Thermal Solar Power - worthwhile under the upcoming RHI scheme?

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  • Ken68
    Ken68 Posts: 6,825
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    Yes Zeup...you are probably right, as usual, and am not in the market, have my own system.
    And if the 6% doesn't attract, maybe a bit of confusion marketing.
  • I've now also seen a supplier called "Navitron". They are considerably cheaper than the likes of Vaillant.
    http://www.navitron.org.uk/product.php?proID=115

    They seem to have a loyal and enthusiastic DIY fan base, but has anyone heard of their reputation? The assembly videos I've seen make the units look like rather cheap quality. So I'd have doubts if their performance is even a large fraction of what pricier panels can achieve. For one thing, they don't have reflective mirrors behind each tube, and the fixings to the roof top look somewhat amateurish.

    If their panel performance is good however, maybe these can be genuine hot water money savers...

    Hi Frozen - Navitron are not "cheap" they pride themselves in offering realistic prices without all the razmataz that other companies offer making you believe these products are more expensive than they actually are.

    They do have a large following and many installs with an excellent forum to explore all about real installations, journeys people have been on and proper analysis of data for both solar thermal and PV

    Regards
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    beedydad wrote: »
    Hi Frozen - Navitron are not "cheap" they pride themselves in offering realistic prices without all the razmataz that other companies offer making you believe these products are more expensive than they actually are.

    They do have a large following and many installs with an excellent forum to explore all about real installations, journeys people have been on and proper analysis of data for both solar thermal and PV

    Regards

    Agree with the above. However there are people who post nonsense as well as the experts.

    The types who post 'last year my bills were £1,500 and this year on £4.98, so they have saved me £1,495.02p!!!!!'
  • juliusceasor
    juliusceasor Posts: 92 Forumite
    edited 12 March 2011 at 11:53AM
    Cardrew: 4% return on cash? where exactly is that deal? Even at 4% take away inflation at 4.8% and cash is a negative return.

    Solar pumps will not be using 200 plus watts. If they are then there is something wrong or it is old or dare I say poor quality. The pump stations today use pulse width modulation to vary the pump seed incrementally and are low energy varying between 5 -70W flat out typically 40W and that isn't continuous day in day out it varies.

    RHI announced domestic it's a disaster £300 til The Green Deal announced DEC2012 Commercially it is £0.085/kW It's a disaster because they compare Solar to energy production cost from wind and ignore Carbon saving Solar brings.

    Solar is sized with expansion vessels to accommodate periods of stagnation ie when you are away on holiday. But it is not good long term to have solar Stagnating. As to lasting 20 years plus on a roof, a properly installed system will survive that no problem, examples are common in europe. Unfortunately there are a lot of crap me to joe solar installations with a poor reputation. Bad news travels faster than good news.
    To overcome issues of Stagnation heat loss circuits are recommended. I would suggest in the UK we look at winterising the array to optimise for the winter sun angle this would allow a larger array, with a low temperature heating system, low energy demand home and suitable storage, a contribution to space heating. It will flatten the peak summer curve of energy production reducing stagnation and matching energy produced to demand. An auto management system could dump heat to the heating system during holiday periods when the property is empty if temperatures build up; eliminating stagnation.

    What is wrong is not the technology of renewable energy systems (except heat pumps) but our housing stock. It needs to be knocked down and rebuilt. Then we could be sustainable and not need gas or oil boilers.
  • beedydad
    beedydad Posts: 90 Forumite
    Confirmation of the RHI has just been announced by the Govt as at 10th March - a lovally 87 page document to go thru
  • Don't just read that document read the ancillary documents supporting it also.

    http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/policy/incentive/incentive.aspx
  • Ken68
    Ken68 Posts: 6,825
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    Watch the prices shoot up now.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    Cardrew: 4% return on cash? where exactly is that deal? Even at 4% take away inflation at 4.8% and cash is a negative return.


    AA give 5% on a five year fix, Close Savings 5% on a 3 year fix. - see Martin's saving Guide!!


    The bottom line on Solar Thermal is see what the output is in kWh.
  • Cardew wrote: »
    AA give 5% on a five year fix, Close Savings 5% on a 3 year fix. - see Martin's saving Guide!!


    That is no return then. With inflation at 4.8% so it is at best a mute point.

    The bottom line on solar is not just the kWH it is the CO2 saving and the utilisation of the kWH produced and how they are effectively used. The RHI and FIT were also part of the solution to reduce CO2 26% by 2020 in line with EU limits.

    Solar can be designed, optimised and sized to give upwards of 25%- 50% of the total energy requirements of a property. Build 8 - 4kW heat demand homes and closer to 65% 85%+ at a fraction of the cost of HeatPump technology for example. It's all in the design and suitability of UK housing and planning restrictions.

    Solar thermal is the most efficient conversion of any renewable technology in to heat energy. Storage and demand due to unsuitable housing stock in the main are the limitations on this fuel source. Why are we trying to heat Bedowin Tents with fossil fuels either by heat pumps or Gas or Oil or solid fuels. We shouldn't, we should be heating as a last resort not as a Modus Operandi
  • Ken68 wrote: »
    Watch the prices shoot up now.


    What prices and for what? And why will they shoot up? Solar PV have only dropped ..
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