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Anybody has a good link to compare TOC of solar vs wind? From what I've heard, solar panels have a definite lifespan, but are maintenance free until then. Win

Anybody has a good link to compare TOC of solar vs wind? From what I've heard, solar panels have a definite lifespan, but are maintenance free until then. Wind could last longer provided you maintain it right.

ocschwar 9y ago
Maintaining it right means monitoring it, which means a full time desk job for a controller looking at N turbines, and making regular site visits for inspections. Part of the inspection process means halting the turbine so one blade points straight down, and then rappelling down to inspect it for cracks and dirt (they're like windshields. bugs stick to them.) Not on the same scale as installation, but still a steady source of jobs.
yessql 9y ago
Solar panels have a warranty for 25 or 30 years. Their output slowly deteriorates over time, but there are 50 year old panels that still work fine out there.
antr 9y ago
No technology is maintenance free. Solar PV requires its fair share of maintenance: cleaning panels, field treatment, inverter replacement, performance/yield monitoring, panel replacement, security, etc.
stevenwoo 9y ago
One not only has to worry about lifespan but geography. http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/12/13914942/interactive-map-cheapest-power-plant http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/12/1391494... Not sure if CAPEX as described below includes everything. direct link to map http://calculators.energy.utexas.edu/lcoe_map/#/county/tech http://calculators.energy.utexas.edu/lcoe_map/#/county/tech
philipkglass 9y ago
See figure 3-6 in this report: https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Electricity%20Generation%20Baseline%20Report.pdf https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Electricity%... The EIA thinks that the levelized cost of energy from utility scale solar PV in the US is still above wind. NREL and Lazard seem to think they're about at parity now. PV is lowering costs (both initial construction and O&M) faster than wind, so I expect it to start underpricing wind in the US. Of course there are going to be places where wind remains cheaper for a long time just because they have much better wind resources than sunshine resources. Utility scale solar farms and wind farms both require maintenance labor, though little compared to coal, hydro, or nuclear facilities. Gas based power plants also require little maintenance relative to the power they produce. I'd generally expect a PV module installed this year to have a longer useful lifespan than a wind turbine installed this year. Turbines have to endure much more mechanical stress. I'd say a typical rule of thumb right now is 20 years for a turbine and 25 years for a PV module. Both numbers are creeping up over time.

ocschwar 9y ago

Maintaining it right means monitoring it, which means a full time desk job for a controller looking at N turbines, and making regular site visits for inspections. Part of the inspection process means halting the turbine so one blade points straight down, and then rappelling down to inspect it for cracks and dirt (they're like windshields. bugs stick to them.) Not on the same scale as installation, but still a steady source of jobs.

yessql 9y ago

Solar panels have a warranty for 25 or 30 years. Their output slowly deteriorates over time, but there are 50 year old panels that still work fine out there.

antr 9y ago

No technology is maintenance free. Solar PV requires its fair share of maintenance: cleaning panels, field treatment, inverter replacement, performance/yield monitoring, panel replacement, security, etc.

stevenwoo 9y ago

One not only has to worry about lifespan but geography. http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/12/13914942/interactive-map-cheapest-power-plant http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/12/1391494... Not sure if CAPEX as described below includes everything. direct link to map http://calculators.energy.utexas.edu/lcoe_map/#/county/tech http://calculators.energy.utexas.edu/lcoe_map/#/county/tech

philipkglass 9y ago

See figure 3-6 in this report: https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Electricity%20Generation%20Baseline%20Report.pdf https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Electricity%... The EIA thinks that the levelized cost of energy from utility scale solar PV in the US is still above wind. NREL and Lazard seem to think they're about at parity now. PV is lowering costs (both initial construction and O&M) faster than wind, so I expect it to start underpricing wind in the US. Of course there are going to be places where wind remains cheaper for a long time just because they have much better wind resources than sunshine resources. Utility scale solar farms and wind farms both require maintenance labor, though little compared to coal, hydro, or nuclear facilities. Gas based power plants also require little maintenance relative to the power they produce. I'd generally expect a PV module installed this year to have a longer useful lifespan than a wind turbine installed this year. Turbines have to endure much more mechanical stress. I'd say a typical rule of thumb right now is 20 years for a turbine and 25 years for a PV module. Both numbers are creeping up over time.