Tired of getting bugger all on my saving I was talking to a guy about other “legal” investment opportunities. According to him the best one at the moment seems to be becoming a Micro Power Generator. So I did a bit of digging and this is what I found.
A 2.22KW Solar Panel System will cost around £12K. Assuming this generates 1850 KWH per year based on HMG gov figures the government (Ofgen) will write you a check for £765/year. This annual amount is indexed linked and Guaranteed for 25 years TAX Free!!
This would equate to £19125 (however if you assume indexation of 2% + 1% on the interest) you would actually see around over £20K
If you use the energy created (and you would be mad not to) you can also save approx 25%-30% of your electric bill – which in our case would be approx £200/year. However this saving can be greater in the summer as you can use it drive your immersion heater and reduce your oil or gas charges. According to him this can add another saving of around £150/year. If you are unable to use all the energy produced (important if your house is empty during the day (when the sun shines) it effectively gets “sold back” to the electric company and they will pay you a further payment from them of around 0.03pence per KWH – however its effectively works out at peanuts, but is also tax fee. Therefore excluding fuel inflation (currently at 13%/year) you would also save approx a further £8750 over the 25year. Add in fuel inflation (pricies double very 7 years) and the numbers start getting really big.
However even without fuel inflation included this you still get a return of around £30K (tax free) after 25 years based on an investment of 12K. According to some reports you can also see a 3-6% increase in your property values, however as I do not intend to move I have discounted this from my numbers
Based upon some number I was given by a Solar Provider the actual numbers are truly amazing - Estimated payback over 25 year - £60,363K – which means the system has paid for itself after 11 years and you make £47K profit Tax free). Not withstanding that you are saving the planet!!
The panels themself require zero maintenance and are also Guaranteed for 25 years however their efficency does drops from 90% to 80% after 10 years - however with global warming this might be cancelled out due to more sunny days.
Looks bloody amazing especially as I have double garage roof which points directly south
My question – too good to be true?? Also does anyone here have an experience of having a system fitted.
Many thanks
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
It does sound to good to be true but as an example our next door neighbour at our old house installed a solar heating system using a small government grant/cash back whatever it was deal. He reckoned it paid for itself in less than 2 years and was very happy with it despite having many teething problems.
Sounds like a fantastic wheeze providing the 25 year contract is cast iron! :D
"I looked with pity not untinged with scorn upon these trivial-minded passers-by"
Originally Posted by boddah
Seems to be - the germans have a similar system however their's only runs for 20 years and they get about 51 euros/KWH. The wheeze is that the gov do not fund it. They tell the generators to fund it, who put the tariff on to everyone fuel bill - so everyone (including those who do not have the system or cannot have a system) pay for it. See it as another tax on the poor.
Also all parties voted for it :)
Its so UK PC can say they have achieved the UK CO2 targets in 2012 - after that the 41.3p/KWH might be reduced for late adopters, but not for those who signed up in 2010 and 2011.
Getting itchy palms :)
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I thought the general consensus was that they didn't pay very well nor did the savings amount to much unless you live in your house for at least 10 years.
There are some threads on Pistonheads about this.
My general feeling about any green initiatives (light bulbs, eco cars, recycling, solar power, wind power - I'll leave you to do your own research) is that they are largely pie in the sky bullshit dreams. I say this as someone who loves the idea of renewable energy. I have quite a few different solar power gadgets and in the end I end up plugging the fuckers in to the wall. The only item I really use is my wind-up torch but that's after the first one died through me not using it for a month. See, pie in the sky bullshit dreams.
I bought a new solar charger for my mobile phones. Turns out it can't charge my Nokia phone and can't fully charge my mp3 player after being left in the burning sun all day yesterday. Am giving it another week of testing then returning it.
My solar trickle charger is marginally useful but I haven't left a car standing for a month to see if it really is doing what it says on the tin.
Maybe in 50 years, we'll have nailed something down. Until then, it is idiot dreamers like me who are doing the beta testing.
I'm not going to live another 25 years. :( *
I am surprised by this report; everything else I've read suggested it would take decades to recoup the outlay.
*No, I don't have anything terminal except the fact I'm still alive.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...nergy.business
I cannot believe that the HMG, companies like Sharp, Siemens, etc would be involved if they were not any good?
