June 17th, 2008
Lumeta PowerPly Peel-N-Stick Solar Panels
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
I just completed a solar installation in my home that was north of $50K (ouch) and can tell you there is no such thing as the comfort and ease of a peel ‘n stick solar installation. Or is there? A company called Lumeta makes the PowerPly 380, a self adhesive solar panel that does away with the complex installation of panel racks and so on.
“Power-Ply 380 Roof Integrated Photovoltaic (RIPV) module is designed for flat roof applications and is easily installed over TPO, PVC, EPDM, Modified, and Built-Up roof systems. Its unique design combines high-efficiency cell technology with direct roof application to maximize energy generation for a given roof area. In addition, it eliminates the need for racking systems or other mounting structures that penetrate the roof, resulting in faster installations and less distractions for building owners.”
Alice’s Take: Sounds good, but not sure how it all hooks up. Worth looking into for a small installation like for a water heater. Of if you can though, go solar regardless. I save almost $1,000 a month and much much more once the system is paid for and all the rate continue to climb.
More info
Source: Lumeta via Red Ferret
Alice says:
Not for homes unless your roof is flat, but great for office and apartment buildings
June 17th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Michael Forry says:
My electric and gas bills here in PA max out at around $300 combined, so they would REALLY have to drop the price for solar to benefit me
Mike
Wife was just talking to me about one of those hybrid cars yesterday…everybody is thinking green it seems, and that is GOOD!!!
June 18th, 2008 at 2:53 am
Dave Zatz says:
What kind did you install, Alice?
June 18th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Alice says:
Hi Dave,
The panels in my installation were by Mitsubishi. The system was actually about $75K but after rebates came down to something that would pay for itself a lot sooner. Our bills were getting close to $1,000 a month, so it is nice to have a $17 electric bill now!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:12 am
John says:
Why in the world would your electric bills be $1,000/month? Aren’t you in California? Even if you add gas in with it, it simply isn’t cold enough in CA. At least not for me in Monterey. However, we don’t need A/C, being next to the bay.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Michael Tarpinian says:
On the face of it, I can’t see this working in the snowbelt. At least not right now. First, if the panels are flat to the roof and 9” of snow falls overnight, light will be blocked. Second, a/c costs the typical homeowner here about $500 in the months without Rs. Third, natural gas costs far less for heating, so most buildings are heated that way and not with electricity. Perhaps new construction needs to plan with solar and maybe wind power in mind. While I love the idea of solar, it looks like location has a lot to do with the economic viability.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Solar Panel Installations says:
hey there,
thanks for sharing this article, I wonder if these Solar Panel Installations can accumulate solar energy so that it can be used at night-time… any ideas ?
June 19th, 2008 at 8:41 am