It makes sense I think… Wonder what the cost of an installation that size is…

Is this really the best use of capital for GM right now?

Good idea for once GM. Now focus on getting more fuel efficint vehicles. P.S. Those XFE versions are a joke. Maybe lower the price then we can talk. Until then. why would I pay 5-10 thousand more for 1-2 more mpg…..get a clue next time and listen to the consumers……

Best way for GM to get a green image is to throw Lutz overboard.

More companies should consider this route, where possible. What’s so bad with Lutz, their quality, design, and competitiveness have all greatly improved under Lutz.

Typical GM, always late to the game, but at least in the right direction. And yes, throw that SOB Lutz waaaaaaaay overboard as he is a major overpaid loser. Wasn’t Lutz actually a passenger on the Titanic? He’s old enough to be.

Solar is VERY expensive to build. But just three years ago, it would have cost nearly twice as much. The price is coming down, but it has plateaued for now. Not only are they less expensive, they are more efficient than just a few years ago. This probably would not have been feasible 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago, which is most likely why they didn’t do it sooner. So, as much as they are “late to the game”, any earlier would have been a bad move.

Beatusmongous, it is a fact that it were not for the early adopters then the damn technology would not be where it is today; any technology for that matter. Bad move? Wow, get a grip man. GM is supposed mover and shaker (operative word: supposed). Maybe had GM gotten of its overladen ass and entered into solar earlier they might have contributed to it.

“with 8,700 solar panels covering 300,000 square feet – making it the largest such venture on the East Coast,”

That would have been 16,000 solar panels covering 600,000 square feet five years ago in order to achieve the same efficiency. That’s a lot of land to cover. Yeah, early adopters help bring the price down, but the early adopters in the case of solar were offices, which use less energy than factories. I’m not a GM fanboy by any means, so don’t think I’m defending them. I’m just saying, when it comes to solar, the “early adopters” got @$$ raped by the purchase. Just now, the efficiency has gotten to the point where solar is an investment and not a burden. GM is a business, not a political stance, so for them to “invest” in solar before its time is a bad business move. A move like that 5 years ago would have cost a lot, destroyed a lot of land, and probably would have made them look like idiots, all for just a 15% energy efficiency. I really don’t think they are doing something wrong by investing in solar now, as the efficiency is now up to 28% or more, and at half the cost. So, in essence, it’s 2 times more bang for 1/2 the cost and 1/2 the coverage area. As a business, GM isn’t concerned with bringing the cost of solar down for the rest of us. How would that help them? It wouldn’t.

However, if they hadn’t dropped the EV-1, the tie in to solar may have been viable. But I really don’t believe even 5 years ago was a good time for that type of product.

Beatusmongous, all very good points and well taken. Thanks. I do believe that GM should have been actively involved in solar (like Honda) as they had the resources to be a frontrunner, if not a major leader in this area. The EV-1 was ahead of its time…it was GM executives who were behind the times.

I absolutely agree with you there, F451.

I wonder how many millions that cost them?

They would do abetter job of reducing greenhouse emissions if they just stopped all production of Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade.

well how long would it take to get back their investment

You know what I think would be some genius marketing? Marketing these new XFE vehicles under solar/wind power, and low/no landfill plants. Give them a real green image, and save some money while your at it.

But, I’m just a little confused here, and it would be great if LLN could just quickly clarify this for me. When you say the panels will make enough power for 150 households a year, does that mean every hour it’s making that much energy, or overall yearly?

bigp- Probably 5-15 years. It depends, as I’m not sure how much electricity their using, that’s just a guess.

How about why are they doing it- Is the government giving a nice kickback or something???

People get into solar for many reasons. Government kickbacks is one, and it could be a step to insure government funding later. Usually, though, people choose to go solar as an investment for later. The cost of energy has been very high recently, and so the less energy you need to take from the grid, the more money you save. Solar is a self-sustaining energy source (aside from the batteries), which means the plant won’t rely on the power company to provide nearly as much energy. If they can produce all the energy they need via solar, once the system is paid off, they will begin saving a lot of money.

To give you an idea, my father owns two radio stations. He is going to convert both transmitters to run via solar. The system is well over $1,000,000, but he currently pays $25,000 per month for transmitter power. That means that in less than four years, the investment will start to pay off, as he will produce 100% of his own power, so his transmitter power bill will disappear. He’ll essentially save nearly $25,000 per month after the system is paid off, providing the price of power doesn’t go up. His transmitter uses a lot of power, but I’m sure the GM plant uses more energy than a radio transmitter. Once a PV system like that has been paid off, the savings begin.

Also, if enough power is produced with a PV system, extra power can be put back into the grid, and the power company will sometimes pay for the extra power. So in the end, they may even make money with this type of PV system.

I really think GM is doing this to try to improve their “green” image.