However perhaps whale oil and bees wax cndles might be a way to go :D
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Just found this calculator
http://www.reuk.co.uk/REUK-Feed-In-T...Calculator.htm
Money spent vs money in the bank.
based upon my best guess - payback will be in Y12 however if I left the money in the bank (£12,500) after 25 years it would be worth about £20K after tax - assuming interest at AER 3% compared with £50K if I invested in PV's.
This assumes fuel inflation of 5%/year and CoL inflation at 3% - big assumptions I know - however I cannot see it it being much less.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
They don't have to be good. They just have to not be bad. You will save money. The question is... how much? I suspect those figures are wishful thinking because we don't live in Dubai. See the problem. Every green initiative has more holes than Thames Water pipelines.
Very interesting, Andy! I knew there were hefty govt subsidies for installing wind turbines but this is new to me, something to investigate on a boring Sunday afternoon :)
Can you elaborate on this point ? (as the return is the most important part of the investment) We dont see much sun shine here and in what region are these figures quoted from ?
Can you elaborate on this point ? (as the return is the most important part of the investment) We dont see much sun shine here and in what region are these figures quoted from ?
The Gov has introduced something call a Feed-In-Tariff (FIT). This is 0.41.3pence for each KWH your system produces. The system I am looking at is rated to produce 2.2KwH per year (around £12K), however it might actually be between 1700 and 2400 KWh depending upon how much light they get over the year. Therefore worse case 1700 x 0.41.3 = £702/year. It does not matter whether you use this yourself or "export" it you will still get the £702/year. However for every KwH you export in to the grid you get an additional 0.03p/KwH. The payment is made quarterly by Ofgem - however you need to be a registered generator which if you use a MCS installer happens automatically. Sames goes for the exported units - which come back from your energy company - who you are connected into.
So worse case I would expect payback (excluding fuel savings, etc) and ignoring any interest I would get on my stake (which would be taxed anyway) to occur in year 17, however becuase I will save myself around £350 on my annual energy bill I would actually expect to see payback around year 11. If we have better than average power out put and I generate an average of 2000KwH per year (I live near Salisbury), then the payback might reduce to say around 10 years - again excluding any RPI or energy inflation increases.
The best thing is that the FIT is fixed for 25 years, however it will increase against Retail Price Index and any money paid is TAX Free.
According to the info - the region does have a bearing - the further south the more energy is generated, however based upon the last 10 years of data the average in the UK (for a 2.2KwH system) is 1715Kwh.
These systems do not need sunshine to operate - just light - so in scotland for instance because of the longer summer nights they perform similarily to places further south - when averaged out. They do not work in the dark or when covered in snow :wink:
Providing you have some cash handy and a suitable location (facing between SW and SE) its seems a bit of a no brainer!! Providing you have about £8K-12K spare to invest.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Just to be safe, divide all figures by 2 (or 3 or maybe 5). How do they come across now? Remember, the Olympic stadium was only supposed to cost £5.50.
My charger is supposed to give up to 1 hour of talk time. It increased the charge by about 5% before running out of energy. I'm thinking I might be able to talk for 5 minutes if that. Remember, it was the sunniest day of the year yesterday.
We spoke to an installer, this is FIT is planned to reduce in March 2012 (if I remember correctly) and will reduce to 38ish pence per KWH. Apart from that, the energy figures seem to be about what we were told. I haven't done any further figures to see if the payback is similar.
We are considering this as we have moved in to a house with a south facing biggish roof + a garage roof on the same aspect.
I have also considered taking out a loan to cover the amount, as in 10 years time (payback complete), the installer reckoned it was worth about £1250 a year. Plus, that is on current prices which are spiralling up quickly at the moment!
We spoke to an installer, this is FIT is planned to reduce in March 2012 (if I remember correctly) and will reduce to 38ish pence per KWH. Apart from that, the energy figures seem to be about what we were told. I haven't done any further figures to see if the payback is similar.
We are considering this as we have moved in to a house with a south facing biggish roof + a garage roof on the same aspect.
I have also considered taking out a loan to cover the amount, as in 10 years time (payback complete), the installer reckoned it was worth about £1250 a year. Plus, that is on current prices which are spiralling up quickly at the moment!
I heard the same thing for those who buy after 2012 - however those that register before March 2012 are intitled to the full whack - good to hear you have been told the same thing.
Thanks Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Wow. I've given up with solar power for another 10 years. Charged from dawn until dusk in the brightest area possible. Burning sun again. Phone went from 82% to 83%. *goes to find receipt*
I think comparing a crappy phone charger with high quality PV panels might be taking it a little far.
