Current PV panel prices

babba_blacksheep

mark88man wrote: »

[FONT=Tahoma,Bold][FONT=Tahoma,Bold]Any comments?. Looks good, but a little expensive - However I really liked the technician who came along [/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma,Bold][FONT=Tahoma,Bold]Project: 3.7 kWp - Solar PV System £12990[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma,Bold][FONT=Tahoma,Bold]Details of Proposed System for the Roof:[/FONT][/FONT]
The roof is East/West facing with minimal shading.

Using Upsolar Mono 185 Watt panels and a Fronius 3.5 kW

The system will consist of 2 separate systems (one on 12 east roof, one on 8 on west facing roof)

The total estimated generated income and savings : [FONT=Tahoma,Bold][FONT=Tahoma,Bold]£35K.[/FONT][/FONT]
This figure equates to an average of [FONT=Tahoma,Bold][FONT=Tahoma,Bold]£1400 ([/FONT][/FONT]2700KWh) per annum.

A 3.7 using sharp 185 should be £11500

kfsimpson

Has anybody else been advised about inverters having a shorter life expectancy than the panels? I've been told 10-15 years, although mounting them somewhere cooler than the loft, such as a garage or understair cupboard, is likely to extend the lifespan. Is this more bull**** or is it something we should all be factoring into the likely costs and profit?

John_Pierpoint

Yes you need to factor in two mew inverters into the 25 year investment.
There is a trend towards one low power inverter per panel, but not likely to be adopted in UK this side of next April.

keith_r59

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Yes you need to factor in two mew inverters into the 25 year investment.
There is a trend towards one low power inverter per panel, but not likely to be adopted in UK this side of next April.

Is this fact or myth? SMA Sunny Boy inverters are designed to last for over 20 years according to their web site and Fronious have recently had a promotion whereby, if you extend the initial factory warranty from 5 to 10 years, they will extend it to 20 years at no additional cost.

zeupater

keith_r59 wrote: »

Is this fact or myth? SMA Sunny Boy inverters are designed to last for over 20 years according to their web site and Fronious have recently had a promotion whereby, if you extend the initial factory warranty from 5 to 10 years, they will extend it to 20 years at no additional cost.

Hi

That's why it's important to keep the inverter cool .... the manufacturers will design their equipment life against standard ambient operating conditions which would probably be somewhere around 20C. It is commonly accepted that most electronic and electrical components have a reduction in anticipated lifespan of 50% for each 8% to 10% of increase in operating temperature, which is the basis for accelerated failure testing for most major manufacturers of electronic systems ......

On a sunny day is the loft nearer to 20C than an integral garage or elsewhere in the house ? ....

HTH
Z

John_Pierpoint

I've been working in my loft last week. I don't know the exact temperature, but as soon as the sun came out a combination of grey concrete tiles and black tar "under tile felt" turned the loft into a furnace - well over 20 degrees.

Similarly, this time three years ago, I needed to "glue" the dark grey slates, back onto the battens - the temperatures inside the east/west facing roof were "impossible" until mid October.
[If you own a 100 year old Welsh slate roof, it is probably "nail sick" by now and the slates are slipping. You can get another 30 years out of it by sliding the missing slates back in position and then gluing a foam block on the underside of each one, using a fast setting poly urethane (wood) glue - provided the slates are good quality and not de-laminating in the frost.]

keith_r59

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

That's why it's important to keep the inverter cool .... the manufacturers will design their equipment life against standard ambient operating conditions which would probably be somewhere around 20C. It is commonly accepted that most electronic and electrical components have a reduction in anticipated lifespan of 50% for each 8% to 10% of increase in operating temperature, which is the basis for accelerated failure testing for most major manufacturers of electronic systems ......

On a sunny day is the loft nearer to 20C than an integral garage or elsewhere in the house ? ....

HTH
Z

I have my inverter installed in a well ventilated full height storage cupboard attached to the outside of the house so I should be OK.

John_Pierpoint

Might go rusty in there?:D

[Mind you, I've got a freezer in a garden shed, it is nearly 40 years old, rusting but still working.]

energysavingexp

Paul1 wrote: »

Hi all,

Would appreciate some advice as buying panels seems to be as easy as knitting mist!

I am in the Northeast and so far have tried 3 local companies and Tesco (for a laugh). Of the local companies only one turned up, though the guy does seem knowledgeable and has answered a lot of questions from us as time has gone on. He didn't sell at all!

Tesco turned up early and we were not impressed. It took 3 weeks to get a quote, they haven't quoted for what we wanted and although the quote they have sent is cheaper it uses smaller polycristaline panels. Best of all Tesco also sent me another customers quote with mine (so much for data protection).

Right back to the guy I have, the quote is for a 3.92 kw system with 16 Sharp 245 mono panels, an SMA 3300 inverter and sunny beam for £12,600 fitted. Does this seem a reasonable price?

My roof is south facing and 30 degrees, slight shading from trees on 2 panels from very late evening. Output 2885 per year is forecast, with an estimated income of £1611.25. I know this will be less as the quote assumed using 100% of the electic used and that isn't practical! Estimating 50% would suggest £1452.

Any thoughts or observations would be really useful as the more I read the more confused I become.:eek:

hi paul

i have the same system as your quote: i have a 3.92 kw system with 16 Sharp 245 mono panels, and a SMA 3300 inverter it cost me £12,500 fitted.
it was fitted on april 23rd this year and it has produced 2093kwh so far.:j

i live in the north west in a very wet area not much sun here like down south:mad:

i am verry pleased with my system the inverter has a ten year guarantee.

keith_r59

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Might go rusty in there?:D

[Mind you, I've got a freezer in a garden shed, it is nearly 40 years old, rusting but still working.]

According to the SMA webs site the SunnyBoy inverter is suitable for either indoor or outdoor installation so it's odd that so many of them have been installed in lofts.

Lazy solar pv installers I suppose.