Current PV panel prices

keith_r59

PeterZ wrote: »

Exactly, many of these companies will have started up purely to benefit from the increased demand since the FITs came in. They will make a quick buck over the next fews years and close the company down as the work dries up.

So in 15 years when your inverter has popped and let the magic smoke out of the box, who you gonna call?

Warranties for the panels and inverters are with the manufacturers of the equipment and not the installers. The installers generally only provide guarantees for the installation itself.

As solar PV is a global market, companies such as Sharp, SMA etc. will be around in years to come even if your original installer isn't. But if you want further peace of mind then I suggest that you get your installation done by someone like Tescos as I can't see them going down the tubes.

Cardew

keith_r59 wrote: »

Warranties for the panels and inverters are with the manufacturers of the equipment and not the installers. The installers generally only provide guarantees for the installation itself.

As solar PV is a global market, companies such as Sharp, SMA etc. will be around in years to come even if your original installer isn't. But if you want further peace of mind then I suggest that you get your installation done by someone like Tescos as I can't see them going down the tubes.

The exchange of the defective panel or indeed inverter by the manufacturer iisn't the issue.

You have a faulty system - low or nil output.

Who diagnoses what is wrong? panels, inverter, wiring, meterering?

Then who removes defective component and returns it to manufacturer? Arranges scaffolding(£1000?) fits replacement.

Even if it is a defective panel, would the manufacturer pick up a couple of thousnd pound bill in addition to new panel?

thenudeone

zeupater wrote: »

Regarding " .... and according to him SMA inverter only 'kicks in' with 200voltage and powerone inverter 'kicks in' with only 120 voltate giving us extra 2 hours of electricity generation on an average day .... " the SB4000TL spec states "Min. DC voltage / start voltage - 125 V / 150 V", salesmen, don't you just love them !!

Depends which SMA inverter you're comparing with.
The SB3300 / SB3800 does state an input range of 200-500V:
http://www.wirefreedirect.com/download/sma/SB33-SB38-15-BE2906.pdf

keith_r59

Cardew wrote: »

The exchange of the defective panel or indeed inverter by the manufacturer iisn't the issue.

You have a faulty system - low or nil output.

Who diagnoses what is wrong? panels, inverter, wiring, meterering?

Then who removes defective component and returns it to manufacturer? Arranges scaffolding(£1000?) fits replacement.

Even if it is a defective panel, would the manufacturer pick up a couple of thousnd pound bill in addition to new panel?

I would suggest that the first port of call would be an electrician to diagnose where the problem is and then you take it from there.

If the problem is a defective panel, and it is in warranty, then you would have to follow the terms of the warranty for that particular brand of panel but I would expect that any installation/dismantling costs would have to be borne by the customer.

Only time will tell if defective panels are a problem, and I haven't heard of any to date, but people do need to be aware that solar PV investment isn't a risk free investment and that additional costs may be accrued down the line.

zeupater

thenudeone wrote: »

Depends which SMA inverter you're comparing with.
The SB3300 / SB3800 does state an input range of 200-500V:
http://www.wirefreedirect.com/download/sma/SB33-SB38-15-BE2906.pdf

Hi

Agree, that's why I specifically mentioned the SB4000TL. This is the inverter which pmpm has been quoted for by other installers and therefore should be the unit to compare performance against.

HTH
Z

Cardew

keith_r59 wrote: »

Only time will tell if defective panels are a problem, and I haven't heard of any to date, but people do need to be aware that solar PV investment isn't a risk free investment and that additional costs may be accrued down the line.

In a couple of years it would be interesting to find out from the big 'Rent a roof' firms(ASG, BG etc) if there is any trend.

I can't think they would have any reason to withold the information.

pmpm

i've got got a quote for £14000 for solarworld panels/Sma inverter and £12500 for sharp panels/power one aurora inverter.

Everybody says solarworld panels are high quality premium panels and sharp mid range. Do you guys think that spending £1500 extra on solarworld panels would be worth it? I mean will I be able to save more than that if I go for solarworld?

David_Aston

pmpm,
Solatricity told me that Kyocera were the original and still the best panels. As earlier stated in this thread they did eventually come down to asking £8500, to fit 10 of these on my roof, to produce 1.35Kwp. I can't see how anyone taking part in this post could honestly answer your question. (I presume a Solatricity or Solarworld employee poster, might have an opinion!

Cardew

David_Aston wrote: »

pmpm,
Solatricity told me that Kyocera were the original and still the best panels. As earlier stated in this thread they did eventually come down to asking £8500, to fit 10 of these on my roof, to produce 1.35Kwp. I can't see how anyone taking part in this post could honestly answer your question. (I presume a Solatricity or Solarworld employee poster, might have an opinion!

Exactly!!

A 225wp panel is a 225wp panel - period,

If one panel has a different construction that gives a higher output, then it is physically smaller. Both, by definition, give the same output under laboratory conditions.

What I have not seen is any comparison data that suggests one panel is better than another if roof pitch, orientation, and ambient temperature etc varies.

I am not convinced that anyone(let alone on this website) can objectively comment on the longevity of panels.

In any case panels manufactured by firm A in 2011 could be very different to those they manufactured 2 or 3 years ago.(better or worse!!!) So on what grounds can this statement be justified:

Everybody says solarworld panels are high quality premium panels and sharp mid range

The cynic in me suggests there is a higher profit margin with one of those panels - guess which!!!!

pmpm

Cardew wrote: »

Exactly!!

A 225wp panel is a 225wp panel - period,

If one panel has a different construction that gives a higher output, then it is physically smaller. Both, by definition, give the same output under laboratory conditions.

What I have not seen is any comparison data that suggests one panel is better than another if roof pitch, orientation, and ambient temperature etc varies.

I am not convinced that anyone(let alone on this website) can objectively comment on the longevity of panels.

In any case panels manufactured by firm A in 2011 could be very different to those they manufactured 2 or 3 years ago.(better or worse!!!) So on what grounds can this statement be justified:



The cynic in me suggests there is a higher profit margin with one of those panels - guess which!!!!

I understand what you mean. And it's really interesting to know that. But what about this efficiency. The salesman for solarworld was quoting that it has 18-19% (can't remember the exact figure) and sharp panels have 15% efficiency. Now will that make any difference over 25years period?