Remember that solar technology keeps the European Space Station operational :lol:
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
You'd like to think that it wouldn't be crappy considering it's been about 20 years since the introduction of solar panels (using PV). On the plus side, my solar watches all work fine.
Also, as it was pointed out to me, the oldest satellites were put in orbit in the 60's, and some are still working thanks to 60's solar panels - even if this is an execption, then it is still a good sales pitch!
i installed a self build solar water heating into our house when we moved in about 9 years ago. one of the best things ive done
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
You'd like to think that it wouldn't be crappy considering it's been about 20 years since the introduction of solar panels (using PV). On the plus side, my solar watches all work fine.
good point however if the quality of the manufacturing is poor then the result will be poor.
PS my 1980's Casio calculator is also still working, but my wife's Solar Gareden lights (about £4 each and made of stainless steel) broke within about a month. You get what you pay for - I suppose.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Hello chaps I've been away for a while (in a forum sense)..........
This is very interesting topic as I've been working for about the last 18 months managing a project assisting (giving grants to) businesses who want small scale renewables in their commercial premises. (wind turbines, solar PV, solar hot water, ground source and air source heat pumps).
I could talk (type?) for hours on renewables but one key thing is that any installer (and the products they install) must be MCS http://www.microgenerationcertification.org/accredited in order to qualify for Feed In Tariffs.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me. I also have a comprehensive list of (and good contacts with) a number of NW based installers (though they all seem to work nationwide).
Ed
Oh, yes! My Casio scientific is still used regularly. 8)You'd like to think that it wouldn't be crappy considering it's been about 20 years since the introduction of solar panels (using PV). On the plus side, my solar watches all work fine.
good point however if the quality of the manufacturing is poor then the result will be poor.
PS my 1980's Casio calculator is also still working, but my wife's Solar Gareden lights (about £4 each and made of stainless steel) broke within about a month. You get what you pay for - I suppose.
Andy
Can't remember how to use the clever shit on it, though. :lol: "Sin"? Isn't that something to do with God?
Oh, yes! My Casio scientific is still used regularly. 8)You'd like to think that it wouldn't be crappy considering it's been about 20 years since the introduction of solar panels (using PV). On the plus side, my solar watches all work fine.
good point however if the quality of the manufacturing is poor then the result will be poor.
PS my 1980's Casio calculator is also still working, but my wife's Solar Gareden lights (about £4 each and made of stainless steel) broke within about a month. You get what you pay for - I suppose.
Andy
Can't remember how to use the clever shit on it, though. :lol: "Sin"? Isn't that something to do with God?
A bit like TAN - something you get at a beach :) all those wasted hours at school - the percentage still comes in handy :lol:
ANdy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Are you sure about this?Can you elaborate on this point ? (as the return is the most important part of the investment) We dont see much sun shine here and in what region are these figures quoted from ?
The Gov has introduced something call a Feed-In-Tariff (FIT). This is 0.41.3pence for each KWH your system produces. The system I am looking at is rated to produce 2.2KwH per year (around £12K), however it might actually be between 1700 and 2400 KWh depending upon how much light they get over the year. Therefore worse case 1700 x 0.41.3 = £702/year. It does not matter whether you use this yourself or "export" it you will still get the £702/year. However for every KwH you export in to the grid you get an additional 0.03p/KwH. The payment is made quarterly by Ofgem - however you need to be a registered generator which if you use a MCS installer happens automatically. Sames goes for the exported units - which come back from your energy company - who you are connected into.
So worse case I would expect payback (excluding fuel savings, etc) and ignoring any interest I would get on my stake (which would be taxed anyway) to occur in year 17, however becuase I will save myself around £350 on my annual energy bill I would actually expect to see payback around year 11. If we have better than average power out put and I generate an average of 2000KwH per year (I live near Salisbury), then the payback might reduce to say around 10 years - again excluding any RPI or energy inflation increases.
The best thing is that the FIT is fixed for 25 years, however it will increase against Retail Price Index and any money paid is TAX Free.
According to the info - the region does have a bearing - the further south the more energy is generated, however based upon the last 10 years of data the average in the UK (for a 2.2KwH system) is 1715Kwh.
These systems do not need sunshine to operate - just light - so in scotland for instance because of the longer summer nights they perform similarily to places further south - when averaged out. They do not work in the dark or when covered in snow :wink:
Providing you have some cash handy and a suitable location (facing between SW and SE) its seems a bit of a no brainer!! Providing you have about £8K-12K spare to invest.
