Robotic Flower Solar Panels | Future House | Ask This Old House
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- čas přidán 9. 04. 2019
- Ask This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey sees a robotic, ground mounted solar array that mimics a sunflower.
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Steps:
1. The solar panel array is installed by securing four massive earth screws into the ground to act as a base.
2. The solar panel array is then craned off of a truck into place on top of the earth screws.
3. A trench is dug from the array to the house. Conduits are placed in the trench containing a hot, ground, neutral, and a Cat5 cable. The Cat5 cable allows the system to take in weather and location data.
4. Once the array is secured to the base and wired up, the latitude and longitude of the area is programmed into the system and it can be powered up.
Resources:
The solar flower Ross saw installed is called the SmartFlower, and it is manufactured by SmartFlower Solar (smartflowersolar.com/).
About Future House:
Ask This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey shows you the newest smart-home innovations. From automated home construction to energy monitors to robotic solar panels, and more, find out what’s happening now and what’s coming in applied home science.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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Robotic Flower Solar Panels | Future House | Ask This Old House
/ thisoldhouse - Jak na to + styl
One of the things that was not mentioned, but was mentioned in another article was that when you sell your house you can uninstall the flower and take it to your next house to install there.
Exactly.
@@4seeableTV And how much does that COST? So, instead of having a 20 year break-even, relocate it and now you have a 25 year break-even = Dumb & Dumber ...
@@MrSummitville I would assume that they could make this more affordable than traditional solar panels since they wouldn't need to go through the permitting process to install on your roof, and you could forego most of the contractor costs of planning the system and installing it when you can just plug and play one of these.
I personally don't care if it bothers my neighbors. Who wouldn't want to have an auto blossoming, electricity gathering flower in their yard !
At least you never have to water it.
Me, for the following reasons: They put out to little electricity, they're too expensive, and they have too many moving parts which can fail.
The sun is being blocked out .... Watch and Share Frankenskies on CZcams.
What if you have a apartment?
It is a financial disaster !!! Do you need any more reason than that?
I’m a builder and I have to say I would rather have this on my residential projects. It would be a system that can be designed elegantly with landscaping to fit right into the country style homes we build! Plus, pack it up and move it when you sell your home! ❤
One of the finest products I’ve ever seen.
Brilliant product!!
Thank You for All that you are doing for World Peace and for our Planet...
Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. La Paz.. Namaste ..
🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮️ ❤️ 💐 🕊
I love this idea. I was looking for something other then solar roof panels. Thanks
Me too but who sells them in Collection County in S.C.
Next, they need to design an elevator system to allow the solar flower to be retracted into the ground. I want to get a place but has a potential possibility of fire. Would be nice to be able to retract the solar flower as a defense. It would be an excellent addition to the underground water tank, and underground propane tank. Maybe a concrete box with screw jacks in each corner. Let the engineers figure it out.
My understanding is these also monitor wind and weather to fold up and protect themselves for hail and high winds.
This old house needs to review solar city and Tesla power wall 2
This is a game changer.
wow that is awesome
Would love to see a follow up to this...
Love it
Does the panels come in other colours besides black? Could I get it in any color? Does it come in a smaller size?
This system is great when the house is shaded by trees... and to maximize the only sunny place which might be somewhere else in the yard. I haven't been able to add roof sun panels because of the trees, and the only solution was to cut down the trees which does not make sense. 1. we need trees and 2. the trees cool down temperature in the summer and I don't use air conditioner. I would love to have this in my backyard, specially a rocky hill where I cannot really grow stuff but I can certainly harvest some electricity.
This system is never "great" - way too expensive ...
If i close my eyes, that guy sounds just like Bernie Sanders
Maybe if Bernie had just gone on a bender.
lol I just said to my husband 'if Larry David sold solar panels ...'
What? Bernie sells Socialist Solar Systems? I didn't know that. LOL That explains the price.
He didn't list enough percentages.
Wow! Ross really looks like his Dad!
How many batteries can the area hold? Are they lithium batteries I live in ny will the cold affect the charge of batteries since they are in the unit not in a building I'm just learning about solar and its batteries
I love your content thanks!!
@1:00 The Dr. Oz of solar panel interviewers😄
Awesome
How much power (watts) does this product produce and how much does it cost?Thanks Alan
If that was in Sparta I would love if they put a giant Spartan statue holding the panels up like a shield.
Awesome.
Will *YOU* buy one ?
Cool idea
Way too expensive. Not worth 1/2 this price ...
