But one common roadblock to going solar is the sizable upfront installation cost.
Thanks to some clever innovation by a variety of financial players, a growing number of companies are getting solar electricity without paying the big upfront installation cost.
In response to one question, it was made clear that the huge difference in propagation in the different spectrum bands would require additional antennas but that is not a big part of the installation cost anyway.
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You can depreciate the vines and cost of installation, and of course deduct the harvesting and maintenance costs and maybe catch a property tax break for farmland.
And according to our friends at the solar company Sungevity, the cost of the installation would be earned back with savings on the electric bill in the first five years, so an installation makes fiscal sense, as well.
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We realized that continuing to do the installation ourselves would no longer be cost effective.
"We benefit from missing one or two upgrade cycles, " he says, citing the cost and hassle of installation and the toll on the mind.
The exorbitant fees charged by some localities look more like taxes than honest calculations to simply recover the cost of ensuring an installation meets local codes.
And thus there will come a time when silicon cells are simply an inexpensive commodity: it will be the innovators who can reduce installation costs who will drive further cost reductions.
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For most consumers, home monitoring and automation systems have been a thing of the future, or a luxury experienced only in high-priced hotels (not unlike the ones many of us are staying in this week in Las Vegas during CES.) This year, though, these type of systems seem to be becoming more mainstream as the cost of devices, installation, and usability is significantly reducing.
Instead of paying the upfront cost of the solar equipment and installation, homeowner who sign solar leases will put up little or no money upfront.
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Solar finance is getting more efficient, the cost of panels is falling, and installation is more efficient.
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Not surprisingly, by far the biggest factor in the cost of electricity generated by solar is the installation costs for a system.
Total Cost of Ownership including not only software hardware installation and maintenance costs, but also including recommended counterparts required to assemble a best of breed solution stack.
The website lists rebates and other subsidies that help to defray installation costs and provides a calculator for figuring out the cost of electricity, the payback period and the return on the investment from installing small wind turbines, which refer to those that are under 100-kilowatt in size and engineered for residential and business properties, including farms and government agencies.
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The council said the cost included the design and production of the letters, installation and power supply.
We not only inform residential and commercial customers about their most cost-effective energy options but we also handle the installation of new equipment and even help arrange financing.
She said the installation of meters was a complex task and the delay allowed this to take place "in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, and to greater effect".
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