Solar PV...Still worth it?

GaryMo_2

!!!!!! wrote: »

Did you not do the A.C side of the installation your self?

do you do Solar pv installs for ploughcroft?

I preinstalled a 4mm2 T&E cable to the inverter location due to fear of how it would be run internally, not knowing how the electrician would perform. I come across idiots everyday who don't give a damn how they carry out their work so that's something I wanted to avoid. As it happens, I need not have worried.

No, I don't carry out PV installations for Ploughcroft. My boss and I enrolled on the PV course just before the government dropped the initial bombshell late last year and due to that he chose not to invest anymore money for fear of not getting it back with a reduction in FiT tariff. Shame really as we would have used my house as our initial MCS assessment, labour would have been FOC and the materials at cost. Ah well....

Gizmosmum_2

Those panels look mighty close to the ridge - do they have the 300mm that's considered good practice? It's always difficult to tell from a photo.

Trumpeter - decent installers will give you the structural calculations including wind load, dead load and stress tests. Another one to ask your installer about :-)

Gary - Ploughcroft seem to be getting a lot of work these days, how do they do their structural calculations it would be good to know so others know what to look for.

GaryMo_2

Gizmosmum wrote: »

Those panels look mighty close to the ridge - do they have the 300mm that's considered good practice? It's always difficult to tell from a photo.

Gary - Ploughcroft seem to be getting a lot of work these days, how do they do their structural calculations it would be good to know so others know what to look for.

If you're talking about mine then yes, there's a 300mm gap between the top of the panel and the ridgeline. I can assure you it's just the angle that I took the photo's from, stood on the top level of scaffold walkboards just below gutterline.

I didn't see any actual calculations but this is the way it worked for me:

Monday 23rd January - Initial call from Ploughcroft sales guy requesting an appointment. Didn't want to waste his time so discussed the kit and price on the phone and came to an agreement. I'd already measured my roof and knew what would fit.

Tuesday 24th January - Site visit by sales guy to sign the agreement (subject to survey) and to pick up a 25% deposit.

Saturday 28th January - Scaffold errected. Technical survey by Ploughcroft. Measurements were taken of the roof, various tiles lifted for visual check. Measurements taken of the rafters from inside the loft and spacings. Nice and easy though as the whole roof (rafters and tiles) is only 3 years old.

Thursday 2nd February - Install carried out. Arrived at 08:00 and commissioned by 14:30.

In between the technical survey and installation I received various items of information from Ploughcroft. A computer illustration of how the panels would look on my roof and PV*SOL data showing approximate yield and layout of the equipment. I also received a pre-installation folder with various items of information and a very comprehensive handover pack.

Gizmosmum_2

Sounds good - you seem well informed before buying which makes it easier :-) are you in the industry or did you do what I did and just read endless threads about solar pv?

GaryMo_2

23yrs as an electrician and also looked into doing PV installs. Did the C&G2399 then boss decided not to to it any further when the government started to mess about with FiT rates last year.

Numbnuts

GaryMo wrote: »

23yrs as an electrician and also looked into doing PV installs. Did the C&G2399 then boss decided not to to it any further when the government started to mess about with FiT rates last year.

what inverter have you got?

Numbnuts

!!!!!! wrote: »

what inverter have you got?

sorry just seen pictures ignore me

JHSSolar

We have become very aware that many people believe that the Feed-in Tariff is no longer available. It is.
The current tariff is 21p for a 4kWp domestic system until 1st July, when the tariff will be cut. By how much by is awaiting the results of DECC's consultation 2A.
Typical ROI is between 6-10% depending upon the area the installation faces (ideally south) and the type of panel and inverter used.
We are actually seeing ROI at similar levels to this time last year, when the FiT was set at 43p, as the price of panels have dropped so significantly.
The solar ship hasn't set sail yet, so if you are considering it, get a few quotes from various companies to see whether solar could benefit you!

GaryMo_2

JHSSolar wrote: »

Typical ROI is between 6-10% depending upon the area the installation faces (ideally south) and the type of panel used (of course the higher the efficiency, the better).

Panel efficiency is calculated by surface area and wattage, meaning if you have a large roof then it's basically irrelevant. It's a figure you shouldn't get too hung up on.

For example, my panel is 250Wp and 1650x991mm

1.65 x 991 = 1.635 sqM

250 / 1.635 = 152.9

Panel is 15.29% efficient, figures are backed up from the manufacturers information for my panel.

Use another 250Wp panel with a smaller surface area and you'll get a more efficient panel but 250W is 250W so the only advantage is smaller surface area for the same output.

celerity

JHSSolar is talking about ROI (return on investment) %, not panel efficiency % .

/\dam