That dude is like a Larry David/ Steve Jobs combo🤣🤣
a great solution for mobile home owners
What is the wind load rating?
Taken into effect what he talked about at 5kw production, a $30,000 install is NOT Market rate, that's $6 per watt (market rate for solar installs is about $3.50 per watt) if you go based on the actual system size of 2.5kw that's $12 per watt! I hear this product only has a 5 year warranty on the dual axis motor. This has a very long break even period. My company is working on a similar concept but the price will be closer to market rate for solar panel installations ($3-4 per watt) it will be Aesthetically pleasing and multi purpose!
Name of company?
Is it ready yet!
Where do I get info on importing this system.
Looks expansive
Atta boy! Tighten those hex bolts with a pair of Channel Locks. (TOH standards sure have fallen over the years.)
Let's see, $30k for a 2.5kWh system which (must see to believe) produces 5kW? , or $10k for a fixed 5kWh system? Tough choice.
Not sure if my question went through I'm wondering if I can purchase one of these smart flower devices and have it installed at my home in 3-points Arizona.. 85736
Solar makes so much sense...
Actually it doesn't. Not even remotely cost effective or practical. Even the manufacturing requirements alone far exceed the power consumption which could possibly be offset by solar, requiring traditional power sources such as hydro, gas, coal and nuclear. Wind is also highly unreliable and never meets projected costs for manufacturing and maintenance and frequent premature replacement.
Wow. He sounds just like Berney Sanders.
where can we buy this in Europe?
Hey do these people ship to Mauritius?
Hello TOH, I think these solar panels are really cool, this would be a good investment in the long run , your electric bill would come down quite a bit with one of these too meet your electric demands ! 👍😃🔨🔩🔧
No, it is a very bad investment. It might be better just burn your money in your fireplace ?
I just had solar panels put on my roof last year. My system cost 35 grand but of course there are incentives that might cut that down several thousand. I'm wondering what this system costs.
$45000
It is expensive compared to other traditional panels and I am concerned with their customer service response reported by the lady that contacted them. Can you please do a follow up segment on this?
I am confused with your "expensive compared to other" traditional panels... for me this is a bit lower if not equal to my current quotes
@@aleneray3964 if you are taking about the flower panels they are more expensive then the traditional ones that go on the roof. I was talking about the flower panels.
I love how people are now realizing and changing to renewable sources.... in Texas, if you decide to get solar panels, the state itself will pay for the installation! Later this year
Great state👍👍👍
How much power loss from that long run of wire from the unit to the house?
It is only rated at 2.5 kW. It only generates 10.1 amps (max) = 2,500 Watts / 240 volts.
compare it's price to installing 10 panels, also groundmounted.... Same production, less costs, less mechanical problems etc.
Mount them more vertical when up north on this globe to help winter production.
For half of these 30.000 dollar you can build a very nice system
Oh could you just show where the batteries are stored in the column
If I made this thing with minor changes is legal to sell it or not or I should pay to someone else
super
Super expensive ...
This is so very cool and so very cost prohibitive. I wonder if they could engineer one that stacks, like several flowers? When it comes down to 50% less cost, call me.
50% ??? More like ... when it is 1/6th the price ...
Solar tree
That was a nice 7:38 long advertisement.
Solar panels are almost always a hideous, disgusting eyesore, but I'm work in architecture so I'm probably overly critical. As long as you have the space, I say this product is way cool, and it's about time somebody thought of something else. Now if only the solar panels could be yellow in the middle with white petals just like a big daisy, we'd be all set - LOL
You mean .. as long as you have money to burn ...
I would like this system, how do you store the energy where are the batteries,
@Maker Noob are they lithium batteries ?how many can fit in that space ,will they hold charge long in cold weather,? is the area where the batteries are stored insulated? Could you do another segment on this type of solar flower, how big is the hous is the one flower solar unit not enough to power the house? That's why they are building another one on property, I have so many questions my house is 3,000sq foot I'm deciding on a hard wire generator due to our area losing power at least every few months very annoying, so now that they came out with this new design that is aesthetically pleasing to eye I'm very interested in comparing the two different power sources.
I'm pretty sure this can be set to fold itself up in case of high winds also....
That is why it can fold up .. it is fragile.
@@MrSummitville sometimes fragile is tougher than strong
Can I buy in India, is this company export to India.
He sounds like Bernie Sanders. Lol
…but he makes sense.
Efficiency of panels decrease in dusty environment.. How do you clean them regularly, Any automation available in this regard ?
He said they are self cleaning.
