How much do solar panels cost?  We get this question from homeowners a lot.   The truth is that the cost of solar varies based on many more factors than just the price of panels or government subsidies.  The cost for you to get solar panels will likely be different than for your neighbor.  Here are some of the biggest factors that will impact solar costs.

How much electricity you use
When you go solar, don’t think about it as paying for equipment; really, you’re paying for the electricity your system will produce for the next 25 years. If you use more electricity, you’ll need more panels, which means that you’ll have to pay more.   Generally, solar is a great option for people with high electricity bills because you can save a lot by locking in a lower rate.

Your roof construction
You might not have thought much about the shape of your roof, but slope, direction and roof material matter for solar.   If the flat parts of your roof face south-north rather than east-west you’ll get better sun and won’t need as many panels, which means it will be less expensive for you.

Certain types of roofs are easier to install on than others.  For instance, if you have an asphalt roof, it will be easier to install panels than if you have a ceramic tile roof.

The amount of sun on your roof
It’s not enough to live in an area with a lot of sun.   To get maximum value from solar panels, that sun actually has to hit your roof.   If you have lots of trees or tall buildings near your home, check to see if and when they shade your roof. Shade on your solar panels can greatly reduce the productivity of your system.  The way that solar panels work mean that even a small amount of shading on your roof can make your solar panels a lot less efficient.  If you have a lot of shade on your roof it’s quite possible that it won’t make economic sense for you to get solar.

The age of your roof
If you think you’re going to need to re-roof your home in the next 5 years, it probably makes sense to do it before you get solar.  If you decide to re-roof after you’ve gone solar, it’s not the end of the world. The panels will be removed, then reinstalled.

How you pay for it
You can choose to pay for your solar panels upfront, which can cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000, depending on the factors above.  Or, you can choose one of the new financing options like SunRun solar financing which will allow you to pay less to get started (closer to $1,000) and get solar energy as a monthly service.

Government Subsidies
The U.S. government will pay you to go solar.  The federal government tax credit runs through 2016, but many states have rebates set up that decline over time.   The sooner you go, the more money you’ll likely get back from the government.

Scosche Industries has come out with a solar powered speaker phone that can be charged by attaching it to any window. The “SolChat” is a Bluetooth speaker phone that’s powered by an integrated solar panel and lithium ion battery.

The SolChat can be placed on the driver’s side window through and the device will announce incoming calls. The driver will be able to communicate with the caller while keeping their hands on the wheel. SolChat pairs up with any available cell phone in area.

“Using voice announce, the speaker phone let’s users know who’s calling and actually guides them through the initial Bluetooth 2.0 device pairing process. The solCHAT automatically reconnects to users cell phones once initially paired. Users simply turn the solCHAT on when entering the vehicle and the device will automatically pair with the cell phone. “

SolChat automatically turns off when the cell is removed from pairing range. It features just 3 buttons: Vol Up, Vol Down and the Answer/Hangup Multifunction button. Also included are a windshield suction cup mount and sun visor clip for easy operation and solar charging.

Retails for $99.99 and SolChat comes with a USB charging cable and car adaptor so you can charge at night and on days with insufficient sunlight.

As someone pointed out, walk away from your vehicle with this speaker phone mounted on your windshield and it might not be there when you return!

NANJING, China, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — China Sunergy Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: CSUN), a specialized solar cell manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, today announced that it has signed a series of sales contracts with NUE PTY Ltd (“NU Energy”), a photovoltaic firm based in Victoria, Australia.

China Sunergy expects to ship up to a total of 10MW of monocrystalline solar modules, which are manufactured under sub-contracted OEM arrangement, to NU Energy, with partial shipments having begun in June 2009 and the full delivery under these contracts scheduled to be completed by early 2010 with ongoing contracts anticipated.

“Australia represents another new market for China Sunergy, and our successful signing of multiple sales agreements with this new customer is a positive indication of our ability to deliver high-quality solar power products globally,” commented Dr. Ruennsheng Allen Wang, Director and CEO of China Sunergy. “Our dedicated sales efforts continue to generate results, both domestically and internationally, as we look to further diversify our sales channels.”

NU Energy Chief Executive Officer Simon Schauble said, “NU Energy is one of Australia’s largest solar companies, and these orders, totalling 10MW, show the strong confidence we have in our ongoing partnership with China Sunergy.”

DANBURY, Conn., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Solomon Technologies, Inc. (Pink Sheets: SOLM) announced today that its Technipower subsidiary has installed its first Instant Solar(TM) system at its Danbury, CT headquarters. The pre-assembled, pre-wired system, which is a self contained unit comprising two solar arrays and all the equipment necessary to tie to the power grid, was easily and quickly erected and electrically connected. The Company has a patent pending on the system.

Dan Connors, President of Technipower said, “Our installation demonstrated how easily the system can be placed in service at a customer’s site. Instant Solar provides an appealing alternative to solar installers, electrical contractors, building services providers, architects, and energy consultants who are expanding their business into the solar market and want flexibility without complexity. Since our recent announcement and local press coverage, we’ve had a very positive response from a number of industry channels.”

Connors continued, “In being our own customer, this installation has provided us valuable insights in streamlining the sales and installation process to improve the overall value proposition to the end user. We expect to install additional solar units at our Danbury headquarters and at our Reynosa, Mexico facility and to ship the first commercial units during the fourth quarter of this year.”

As scientists attempt to learn more about how galaxies evolve, an open question has been whether collisions with our dwarf galactic neighbors will one day tear apart the disk of the Milky Way. That grisly fate is unlikely, a new study now suggests.

A Japanese research group has found that after a cerebral stroke in one side of a mouse brain, another side of the brain rewires its neural circuits to recuperate from damaged neural function.