Solar Panel Megathread

[Eco_Nicholas]

As a council tenant i Have looked into both solar & wind power i found that the initial outlay was beyond our pockets, being on a lower income bracket i thought that it would benefit us due to lower energy bills in the future. Upon deeper investigations they both took an average of 10 to 15 years to make any significant returns/profits due to the cost of the systems and maintenance.

 

Banks are more than happy to cover the outlay, because the income scheme is backed by the government. This is usually true, even if you have a poor credit rating, and taking the loan can be used as a speedy way to improve it.

 

You can also negotiate with your energy provider how much of your income is paid towards the payback of your loan and how much is paid to you, this way you can reap the income benefit from day one.

 

The incomes give on average four times the return on the original outlay, so they are well worth the investment and are tax-free.

 

It's also worth bearing in mind that if you don't then you'll end up paying even more through paying for other people's incomes, and then there's the fine our country will receive if 15% of all UK households fail to embrace renewable energy.

 

i would have thought that at 10 to 15 years the system would be due for a major overhaul or even replacement, thus the cycle starts again.

 

Most Solar Panel Manufacturers guarantee their panels to operate at 90% efficiency for ten years, and 80% efficiency for 25 years.

 

This means that after 25 years, your system is guaranteed to be working at over 80% efficiency.

 

i have however now made my shed energy efficient using solar lights, but again the cost of setting it up was £80.00 for 4 20 led lighting units in a 10 x 8 shed, this gives sufficient lighting for around 6 hours continuous use, which would be very rare to use them for that length of time, so given the cost of the setup compared to actual usage its going to take a good few years to make the £80 back, & then i will probably have to replace the rechargeable batteries a couple of times lol.

 

This is brilliant news!

 

We recommend Smart Solar, as they have managed to make brighter lights that use less power for a decent price. They even sell solar-powered pond features and other neat gadgets for your home and garden.

Edited July 27, 2011 by Eco_Nicholas

[crookesey]

My son was telling me that he could make a fair sized solar panel for something like £150.00.

[scimdaz]

RHI was due for release this year, but the date has been pushed back again. The Government can't seem to settle on a date.

 

Best regards,

Nick

 

£300 payments off the cost of solar thermal now available (as of yesterday, Aug 1st) in a scheme being run by the energy saving trust to pilot full implementation of RHI next year. First come first served. Also up to £1200 off groundsource heatpumps if your home is off the gas network.

Edited August 8, 2011 by esme
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[jinnertomcat]

Given that the free solar panel scheme has now been up and running for a while now, with companies like A Shade Greener, I would be very keen to hear from anyone who has had free solar panels installed for say 6 months or more. I am particularly keen to know what sort of savings you have managed to achieve, and as to whether or not your energy usage pattern has changed much eg running washing machine / tumble drier during the day, using storage heaters /immersion heaters, using more electrical cooking gadgets (as opposed to gas). Reason for question is we have been approved for installation but would like to hear about what the real benefits have been in the Sheffield area before we go ahead. Thanks in advance.

[HCF2010]

Hi

 

Just a quick bit of info re solar panels - if anyone wants completely impartial advice about any aspect of installation etc,contact the South Yorkshire Energy Centre at Heeley City Farm. 0114 303 9981. They can get you the best information and the best deals.

[Susannah]

Also I'll put in a plug for RAI Systems.

 

They sorted us out with a good system, were friendly and organised.

Also they've done systems for people living completely off-grid, which I think really makes for a strong focus on efficiency.

 

Susannah

[TheBlades]

Do we get enough sun in this country to make solar panels worthwhile?!?!? Lol

[Quint]

Do we get enough sun in this country to make solar panels worthwhile?!?!? Lol

 

Yes plenty. Believe it or not if its too hot and sunny the panels actually under perform.

[MariahLinda9]

I don't think so that we get the much sun light to charge the batteries,What did you people think ?

[FORE]

Depending on the brand and quality of your inverter, to solve your East/West issue certain inverters will switch automatically.

 

For example if we were to put 2 strings of panels on your roof, one string on the east and one string on the west our inverter would switch automatically depending on which string is generating the most power.

 

Basically string one will generate in the morning, and string 2 will generate in the afternoon.

 

Hope that helps? Please feel free to drop me an email or give us a call on 0800 093 8910

 

Please explain why you need 2 'strings'. (I assume a string is an independant curcuit)

 

Could they not all go thro' the inverter at the same time?

 

Why is this different from (say) having a 4kw system by having 2x2kw systems?

 

Thanks!