Cost of Solar Panels Questioned

Editor:

My wife and I truly enjoy your newspaper. Thank you for the service you provide. Keep up the good work.

Having read the Cedar Key News article of June 25, 2009, concerning the installation of Solar Panels in the Community Center, some questions came to my mind.

1- What is the average monthly electric bill and how much Kilowatt Hours are used for the Center?
2- How much usable power will the solar panels provide based on a 365-day year? Is it 100% or less?
3- How much money will the solar panels save?
4- How long will the system last and how long will the system perform as designed?
5- What are the yearly maintenance and service (including batteries) costs for the system?
6- Will we save more money by using the panels or would it be better to pay the electric bill?

The cost of $42,000.00 is a great deal of money, and we, the tax payers are the ones who will pay for this system. Since I am paying for a part of it, I would like to know my money is well spent.

My preliminary figures cause me much concern. $42,000.00 over 20 years comes out to $2,100.00 per year. $2,100.00 divided by 12 months a year comes out to $175.00 per month. If the center pays less than $175.00 per month for the power bill, did we get a good deal? I did not include maintenance and repairs in my calculations, even though they are a factor.

With our current economic conditions, unemployment near 10%, high energy costs and Cap & Trade looming in our future, did we make a sound investment? Or did we just spend the money because $20,000.00 was there for the taking? I would appreciate the answers if you can provide them.

Thank you.
Frank Kozak
Cedar Key