Andy
Those I know who are hooked up to the grid get paid per KWH.
How much electricity do you use? What will you be using for storage? or will you be selling the "spare" back to the grid?
I know a few people who generate on a small to medium scale and quite a few on the huge scale. As I do a bit of installation.
Interesting thread.
My wife and I were looking at solar recently. Aside from the arguably ugly panels, it does look like a good deal, while doing your thing for the environment too.
If we weren't looking to move, we may well have signed up (we'd have updated the whole heating system at the same time). Just for the record, there is the option to pay monthly under certain plans.
Has anyone got any first hand experience to share?
Are you sure about this?Can you elaborate on this point ? (as the return is the most important part of the investment) We dont see much sun shine here and in what region are these figures quoted from ?
The Gov has introduced something call a Feed-In-Tariff (FIT). This is 0.41.3pence for each KWH your system produces. The system I am looking at is rated to produce 2.2KwH per year (around £12K), however it might actually be between 1700 and 2400 KWh depending upon how much light they get over the year. Therefore worse case 1700 x 0.41.3 = £702/year. It does not matter whether you use this yourself or "export" it you will still get the £702/year. However for every KwH you export in to the grid you get an additional 0.03p/KwH. The payment is made quarterly by Ofgem - however you need to be a registered generator which if you use a MCS installer happens automatically. Sames goes for the exported units - which come back from your energy company - who you are connected into.
So worse case I would expect payback (excluding fuel savings, etc) and ignoring any interest I would get on my stake (which would be taxed anyway) to occur in year 17, however becuase I will save myself around £350 on my annual energy bill I would actually expect to see payback around year 11. If we have better than average power out put and I generate an average of 2000KwH per year (I live near Salisbury), then the payback might reduce to say around 10 years - again excluding any RPI or energy inflation increases.
The best thing is that the FIT is fixed for 25 years, however it will increase against Retail Price Index and any money paid is TAX Free.
According to the info - the region does have a bearing - the further south the more energy is generated, however based upon the last 10 years of data the average in the UK (for a 2.2KwH system) is 1715Kwh.
These systems do not need sunshine to operate - just light - so in scotland for instance because of the longer summer nights they perform similarily to places further south - when averaged out. They do not work in the dark or when covered in snow :wink:
Providing you have some cash handy and a suitable location (facing between SW and SE) its seems a bit of a no brainer!! Providing you have about £8K-12K spare to invest.
Andy
Those I know who are hooked up to the grid get paid per KWH.
How much electricity do you use? What will you be using for storage? or will you be selling the "spare" back to the grid?
I know a few people who generate on a small to medium scale and quite a few on the huge scale. As I do a bit of installation.
Yep :D
The 2.2Khw installation we are looking to put will cost around the £10K - assuming it generates 1750Kwh/year (conservative) HMG will pay us £722. If we use all the engery we generate it will reduce our electricty bill by around 25% - meaning a further saving of around £200/years.
Any thing I do not use I will flog back at 44.3p/KHW - however my intention is to use as much as I can.
Therefore 722+200 = £922/year - without taking in to account any fuel inflation currently around 7%/year. Therefore after 11 years the system has paid for it self and the money earned during the remaining 14 years from the FIT scheme and the assoicated savings is "profit" i.e. 722+200 x14 = 12900 - again excluding fuel inflation.
Simply put
10K invested for 25 year at 4.25% would be worth 18766 after tax!!
10K spend on panels over 25 years would result in £18,050 in income (tax free) and £5000 in savings. Plus I would still have the panels/system at the end of the term (and these will continue to generate for at least 40 years!!) - so a net benefit of £4.3K over the bank option.
if you add in fuel inflation (which will occur as sure as night follows day) and the fact the FIT's are indexed linked so are set to increase by 3% per year on average then the revenue generated and the saving wll be even greater. I could of course invest the 10K in the stock market and shares, however there cannot be many shares which can gauretee a 7%+ (tax free) return on investment over 25 years can there. If so please tell me
And we are saving the planet at the same time.
As I say looks like a no brainer to me.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Well after doing a shed load of research I have pushed the button.
Final price was £11,350 all in including some ground work that was required for some cables.
No issues with Planning - even though we live within a conservation area.
The system I went for is made by SolarWorld (German) yep I had never heard of them either, however they won the german version of "Which" PV Panel and was top in "Photon Magazine (for saddo's). 25 year guarantee which is linear rather than step like most manufactureres.
