I would love to put in solar panels on my roof, but how hard would it be, and how expensive? Would I be able to do the work myself, or would I have to hire a pro?Also I live in Oregon, so much of the time it is overcast, so would it really be worth it?
Did okorder / . This will absolutely save yourself!
Not a good idea. The reason why panels are that much more expensive than cells is that the panels themselves are not that cheap either. If you start with the cells, you'll need - mechanical protection (hail, ice, snow) - electrical protection (i.e. waterproofing - if water comes in contact with the cells and wires, you'll get electrolysis which will corrode your wires and contacts faster than you can say 'b*mmer') - that setup will need to withstand temperatures between -20 and +30 °C (only guessing, might be worse) - oh, and the side facing the sun must be transparent (as far as possible) Now as to connecting the stuff: no, it will be neither easy to connect it to the house power nor to the grid - which is why that step (at least) in all countries I know of must be done by a certified electrician. If you get it wrong and you're lucky, only _your_ inverter will explode. Regarding the power: these 4W per cell (or kW for your shed) is the peak value, i.e. with the sun shining orthogonally onto the cells on a clear day. Since this (for a fixed installation) will only be true (at most) for a few minutes on a few days each year, your overall yield will be significantly less, probably more like 4 kWh/day for each clear day for each kWpeak you install _IF_ the shed roof is oriented exactly south and inclined towards the sun's noon position at the spring/autumn equinox (i.e. inclination angle = your geographical latitude). How many clear days do you have in britain? Yes, I had a similar idea for myself - but for one thing, the registered companies I addressed apparently weren't really interested in that small fry, plus the cost of the system + setup would barely have been amortized after the expected lifetime, even taking into account the (german) governmental subsidies. If I had the money to spare, I'd rather invest in a communal solar park. Much better ROI, the large installations get much better prices (per kW) for the setup.
Not worth it unless you can get a fat subsidy. But Congress is working on a bill to provide a significant subsidy, and Oregon may have one as well. A solar plant costs about $0 per watt of installed capacity, and can produce a maximum of two kWh per watt per year -- which is worth about two bits. Without a subsidy, you are better off leaving your money in a savings account.
