[Greenbuilding] Solar electric configuration details

[Lawrence Lile]

So would it be better for the planet to invest $6K in solar panels on
the roof, or say an electric vehicle?  

According to the link below, an electric vehicle on coal power would be
a loser as far as CO2 production versus a gasoline powered car.  I
thought this was amazing. Electric vehicles reduce dependence on oil,
solve other pollution problems besides CO2, run cheaper per mile than
gas cars, but they don't reduce carbon if the juice comes from coal
power. If it comes from wind or (dare I say it) Nuclear, then they are
much lower in carbon production. 

 A solar panel, producing 102 KWHR/yr would offset about 222 LB of
carbon dioxide per year.  My annual carbon budget is on the order of
24,000 LBs of CO2, so this one measure is basically insignifigant.
Cutting the electricity use in your house by 10% would be worth 1800 lbs
of CO2.  I could achieve that by being more conscientious about lights
or installing a few more motion sensors.  



http://www.evworld.com/blogs/index.cfm?page=blogentry&authorid=123&archi
ve=1

"A electric car charging from a coal powered grid ( 2.177 lbs C02/kwh)
would generate twice the C02 per mile over a new low emissions IC car.
If you lived in a nuclear or wind / hydro generated area a grid charged
EV car would generate 10 times less C02 per mile then in a coal powered
area and 1/5 the C02 of a IC vehicle."

"These high C02 numbers for a EV were a complete surprise to me. I
thoroughly researched the numbers and received similar numbers from
different qualified sources. Note these numbers represent a newer model
IC car and a small electric car with a 25 kwh battery pack getting about
60 miles from the charge"

Here are some representative numbers for carbon generation.  No two
sites can give the same numbers, so you will google and find different
ones if you try:

Cars - about .6KG carbon dioxide per mile (.5 to .7)  
Solar (amortizine the CO2 required to make the panel) .05 LB CO2 /KWHR
Coal Power - 2.177 LB CO2/KWHR
Average US power - 1.55 LB CO2/KWHR



 
Lawrence Lile, P.E., LEED AP