How much as 4kw solar system?

HalloweenJack

i have a 2kw system (10 panels) , a good day so far is about 6kw of nice sunshine (peaking at about 1.2kwh) - a bad day is 300watts - thats daylight not sunshine and for the entire time of daylight (6 hours); mine is S facing and im on the south coast (eastbourne , east sussex) - although with this wind a micro wind turbine would be whizzing around like no ones business!

as for equipment i have:

10 x sovello svt-200-fc1 panels

and a Schüco inverter `sunnyboy` SB 1700

Martyn1981

Ferdy147 wrote: »

Thanks for the information so far.

The quotes I've had so far are about £9500 but will keep looking. As I type someone's just e-mailed me saying they could do it for £7500-8000 and they're coming to take a look tomorrow. This is a local installer who I got from the MCS site.

Is there anything I should be asking specifically?

I have questions to ask about warranty and the type of inverter etc....is there anything else I should be asking?

Lots of questions, but don't worry, just make sure they are open to lots of follow ups.

Specific inverter make and full model,
specific panel name and full model reference,
where will they put the inverter,
how will they run the cables,
what shading issues do they anticipate (think this one through carefully yourself too - even a soil pipe shadow could affect generation all day),
ask for evidence of their MCS and REA membership,
estimation of generation
full estimation of income and savings: FITS tariff + export + potential savings,
full quote in writing to follow up verbal,
sign nothing,
pay nothing,
yes you have 7 days to cancel, but why would they push you to decide on something that costs the same as a small car.

If this is your first go, will probably take an hour and a half tops, unless you get chatty.

Come back and post info, concerns, thoughts etc. PM if worried. Try to work out how much generation you may use. 4kWp is a large system, so unless home is in use all day, possibly small office running or similar, unlikely you'll use 50%. If empty most of the day, then consumption will be nearer 25%.

Assume you aren't going to get more than 21p tariff so take your time, prices will only go down longterm, and you won't miss too much generation till April.

Best of luck.

Mart.

macman

Don't go above 4kW, the FITs tariff drops beyond that point.

Martyn1981

Ferdy147 wrote: »

Thanks for the information so far.

The quotes I've had so far are about £9500 but will keep looking. As I type someone's just e-mailed me saying they could do it for £7500-8000 and they're coming to take a look tomorrow. This is a local installer who I got from the MCS site.

Is there anything I should be asking specifically?

I have questions to ask about warranty and the type of inverter etc....is there anything else I should be asking?

Better still try this;

http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf/solar-pv-checklist-pdf-269629.pdf?cmp=W0112_p7_solar

Mart.

Cardew

new2012 wrote: »

I've just had someone on the phone saying, with grants, that they will install a solar system on my east/west facing roof, the ridge runs north/south, for about £4000 after a 30% grant and I will get between £1,000 and £2,000 back in feed in tariffs.

And I will half my electricity usage.

All this in central Scotland.

Does anyone think this is feasible?

Why not report them to REAL

Report any firms you think are breaking the rules to the REAL Assurance Scheme
020 7981 0850

HalloweenJack

currently my output is 1.1 kw , its a bright and sunny day here on the south coast , with total for the day currently 3.4kw so far.

my system isnt as efficient as it could be because of the location of the inverter - its about 5m from the panels because it couldnt be attachted to the plastic facia

rogerblack

HalloweenJack wrote: »

currently my output is 1.1 kw , its a bright and sunny day here on the south coast , with total for the day currently 3.4kw so far.

my system isnt as efficient as it could be because of the location of the inverter - its about 5m from the panels because it couldnt be attachted to the plastic facia

That will make well under .1% difference to the output, assuming properly sized cables.

Brummie71

macman wrote: »

Don't go above 4kW, the FITs tariff drops beyond that point.

Once you get beyond 16A (3.68kW) per phase (most homes only have a single phase, large properties or businesses will usually be on 3-phase), you need to liaise with your DNO anyway and could incur additional costs to make the network fit to carry your power.

That checklist from Martyn is excellent. :T

You may also need to check with your local planning department to see if you need either building control and/or planning approval to do the work. A good installer will do these checks for you, but as you would be liable for any problems, I'd advise a couple of quick calls to check (and preferably get it in writing from the local authority).