HailStonE, it has a built in system that washes itself. That is a big plus over the roof tops panels that required you to routinely hire someone or climb the roof yourself.
@@bellagray4444 A minor plus, not a big plus, unless it never rains were you live.
its been proven to be cheaper to add more solar panels than use trackers and its less maintenance and cheaper in the long run
mattmopar440 horse and buggy used to be the best way to get around, I bet you use a car. Things evolve, that is the whole point of technology
@@byammine your still using solar. Tracking practically doesn't need to be this complicated, and makes almost no sense for home systems. In large industrial/commercial systems they may be worth squeezing out the extra few watts because you multiply it by the hundreds if not thousands of panels and your then adding lots of effective kw's to the system, on a system with such few panels isn't worth it and just adds extra fluff and expense to already tight margins and only benefits the company that sold you that art piece of a solar system.
Yeah efficiency doesn’t really matter when you can just add more panels. This thing is way too overpriced.
czcams.com/video/wL9PcGu_xrA/video.html this guy is on to something. This sunflower thing is just out to lighten everyone's wallet though agreed.
True but more panels means less space. To each his own I guess
that system is too tiny and too overpriced, I recently added 29 panels to my north & south roofed house in sunny AZ, I went from paying $181.00 a mo. to the electric co. to them paying me $194.00 a month for my excess and I pay $161.00 per mo. for the panels, I generate an average of 54 KWH per day for these panels with 29 out of 31 days full sun !!
Wow, that's awesome. I'd like to be able to do that in Maine.
@@MikeDayConcrete You don't get very much sun in Mane, compared to sunny Arizona = the sunshine state.
@@MrSummitville Why does california and now arizona🤷♂️🤦♂️claim sunshine state when everyone knows the official one is florida, no debate, its been on our license plates for decades, facts
@@MrSummitville and it friggin snows in arizona, yep, florida confirmed official sunshine state
@@dertythegrower Placing "sunshine state" on a Florida License Plate proves nothing, especially wen it is a lie ... The best sunshine in Florida is equiv to the worst place in Arizona = a FACT ...
www.hotspotenergy.com/DC-air-conditioner/solar-sun-hours-map-usa.jpg
40% more power!! At 4000% the price of rooftop panels they could have installed on the barn + more panels to generate the same power.
A Dual-Axis Tracker generates about 30% more kWHrs vs a Fixed Array. I just helped my neighbor install an actual 5 kW Ground Mount array for $5,000. The SmartFlower is 6 *TIMES* that price? WHY? The SmartFlower is a rich man's toy, at best.
The most beautiful solar gathering source...
Can I get one of these installed in Three Points Arizona 85736
Cost? And availability????
The panel gets 40% more energy but how much of it is used by the machinery that reorients it?
Other than the "awakening" and "go to sleep" functions, it shouldn't use too much on actual movement. Take into consideration that, at most, it just has to rotate 90º in one direction and back, and another 180º from one point to the other. These numbers are not exact, since it depends on latitude and the day of the year, but I mean, the total path it actually has to go through is quite small.
Also, I guess those motors are efficient enough and, obviously, although the sun is continously "moving along the sky", so to speak, the flower won't be constantly adjusting, but it will have, I guess, some incremental changes in position at predetermined intervals, say it checks for a better position not continously but ever few minutes.
TheSpoonyBard, that is figured in
Does it come in any other colors than black....
Yes, just like the Ford Model T - the color choices are black or black ...
30k?
It would take me over 25 years to pay for that according to my energy usage ... that is if it can generate $100 worth of electricity a month.
Not necessarily. You get a 30% federal rebate right off the bat. That makes it $21k. Assuming it generates $100 of electricity today, and electric costs go up 2-3% per year, you're looking at about a 15 year ROI.
@@RunsCool1 Link me the Canadian Federal Rebate, big boy?
Yea, price is high now. In time it will come down and be a more reasonable option. Like everything new.
Unaffordable price! Here in Australia I can install a 6.6 kw roof top system for AUD 2600 and I can pay it off in 2 weeks! My colleague has installed 2 off that system and for the last quarter he's got AU$800 credit on top of his household power usage. Only well off people could pay 30K for this 2.5 kw system!
@@saeedmahmoudi7965 can you please share brand name and system panels that you used?
THATS MY UNCLES HOUSE!
Starting at 30K! Holy crap. I pay around $75-88 per month for the past 10 years. Let's see... it will take me about 28 years to see the return investment. I would love to help our planet, but crap. Even with incentives I need to consider it.
