Description |
1 online resource (vii, 45 p.) : ill., maps |
Series |
NREL/TP-6A20-48986 |
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NREL/TP ; 6A20-48986.
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System Details |
Full text available via Internet in .pdf format. Adobe Acrobat Reader required. |
Note |
Title from PDF title screen (NREL, viewed Feb. 28, 2011). |
Type Of Report |
Technical report. |
Note |
"February 2011." |
Summary |
This paper examines the break-even cost for residential rooftop solar water heating (SWH) technology, defined as the point where the cost of the energy saved with a SWH system equals the cost of a conventional heating fuel purchased from the grid (either electricity or natural gas). We examine the break-even cost for the largest 1,000 electric and natural gas utilities serving residential customers in the United States as of 2008. Currently, the break-even cost of SWH in the United States varies by more than a factor of five for both electricity and natural gas, despite a much smaller variation in the amount of energy saved by the systems (a factor of approximately one and a half). The break-even price for natural gas is lower than that for electricity due to a lower fuel cost. We also consider the relationship between SWH price and solar fraction and examine the key drivers behind break-even costs. Overall, the key drivers of the break-even cost of SWH are a combination of fuel price, local incentives, and technical factors including the solar resource location, system size, and hot water draw. |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references. |
Funding |
DE-AC36-08GO28308. Prepared under Task No. SS10.2110 |
Subject |
Solar water heaters -- Cost effectiveness.
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Solar energy -- Economic aspects.
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Added Author |
Denholm, P. (Paul)
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Ong, Sean.
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National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.)
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Added Title |
Break even cost for residential solar water heating in the United States : key drivers and sensitivities |
Gpo Item No. |
0430-P-03 (online) |
Sudoc No. |
E 9.16:NREL/TR-6 A 20-48986 |
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