Solar panels

[tigersaw]

Originally Posted by flymo

ok, 1 year on so I thought I would provide an update as to how this investment has gone.

Well, its almost a year. We've generated what we estimated we would do in one year with about two or three weeks to spare which is encouraging for the investment forecast we did.


Happy? oh yes.

This thread has been quiet for a couple of years, but interested how its still going.

The efficiency of panels continues to climb, they were 7% last time I looked, now they are 18% or better, and cheaper to buy too.

[flymo]

Still going strong, efficiency was always better than the guidelines suggested but I believe companies were unable to make efficiency claims higher than the industry agreed average.

In practice we've been generating around 8% more per year than forecast, especially at this time of year. This morning the system has been chucking out 3.5kW constantly which adds up.

Glad I put the money on the roof instead of a savings account.

[tigersaw]

cool, glad to hear you have had no problems

[DarrenSV650S]

If anyone remembers watching the Giant Robot Project on YouTube, the same guy is currently making a solar powered boat.

http://youtu.be/y0EgRcoTg3Y

[ethariel]

Solar PV on the original FIT (Feed in Tarrif) was a licence to print money, on the current tarrif it's probably a 8 to 10 year payback for most (not all) people. Just make sure that nothing casts a shadow over your roof as it affects the whole array quite signifigantly.

During a speed read of some of the posts I did see a reference to 'Wind Turbine' - just do NOT do it, rarely will they generate enough power to cover thier purchase cost over thier lifetime. Also despite all the hype about wind farms, they really contribute very little to the National Grid (at the time of writing Wind covers approx 2.58% of the UK grid output for all the eyesores out there).

If you really are in the market for keeping the bills down and have a back garden then have a look at 'Ground Sourced Heat Pumps' as an option to your heating, best time to do it really is if you are fitting under floor heating as it works wonders with that.

It's virtuall impossible to 'Off the Grid' here in the UK if you like life's little luxuries like a fridge/freezer. lights and a TV but worth a shot if you hace the money to toss at it.

There are a lot of Good companies some just past startup and established, there are also some total cowboys too, just be careful which route you want to go down.

[flymo]

have just totted up, I've earned just under £5000 on FiT so far in under 3 years. Pleased with that.

[tigersaw]

Originally Posted by flymo

have just totted up, I've earned just under £5000 on FiT so far in under 3 years. Pleased with that.

That sounds better than expected
so break even in what - 8-10 years?
How long from then is the tariff guaranteed? Is it RPI or CPI?

[flymo]

Originally Posted by tigersaw

That sounds better than expected
so break even in what - 8-10 years?
How long from then is the tariff guaranteed? Is it RPI or CPI?

Yep, the generation estimates were conservative, its doing really well. I estimated about 9 years pay back originally, it will be more like 7. FiT is good for 25 years and increases each year.

At some point I'll do the calculations to figure out when it would be more economical to upgrade the panels but certainly no hurry yet.

[tigersaw]

6 years since I last looked at this thread
Whats the 10 year verdict on the panels Flymo?



I now live in Wales, the place I purchased has a 4KW system on the roof with a feed in of about 25p or so. I'm getting about £800 PA plus the free electric.
I get 100% feed in - have resisted a smart meter as I'm unsure if that would allow them to start metering the amount of generated that I use.



I still think its a fugly addition to a nice slate roof, not sure if I'd repair it if it failed, might be an excuse to have it removed.


It cost the original owner just shy of £7k to install, so prices have tumbled since we started this thread

[Bibio]

if what you are saying is fact then if every roof in Scotland had solar panels there would be no power stations or very few. so why dont the gov pay for them instead of wind turbines?????


why dont houses have glass roofs which could act as greenhouses so people can grow their own food????


answers on a postcard