It's just another garden decoration for rich people. It has absolutely nothing to do with efficiency or helping the planet. Its a business.
incorrect. 30% federal incentive = $20k install price. $88*12*10 = $10,560. Add another 9 years and it's paid off.
@@ChadwickHorn How do you know that this devices will even generate $88.00 worth of electricity every month?
@@ChadwickHorn Only if , you have actually PAID that much in TAXES, in the first place !
There's no way these will feasibly pay themselves off. There are so many failure points with all the moving parts and the required computer (plus internet connection) to keep the efficiency... That $30k will likely need another $10k in maintenance... And then all solar panels lose efficiency over time... So these panels will become unusable before they pay themselves off.
Not to mention all the extra energy that was used to manufacture these and the extra strip mining for all those extraneous parts. It's quite likely that these panels have a larger negative impact on the environment than just using grid energy from a natural gas plant.
My basic fixed roof mounted system? 8 year projected payoff with a 25 year warranty for 90% rated generation.
The mechanics of it are less complex than you make out. The panels slowly unfurl, then the system pans and tilts over the course of an entire day at a snail's pace. That's extremely low wear and tear. Also, the system is more efficient than your roof panels. Either way, who are we to decide whether someone wasted their money or not? He could've bought a 3rd car for 30K and it would've had ZERO effect on his electrical usage, but it WOULD be adding pollution to the air every time he used it.
@@4seeableTV It only has a 5 Year Warranty. Then the next 20 years of REPAIRS comes out of your wallet. Good Luck keeping this device functioning for the next 20 year, outside in the full sun = hot, in pouring rain and freezing snow & ice.
@@MrSummitville 10/25 year warranty
@@MrSummitville you mean like rooftop solar panels? Also out in the hot sun, pouring rain, buildup of snow and ice in the winter that needs to be removed... I could go on and on
2.5 kwh for 30 thousand dollars. I have a 10 kw system, roof-mounted that is less than 10k more than this system. As much as I like the tracking system, it's not viable and doesn't glean enough energy by tracking to justify that markup. It's a great concept, thanks for sharing!
It can reach double if that (5 kWh) and qualifies for tax credits. I think it may be viable.
@@markoer it has moving parts, so it’ll need maintenance & repair. It retracts in high wind, and there will be down time if it breaks.
And fixed solar panels will also get tax benefits.
Yes but if your house catches fire will there be a foam unit to put it out? A solar field or flower in this case can turn off the power due to it not being near the actual house.
@@thomaspayne6866 it will be far easier to clean the panels unless you think it's fun to get up on the roof once a month. Even a light layer of dust will cut your efficiency. You can just 'water' this flower and keep it clean. It's Austrian designed and made so don't confuse it with american-made products that break after a short period of use
@abcxyz3783 it is actually self-cleaning, and that's a plus.
Are you operating in India?
Where do I purchase one solar flower
On their website
It is a great idea. But why is Solar still 30k. If you your electric bill average of $200 a month it will be 12 years before you see a return. Solar energy has been around for over 60 years. Price keep going up. They will sell a lot more if they make it affordable.
For the average person, this device will NOT generate $200 worth of electricity per month. Maybe $500 - $600 per YEAR !
This suffers from the same problem that pretty much all active solar tracking systems have. It is way too expensive. The increase in efficiency is largely irrelevant when you can simply install additional fixed panels to get the same amount of power for a fraction of the price. The average cost for a solar install is currently about 3 dollars per watt. Based on that a conventional 5kw system would be about 15 grand or half what this costs for the same performance. In addition this is a far more complex system with moving parts and therefore a higher likelihood of needing repairs over the decades of useful life the solar cells have. The cost difference between passive and active systems is only going to get worse as cell prices continue to fall.
Fixed panels aren't economically viable without government subsidies, either. Once you accept the idea that wasting money is virtuous, the only difference is in the degree to which you want to milk the taxpayers.
biohazard 918 You are correct in your observations. Thanks
czcams.com/video/wL9PcGu_xrA/video.html you might want to look at this guy's design.
@@Sethermiester That is toy. try scaling it up to 5 kw system, with 50 MPH winds ...
Would this system work in sub zero/ heavy snowfalls regions ??
I think it could, I saw a video yesterday where they were testing it inside extreme cool conditions.
The cost to fix that system would be insanely expensive.
The system itself is extremely expensive in comparison to normal pannels on a roof. It's just another toy for rich people to put in their garden somewhere, it has nothing to do with efficiency or helping the planet.