On paper it will generate 2.3Kw, however according to the sales guy should generate more like 2.5Kw. The system comes with a Power One invertor (Italian) and all the triming including a remote "desktop" data logger :shock:
I have already met my MCS installors - nice people and work should commence in about 5 weeks - just time for the winter :(
I shall provide an update once its in - the paperwork is complete and the money starts "rolling in" :D
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Hope it all goes well, will be keeping an eye on the thread for updates :)
Hi,
how can this be remotely viable? Cost to buy electricity from Eon etc is about 10p/KWH or something like that. Why is the Government giving away over four times that if you generate it yourself? Selling it back to the national grid at 3p/KWH makes sense, but that seems to be the only bit of this scheme that does. :?
Nice one Andy - look forward to hearing some updates :)
money saving expert are reporting on a firm who will install for free in your house, you get the power you use for free and they get the 800 quid kickback
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Well done Andy! - you certainly ain't "all mouth and no action" :lol:
As I said Dave its a bit of a no-brainer. If you keep your money in a Bank you might get 2.75% return before tax - the problem is RPI is currently between 3-5% so your money is actually getting smaller. and they call it "savings" :roll:
Or put your money in a scheme which will give around 8% (fixed for the next 25 years) and which is Tax Free and Indexed linked. Couple that with the potential saving in energy which has an inflation rated above RPI - around 7% and the opportunity to help save the planet means that it just has to be done.
My only regret is not having a bigger garage roof so I could have a 4Kw systems :D - if you go over 4Kw the tarif drops a bit and its less sexy.
Also 11K is not a huge amount of money to have a punt with especially if you know every 6 months you are going to get a cheque in the post for over £400 - for the next 25 years.
I wish for every 11K I put in my pension pot I could get the same return.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Itching to hear about this, as all being well we're about to complete on a south facing house with a massive roof also a garage with a massive roof only thing is it's a semi so do you need neighbours permission etc. i look forward to hearing what's involved in the installation as i presume they need to cable to your meter etc which in this case is under the stairs in the centre of the house (ie adjoining wall)
I heard the same thing on Moneybox on radio 4. They interviewed the MD. He said they were looking to install 10,000 system this year. They keep the gov't grant money and they keep the cash from the electricity sold back to the grid. You get the free electricity generated.
The guy was quizzed on his business model but the more questions that were asked the more it became clear the model held water and provides a decent return to the investor.
I'm tempted to find out more. I was v sceptical and thought SCAM but it really does seem like it can work. Apparently microgeneration is part of HMG strategy.
Bloke in the village has done what Andy is doing. It seems to be working OK for him.
Very interesting thread, I tend to instinctively dismiss this sort of thing but I have to say it sounds good. I guess there's a slight risk if you sell the house within the first few years following installation although it should put value onto the house, particularly when the evidence of an income stream is presented. Even if buyers wouldn`t pay the extra £11k it's one hell of a selling point when compared to kitchens, bathrooms etc.
I live in a due south-facing detached house with a fair-sized roof; I`m always on the lookout for decent investments and I may well consider this one. I`m approx 20 miles east of the pennines and I get a fair amount of sunshine, even when surrounding areas are cloudy so I`d be optimistic about its success for me.
As a true tight-fisted Yorkshireman I would be asking for discount on the installation because it's the end of summer :)
Paul
That made me smile.
A friend of mine has done this in Germany and evidently works out there as well.. it's not as lucrative but they get a lot more sun down in the Bayerische Nether-Regionz ;)
If your whole house was covered in panels, you wouldn't need a roof either!
The meter Npower gave me to measure use tells me I'm averaging £0.47p/day. How long before I pay off £11k? :shock:
Roughly 23,404 days, just over 64 years.
Simples - if you do the math.
You are using £171.5 of electricly a year (you must live in a fridge :D ).
Assuming the have the space to install say a 2.2KW system - this will generate at least 2KW (might be more). In which case your electric company will pay you 2000KHW x41.3p = £826/year for 25 years = £20650 (tax free and indexed linked).
Lets assume that 50% of your energy is used during the day time you will also save 50% of your current electic bill so £171/2= £85/year x 25 years which would equate to £2137 over 25 years.
Because you use so little electric you will also "sell" back your surplus - based on your numbers of 0.47p/day this would equate to around 5 units of which 50% is used during the day - so lets say 2WH/day. However as your system generates 5.4Wh/day you will be able to sell your surplus 3Wh back to the grid at 3p/Wh therefore 9p/day x365 = £32.85/year or £850 over 25 years.
