don't care that I could have better invested my money elsewhere, I enjoy what I do. It was good of you to offer to reimberse people for installing CF's, but I can't help but wonder if you've actually made good on your promise. Can you let us know please? In case anyone is interested, I blog about my RE experiences on: http://solarjohn.blogspot.com Perhaps by writing about my expereince, I've encouraged others to do similar work, and my investment may be more worthwhile than it appears. John Tom,

I’ve switched to CF’s long ago, and am happy to be working on my PV system. I don’t care that I could have better invested my money elsewhere, I enjoy what I do. It was good of you to offer to reimberse people for installing CF’s, but I can’t help but wonder if you’ve actually made good on your promise. Can you let us know please?

In case anyone is interested, I blog about my RE experiences on:

http://solarjohn.blogspot.com

Perhaps by writing about my expereince, I’ve encouraged others to do similar work, and my investment may be more worthwhile than it appears.

John

]]> By: nancylaplaca http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-193 nancylaplaca Mon, 27 Nov 2006 03:17:00 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-193 Thanks for the education. Thanks for the education.

]]> By: tomkonrad http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-167 tomkonrad Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:53:36 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-167 I'm not actually comparing installing CFLs in your own home to PV on your roof... I'm comparing giving away CFLs to putting PV on your roof. It turns out, that with the money you could have earned with the money invested in the PV system, you can afford to buy CFLs and give them away, and still come out ahead financially, even though you gave them away. At the same time, you will be offsetting more carbon than would have been the case by installing the PV system. As for not having receipts to send me, I suggest you buy some CFLs to give to a friend or coworker, and send me the receipt. Alternatively, you could buy household LEDs to replace some of your high-use CFLs, and the same offer applies. It turns out that while LEDs are still more expensive than CFLs on a negawatt saved basis (because of their relatively high price,) they're still a better investment than PV, both in the financial sense, and in the sense of reduced emissions. Global warming is a massive problem, and like it or not we all have limited time and money to address it. On of the reasons I do these comparisons is to help people use those limited resources to address the problem as effectively as possible. To fill in the hole we've dug ourselves with CO2 emissions, we'll need all tools available, but we should start with the backhoe of energy efficiency before we get to the shovel of photovoltaics. I’m not actually comparing installing CFLs in your own home to PV on your
roof… I’m comparing giving away CFLs to putting PV on your roof. It turns
out, that with the money you could have earned with the money invested in
the PV system, you can afford to buy CFLs and give them away, and still come
out ahead financially, even though you gave them away. At the same time,
you will be offsetting more carbon than would have been the case by
installing the PV system.

As for not having receipts to send me, I suggest you buy some CFLs to give
to a friend or coworker, and send me the receipt. Alternatively, you could
buy household LEDs to replace some of your high-use CFLs, and the same offer applies. It turns
out that while LEDs are still more expensive than CFLs on a negawatt saved
basis (because of their relatively high price,) they’re still a better investment than PV, both in the financial sense, and in the sense of reduced emissions.

Global warming is a massive problem, and like it or not we all have limited time and money to address it. On of the reasons I do these comparisons is to help people use those limited resources to address the problem as effectively as possible. To fill in the hole we’ve dug ourselves with CO2 emissions, we’ll need all tools available, but we should start with the backhoe of energy efficiency before we get to the shovel of photovoltaics.

