Free solar panel discussion

Gizmosmum_2

Or of course you could count your blessings that you're in the position to worry about compound interest and maybe put that to one side and do your bit while making at least some cash from the FIT. I'm guessing that quite a few of those in Pakistan would love to swap our dilemna for theirs.

Cardew

Gizmosmum wrote: »

Or of course you could count your blessings that you're in the position to worry about compound interest and maybe put that to one side and do your bit while making at least some cash from the FIT. I'm guessing that quite a few of those in Pakistan would love to swap our dilemna for theirs.

If you have spent £17000 on solar then perhaps you can't afford to send another £17,000 to the Pakistan flood appeal!!

Not sure what you mean by 'do your bit'?

Are you suggesting that fitting solar at a cost of £xxthousand is an effective way of preventing global warming(or climate change as it is now called)?

samba

Gizmosmum wrote: »

Or of course you could count your blessings that you're in the position to worry about compound interest and maybe put that to one side and do your bit while making at least some cash from the FIT. I'm guessing that quite a few of those in Pakistan would love to swap our dilemna for theirs.

Why not donate all the profit from your FIT payments to the Disasters Emergency Committee for the next 25 years? They need it more than you.

Gizmosmum_2

Cardew wrote: »

If you have spent £17000 on solar then perhaps you can't afford to send another £17,000 to the Pakistan flood appeal!!

Not sure what you mean by 'do your bit'?

Are you suggesting that fitting solar at a cost of £xxthousand is an effective way of preventing global warming(or climate change as it is now called)?

I'm not arguing about the efficacy of solar pv versus anything else. There are many views about that and the jury's out for a good few years. If I wait until then no-one benefits, manufacturers and installers can't make thier bit, CO2 emissions carry on going up and I don't get any free electric or a reasonable return on my investment. A lose, lose situation if you ask me.

What I'm saying is that sometimes we get so wrapped up in our problems about how much money we can save/generate that we forget how relatively well off the vast majority of us are in relation to some of the developing countries.

As to whether I've spent 17k on a system, that's my own business not anyone else's as is the contents of my bank acount which dictates how much I donate to charity

Nang

Hey thanks again for you feedback, response below.

Cardew wrote: »

Nang,

This is your link; if you need to use it again just cut and past it into your post.

uksolarcasestudy.co.uk

Thanks As I said the forum wont let me add links because i am a new user.


You really cannot use Max's results and extrapolate those and make the assumption they apply to your set up.
I didnt. Maxs results are his results I just published them as they came, mine haven't changed.


There are local variations within a couple of miles of each other - let alone the distance between your place and Oldham.

See response above


Whilst I understand your enthusiasm, the output of a given system, and hence the annual income from FITs and exported electricity, can be fairly accurately predicted for any given location in UK.

Predicted, yes but these are real readings form real systems. I know which ones I would rather have if I was investing this amount of cash

Your installer stated you should get 3,300kWh a year. However those down South will get a higher output per kWp installed and those in Scotland lower.
Agree, might be able to get some data from the south, but if southerners are impressed by these figures they can be happy in the knowledge any system they set up will do better.


As I said in an earlier post, the unknown factor with your system is how much of the generated electricity is used in the house, that could be worth £100 to £150 pa. So you predicting your income in the first year down to the nearest penny, without considering that factor, doesn't help too much.
The Fact that ASG are prepared to give this away for free should give you an indication of how much it actually contributes on your bottom line


For most people contemplating fitting(and paying for) solar the dilemma is how long it will take for the system to pay for itself and start earning income.

The general documented estimate is 10 years but I suspect it might be less even through fits alone. I will keep publishing these values so keep watching

The first year income for FITs and exported electricity is the simple part.
Maybe but I was considering buying one of these set ups I would still rather have last years info under my belt


Future income in the years ahead will depend on a number of factors - inflation rate, inflation rate for fuel, utilization of electricity in house. interest rates etc. In addition it is certain that there will be some repairs/maintenance required in the years ahead.

Yes unknown quantities, but even if you invested your money you cant guarantee an interest rate that lasts 25 years. There are always going to be folk who sit around thinking about it and those who take the risk, you certainly have to be in this one to win. I just want to reduce this risk for potential investors.


For most people(in financial terms) they have to weigh up the lost compounded interest on the capital spent on a solar system and compare that against the income(less expenditure) of the system in the years ahead.

The full picture will not emerge for many years.

At which point you will have lost your opportunity to make an investment.

My advise, Keep an eye on my blog (its free) and make your decision before the bus leaves.

Gizmosmum_2

samba wrote: »

Why not donate all the profit from your FIT payments to the Disasters Emergency Committee for the next 25 years? They need it more than you.

How do you know I'm not

WarwickshireSaver

I have been convinced that, in the right conditions, a PV solar installation will recover its cost in an acceptable time then go on making money thereafter. I am looking to be cash +ve in the 8th year if not before.

The break-even point hinges on capital cost and annual generation.
In the first case I recommend a group purchase. It is a bit of mission but if you can get 10+ linked purchases then you can bargain for a discount. We are getting 25%.

The next point I am looking for help on.
Just how well the critically important inverter works make all the difference. We need some independent body to provide a ranking of inverters. Some inverters will work better in poor light conditions and as a result generate materially more kWh per annum than other. There needs to be a "conversion eficiency" Trade Mark for this equipment. If you know of one then please post a reply.

Pincher

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

It will be one large umbrella to capture 30 square meters of sunshine:D

I am coming from a low entry cost angle.

I have just put in some LED strip lights. 12W for a 500mm.
I put in the 230V version, but it comes in a 12V version as well.
It claims 10 years, circa 20,000 hours life, so there is no need to change light bulbs, effectively. They come in warm white, as well as pure white and cold white.

Since the lighting circuit is on a seaparate circuit breaker, it is relatively easy to re-connect that to a 12V battery supply, backed up by a battery charger operating from the 230V mains.

GU10 spot lights come in 7W LED version now, so it's possible to replace all the existing lightbulbs if the manufacturers want to make them. This means that we don't need to use an expensive inverter, and just power the lights from DC.

Let's say you have 20 bulbs at 10W each on from 5pm to 11pm,
That is 10W x 20 x 6hours = 1200Wh = 1.2kWh

If you had 20 bulbs of 60W on for 6 hours, it's 7.2kWh = 72pence a day, £262.8 a year. So let's says you spend £200 a year on lighting. Assuming three umbrellas, mounted on three garden posts, can generate 1.2kWh per day on average, it will save you £200 a year on lighting.

If they were mass produced, I guess you can get a basic kit (battery, controller, charger) together for £200, and then you add as many umbrellas (£100?) as you want. So the payback is around three years.


Technical problems

200W at 12V means 17A, which is potentially dangerous for 1.5mm lighting cables.

Shaver sockets are usually on the lighting circuit, and you have to buy a new charger that works with 12V.

Cardew

WarwickshireSaver wrote: »

The break-even point hinges on capital cost and annual generation.
In the first case I recommend a group purchase. It is a bit of mission but if you can get 10+ linked purchases then you can bargain for a discount. We are getting 25%.

Agreed that capital cost is a crucial factor in getting an early break-even point.

When you state 'we are getting a 25% discount' is that on the total installation from a MCS contractor? Or on the components? which is why you are looking for info on inverters?

Can you give an indication of typical prices you hope to pay for a fully installed system please.

Gizmosmum_2

Found what looks like quite a good solar book on Amazon if anyone wants a bot more info. It's called Solar Electricity Book by Michael Boxwell. Somewhere round the £10 mark and has a supporting website https://www.solarelectrcityhandbook.com. Starting to read tomorrow!