Therefore in terms of savings and payments over 25 years you would get.
£20650 FIT.
£2137 in savings
£850 in selling surplus
Total £23637 (all TAX Free)
Not bad for an £11,000 outlay.
Also I have not factored in fuel inflation (currently 7%/year and likley to get much higher) and the fact that the FIT Tarrif is INDEX linked against RPI so expect the 41.3p/KWH to increase by 3% this year. Try getting this rate of return on your savings from your bank !!!
As I said no brainer
My systems arrives in 3 weeks :D
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
That's your usage but if you're generating and selling it back at 0.43p/kwh it would be quite profitable on paper i'd like to see the figures from someone who has had it fitted before i pulled the trigger myself though.
Yes but with the marketing model cited above you only get free electricity; the installation company keeps the government grant and generated power costs for itself.
Oh, and I heat the house and get hot water by gas. I don't even have an immersion or electric shower. I also keep the house warmer than many in the winter; I don't like being cold.
If I were to get paid cash for generating then that might be different.
Well that would explain it :D Hate to think what your gas bill is!
As for cash payments you do - you get the 41.3p/KWH irrespective of whether you use it or not - if you sell it back to the grid you get 44.3p - you can have this as a cheque every 3 or 6 months. All you do is ring you electric company and provide your MCS number and your meter reading. Any savings is just gravy :wink:
If you are generating to much - get an immersion heater and save on your gas bill - simples.
Seriuosly I thought "to good to be true" - however for the first time ever it actually is!!
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
You can try for a discount however these companies are very busy (i wonder why!!) - however you MUST make sure that it is installed by an MCS enginer - plus there are shed loads to panels coming into the country at the moment (mostly Chinese and Indian), I however for a few extra quid I went for a German system as I believed the panals were more suitable for our climate rather than very hot countries - we will see.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Did people see this last weekend?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/au ... lar-panels
May be of interest, if not.
Mine faces WSW. Oh well. Not that I'm considering it, but options are nice.The companies are looking for the most productive roofs, and if yours doesn't fit the bill, you will be turned down. You need to have a roof with up to 30 square metres of usable space. It will have to be almost exactly south-facing and entirely unshaded – no trees/ telegraph poles etc – and, ideally, at a pitch of around 40 degrees. Telegraph wire shading may be acceptable.
Thanks it was to me - confirmation is always nice :D
As for the panels needing to face exact south - Bollacks- SW to SE will work very well providing they are not shaded - just not quite as well as pure south. The gov has published a paper on this showing the power generation and how its impacted by direction - even panels facing north will generate electric however its not recomended - unless you have a mirror :D
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Well thanks to my hommies at Urban Energy I am all done and dusted and have become a micorgenerator :D .
Cost - just shy of £11K which was less then the original quote :shock: - but I could have had the minty 1665 I want :( anyways
Panels/Framework - SolarWorld (german).
Invertor - Power-One (italian)
Instalation - Urban Energy
Took about about 3 days in all, however could have been a bit quicker had we not had a problem with an intermitent invertor - which Urban Energy simply ripped out an replaced. Must say that the boys were excellent - even tidied up after themselves.
The system is spec'ed at 2,30KWh and based upon current output will generate around 33% of our total electric needs- thus saving me (well the SWMBO actually) around £250/year.
Based on early data (its now Mid September) it will generate at least 2KWh/year which using the current Gov FIT Tariff (0.413p) will delivery me an nice tax free cheque of £826/year.
Payback should therefore occour in just over 10 years however this number excludes fuel inflation at around 7%/year and the fact the FIT is being index linked to RPI (so 3.5% this year alone).
Nice summers and better than expected outputs (it generated over 7KWh on Friday) will reduce this. If for example we generate 2.3KWh/year (which is very possible with these panels) then the break even point might be 9 years. Fuel inflation and higher RPI would reduce it even further.
If the break even point is 10 years, the remaining 15 years of the scheme will net me over £1000/year tax free so will be a nice little top-top to my pension.
A few pictures for information.
Installtion - south facing garage roof - plenty of room on the house roof for a few more panels if the mood takes me :D
The DC/AC Invertor
and finally my wireless desk-top monitor/data logger which will keep me full solar OCD'ed until I get bored looking at it.
Well pleased I did it and very likley to have some more fitted to the house when we get the loft conversion done next year.
PS for all you greenies - total CO2 savings to date on 15.54Kg on 27.27KWh generated.
Andy
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
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