Help re Solar Panels please

Kernel_Sanders

sly_dog_jonah wrote: »

The imported power will be zero when:

(1)[Generated power] - [consumed power] > 0
(eg when it's sunny and the house is empty with no appliances on)

(2)If your consumption exceeds generation at a particular time (eg at sunset):
[Generated power] + [imported power] = consumed power

(3)If your consumption is less than generation at a particular time (eg at noon):
[Generated power] - [exported power] = consumed power

You can rearrange any of the above equations to suit your requirements

Well, thank you, I think I will!

(1)[Generated power] > [consumed power]

(2) is obviously nonsense.

(3) this is identical to (1)

davidanddeirdre

BirnamBear wrote: »

We have had solar panels fitted recently but I was at work when the installation took place.

I have a feed in meter (make is Elster).The guys made a superb job and everything went smoothly with very neat and tidy workmanship.
The guys told my wife you don't have to do anything but can anyone explain how the feed in meter works.

It has a red light which pulses on and off in daytime so I assume I am making electricity and feeding the grid at those times.

Normally put the dishwasher on when we go out to work but I'm off today and I put a washing on at midday.
The red light still pulsed on and off so was I using my own electricity to do the washing and was also feeding the grid at the same time ?

Everyone with solar PV needs to know which meter is which, because to get one's FIT one needs to give the generation readings to one's registered customer for electricity, or one won't get paid! I wasn't told about this initially when our system was installed and finished up five week's FIT out of pocket, which annoyed me considerably.

sly_dog_jonah

davidanddeirdre wrote: »

Everyone with solar PV needs to know which meter is which, because to get one's FIT one needs to give the generation readings to one's registered customer for electricity, or one won't get paid! I wasn't told about this initially when our system was installed and finished up five week's FIT out of pocket, which annoyed me considerably.

While it's annoying to have 'lost' those 5 weeks, you've actually just delayed it until the end of the 25year FiT tariff, because your eligibility date is 5 weeks later. Of course you might not still be living there in 25 years and the panels performance will have degraded somewhat, but whoever is living there will benefit from 5 weeks of extra payments which you wouldn't have got had your eligibility date been the same as your commissioning date.

EricMears

davidanddeirdre wrote: »

Everyone with solar PV needs to know which meter is which, because to get one's FIT one needs to give the generation readings to one's registered customer for electricity, or one won't get paid! I wasn't told about this initially when our system was installed and finished up five week's FIT out of pocket, which annoyed me considerably.

Not sure if some RECs might have a restriction like that but in similar circumstances you wouldn't have lost anything at all with ScottishPower.

Initial generation meter (usually zero) should have been reported on application form. You won't of course get paid anything until you've supplied a reading but as long as each reading is supplied at least 80 days after previous one (with no apparent upper length to period) SP calculate payment on difference in meter readings.

sly_dog_jonah

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

Well, thank you, I think I will!

(1)[Generated power] > [consumed power]

:T

(2) is obviously nonsense.

No it's not. If you're generating 1kW and importing 2kW then your consumption is 3kW (eg an electric oven is on).

(3) this is identical to (1)

Mathematically no it isn't. '>' is not the same as '='.

The full equation for all the scenarios is as follows:

[Consumed Power] = [Generated Power] + [Imported Power] - [Exported power]

where of course at least one of imported or exported power will be zero at any one time. If the consumed power exactly matches generated power, then you are neither exporting or importing.

The difficulty is that most people can't easily measure exported power, as export meters are rare and it's not always easy to use a current-clamp type device to measure consumed or exported power.

sly_dog_jonah

EricMears wrote: »

Not sure if some RECs might have a restriction like that but in similar circumstances you wouldn't have lost anything at all with ScottishPower.

EDF require the application to be received within 7 days of commissioning date if you want to use 0 as the opening reading.

EricMears

sly_dog_jonah wrote: »

EDF require the application to be received within 7 days of commissioning date if you want to use 0 as the opening reading.

I thought all RECs need to receive forms within 10 day of commissioning anyway (so only 3 days different) - but why would anyone not want to get them in the post on day one ?

beansy

Sorry to seem a bit thick but just trying to get to grips with the procedures so when to join this thread, so please bear with me.

We had our panels fitted on 18 Feb, e-mailed our application to our electricity supplier Eon together with requested paperwork on Tues, 21 Feb. and received the following reply the same day:

If you have sent in your application please accept the date of this response as the date that the site becomes eligible for payments under the Feed in Tariff scheme. Please accept this response as confirmation of receipt.

We will now get started on registering your feed in tariff application and setting your account up ready to start receiving your feed in tariff payments. This process can take between 4 to 6 weeks currently due to the high demand for this product. As we received your application after the 11 December deadline, you are eligible for the new rate, although the paperwork may not be sent to you for up to six weeks.
If we have any queries with your application we will contact you shortly but don’t worry, any delays that these may cause will not affect the start date of your account or the tariff that you may qualify for.

We have not heard anything since but it has only just exceeded the 4 wk period so that is no surprise.

I do, however, have 2 questions I wonder if anyone can help me with please?

1) How will I know when I should be sending any readings in and will the paperwork they send us contain nformation about this procedure?

2) They state that as our application was made after 11 December we will be eligible for the "New Rate" (which I believe is the lower rate) does anyone know the final outcome of the appeal that extended the original terms until the end of Feb or thereabouts please? We were told we should receive the original higher rate by our providers but this would be dependent upon the outcome of the 'Appeal' made by the Gov!

Sorry, if this is on the wrong thread but as someone had mentioned their readings I hope this is ok, if not please point me in the right direction.

Thank you all for your helpful and this very informative thread.

EricMears

beansy wrote: »

We have not heard anything since but it has only just exceeded the 4 wk period so that is no surprise.

I do, however, have 2 questions I wonder if anyone can help me with please?

1) How will I know when I should be sending any readings in and will the paperwork they send us contain nformation about this procedure?

2) They state that as our application was made after 11 December we will be eligible for the "New Rate" (which I believe is the lower rate) does anyone know the final outcome of the appeal that extended the original terms until the end of Feb or thereabouts please? We were told we should receive the original higher rate by our providers but this would be dependent upon the outcome of the 'Appeal' made by the Gov!

For" four to six", read "a lot nearer six than four !" Maybe even longer . . .

Their confirmation letter should tell you when & how to submit readings but they probably want them quarterly (so at least another 2 months yet) although I believe some RECs only accept readings on dates they specify.

The Government appealed against the Judicial Review 'result' but it will be at least another couple of months before that's heard and not impossible it will lead to further appeals. At moment you appear to qualify to stick with 43.3 (rising approx 2p next week) but appeal just might downgrade you to 21p.

sly_dog_jonah

EricMears wrote: »

I thought all RECs need to receive forms within 10 day of commissioning anyway (so only 3 days different) - but why would anyone not want to get them in the post on day one ?

Some installers aren't very efficient about getting the paperwork sorted (eg MCS certificate and invoice). Likewise not everyone has the forms from their FiT supplier.