]]> By: Alan http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-166 Alan Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:48:06 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-166 It's no secret that the very first thing one should do before installing a PV system is increase energy efficiency throughout the house (or whatever building the PV system is intended to power), and any honest and worthwhile PV installer will suggest exactly that before selling you a system. That includes replacing not just the lights, but the refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, and just about anything else that uses electricity. It's almost always cheaper to reduce your load than to increase your PV supply, so these investments immediately pay for themselves -- and then some -- in savings on the installed cost of the PV system. Of course, the cost of the PV system provides an excellent incentive for people to invest in more expensive high-efficiency compact fluorescents and applicances. The incentive is certainly there for folks relying on grid power, too, but it is smaller and less immediate, so for many it is all but invisible. As for your offer to give away compact fluorescents, I love the idea! I'd send you some receipts myself, but I've already put CFs everywhere I can and don't anticipate having to replace any of them for years now.... It’s no secret that the very first thing one should do before installing a PV system is increase energy efficiency throughout the house (or whatever building the PV system is intended to power), and any honest and worthwhile PV installer will suggest exactly that before selling you a system. That includes replacing not just the lights, but the refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, and just about anything else that uses electricity. It’s almost always cheaper to reduce your load than to increase your PV supply, so these investments immediately pay for themselves — and then some — in savings on the installed cost of the PV system. Of course, the cost of the PV system provides an excellent incentive for people to invest in more expensive high-efficiency compact fluorescents and applicances. The incentive is certainly there for folks relying on grid power, too, but it is smaller and less immediate, so for many it is all but invisible.

As for your offer to give away compact fluorescents, I love the idea! I’d send you some receipts myself, but I’ve already put CFs everywhere I can and don’t anticipate having to replace any of them for years now….

]]> By: Net Zero Electricity for less than $700 « EE/RE Investing http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-161 Net Zero Electricity for less than $700 « EE/RE Investing Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:43:59 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-161 [...] A few months ago, I wrote a blog comparing the number of negawatts you could produce by giving away Compact fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) to the amount of electricity you can produce with a rooftop photovoltaic system.  The CFLs had photovoltaics beat six ways from Sunday, and I concluded that you could do better by putting the money you were considering investing in a PV system in a Bank CD, and using the interest to give away CFLs.  Since I actually believe my own calculations, I set out to do just that. [...] [...] A few months ago, I wrote a blog comparing the number of negawatts you could produce by giving away Compact fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) to the amount of electricity you can produce with a rooftop photovoltaic system.  The CFLs had photovoltaics beat six ways from Sunday, and I concluded that you could do better by putting the money you were considering investing in a PV system in a Bank CD, and using the interest to give away CFLs.  Since I actually believe my own calculations, I set out to do just that. [...]

]]> By: tomkonrad http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-9 tomkonrad Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:26:23 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-9 A great step in that direction would be to have energy efficiency included in utilities' planning. California (and a few other states) have taken this step... before a utility considers new fossil generation, it must study the cost impact of energy efficiency measures and renewables. Because energy efficiency is typically much cheaper than any form of new generation (not just PV), it often wins out. Unfortunately, when CO passed our Amendment 37, which introduced our Renewable Portfolio standard, we had to drop EE from the proposal to get the necessary support in the CO legislature. I love renewable energy, but EE has to be our priority. To torture a metaphor, when you're in the global warming hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging, before you start trying to fill it back in with RE. A great step in that direction would be to have energy efficiency included in utilities’ planning. California (and a few other states) have taken this step… before a utility considers new fossil generation, it must study the cost impact of energy efficiency measures and renewables. Because energy efficiency is typically much cheaper than any form of new generation (not just PV), it often wins out.

Unfortunately, when CO passed our Amendment 37, which introduced our Renewable Portfolio standard, we had to drop EE from the proposal to get the necessary support in the CO legislature. I love renewable energy, but EE has to be our priority. To torture a metaphor, when you’re in the global warming hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging, before you start trying to fill it back in with RE.

]]> By: rsm http://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-7 rsm Wed, 26 Jul 2006 16:49:22 +0000 https://tomkonrad.wordpress.com/2006/07/25/to-pv-or-not-to-pv-that-is-the-question/#comment-7 The Union of Concerned Scientists says that compact flourescent and fuel-economical transport are the two biggest things you can do to save the planet. Your offer is great for putting your money where your mouth is. If you could only get Denver to chip in 10,000 times as much ... The Union of Concerned Scientists says that compact flourescent and fuel-economical transport are the two biggest things you can do to save the planet.

Your offer is great for putting your money where your mouth is. If you could only get Denver to chip in 10,000 times as much …

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