Robert Montgomery, not necessarily. The parts are as exchangeable as the panels, plus you do it from ground level and not high in the sky on a roof, tip-toeing around panels.
@@bellagray4444 The average person can not repair a Dual Axis Tracker, even from the ground. It only has a 5 year warranty. Then you must repair it for another 15 year after the warranty expires, just to *BREAK-EVEN* . No, I am not investing $20,000 today, just so that I can break-even over the next 20 years ...
Neat but over priced. After the tax credit (2019) it would still be $20k cost. I just had a 4.88kWh system for $10k (cost after tax credit). Considering it is half the cost and just under the 5kWh comparison I would still find this overrated.
They better fix that house before falling down 😝🤑👊🔫💰💸
If my math checks out at 12 million a megawatt this is the cheapest solar investment available. A 250MW hour power station could be build for around 3-5 billion. Stations built in 2013 cost upwards of 7 billion in investments. I hope they do industrial investments.
Why not mount it on the home
Lol I could buy a house for 30000 ... Wish it had a 70 % tax credit lol
Merhaba ne kadar güç üretiyor? Batarya durumu nedir? Türkiye ye sevk var mı?
@Hacı Ökkeş
- smartflower.com/
How long will it last?
You have a 5 year warranty. After that ... you get to pay the repair bills, forever ...
Bernie Sanders is a Jack of all trades i see.
I want one
But ... will you actually buy one ?
i like trains
What's the cost for a system like this and what's the wattage?
I talked with them $45000.
@@hotmeds $45,000? YIKES !!! Does that included installation? Was it for the 2.5 kW unit with Dual Axis Tracker? Was the 6 kWhr -12kWhr battery back-up included?
The smartflower as it's originally called was created and designed first in Austria. Where is this guy coming from. I was the reseller of Smartflower in Ghana until the Americans bought it from the Austrians
Didn't the company is Austria go bankrupt ?
That looks like 16 sq meter, times 200 odd watts per meter (generous) that would be 3.2 kilowatts per hour, odd.
196 sq-ft or 18 square-meters at 2.5 kW per mfr
Reminds me of the 1st Gen satellite dishes 📡. In 5 years, this will be obsolete.
Interesting concept, but it has way too many moving parts. Reduce the complexity, and maybe turn it into a solar panel installation that you can just plug and play on a property without all of the extra costs of permitting and what not, and I can see these being installed everywhere. The installation costs of solar are one of the biggest drawbacks. A plug and play solution that can lower costs would be welcome. Alas, this was posted 4 years ago, and I have yet to see this actually being sold.
Well, much as I would like to approve of it, as it is closer to being beautiful than other solar systems, and is indeed more efficient, but the cost of building it and supplying it, versus the traditional roof mount solar panels makes it a system that is simply not cost competitive with other solar in any real world situation now. The statement made by the owners in the clip, "it may not be viable in residential neighbourhoods, but rather in business parks, walkways, parks, schools," is becoming another way of saying that only big government subsidies will allow this technology to survive in a market based economy. It will likely die out unless it can be produced in a radically less expensive way.
Maybe it is so expensive bcs its from overseas. The solarflower is an invention from Austria. Here it cost 15000 €, like 16500 $. It cost more if you want a special color on it.
It may have been invented in Austria, but USA operations are based in Boston Massachusetts. Is 15000 € - the installed price?
I think the company in Austria doesn't exist anymore, usa only, besides, they have three versions, was it the same one as here?..
@Andreas Berni At $10 per Watt, the Solar Flower is 10 TIMES more expensive than most other PV arrays. Only the SUPER RICH, would think this Lawn Art is "affordable". Nobody could ever cost-justify this system, not ever ....
@Andreas Berni For me, it is like comparing a $30,000 car vs a $300,000 car. It would take about 5 of these Solar Flowers to offset the yearly electric bill of a typical USA home. And then DOUBLE that = 10 Flowers for an ALL Electric home = $150,000
Every flower I own dies
Imagine if the cyber truck had these that can pop out the back. Now humanity is evolving.
This is what I’m wanting… I don’t want solar attached, fixed, to my roof
"SmartFlower solar panel system ranges in price from $25,000 to $30,000 with the average cost to install at $27,000" for a 2.5 kw system
How does it wire in on the other end?
To the Main AC Panel ...
Put Cat 6 cable in!
We're upto Cat 8. I say double all wiring for future updates/ upgrades
Jim Gordon must of gotten sick of being the Gotham police comissioner
you need to see a throat specialist straight away
this solar flower and tesla roof. would power the whole house and make the owner money from selling better.