Solar ... In the news

JKenH

Exiled_Tyke wrote: »

I think most of us here were lucky because we had the forethought and sceptical minds to do our own research before investing. Also we were lucky because we had the likes of Martyn sharing their experiences and fantastic advice.

For those who haven't found the online article. (It may have been linked above but I can't be bothered checking).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49566130

From my skim through it appears to only mentions two businesses: PV Solar UK and MyPlanet.

No, I was lucky. I hadn’t come across this forum when I bought my panels. I got 3 or 4 quotes but when something is completely new to you you can still get burned. Not everyone uses the internet, particularly retired people, and if you don’t it can be hard to know if you are getting a good deal. You can get 2 or 3 quotes and still get ripped off if they are all from shysters.

My sympathies go to those who have been ripped off.

Martyn1981

Folk may recall this issue/subject where co-locating PV and crops can result in around 160% (80% crops + 80% PV) output from the land v's dedicated crop or PV fields (at 100%). Here's an update on it:

Combining Solar & Farming Benefits Both

Fraunhofer ISE in Germany was one of the first to experiment with combining solar and farming on the same land. Its early research found doing so increases the productivity of the land significantly — up to 60% or more in some cases.

Now researchers at the University of Arizona have confirmed the benefits of growing crops beneath the shade provided by solar panels — more electricity, higher yields, and less water used. That last part is of vital interest to farmers in Arizona where access to water for irrigation is crucial.

pinnks

This is interesting. I have always wondered why the land is not better used under such arrays. Cattle may be too large but smaller grazers or crops of some sort just seems to make sense to me. Does anyone know why solar farmers don't let the land to local farmers?

silverwhistle

Reed_Richards wrote: »

A BBC Television regional news program will feature an item on the over-selling of solar panels this evening (9th September): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49566130

My mum showed me this on her ipad when I visited today. It was a good opportunity to remind her that any cold caller should be ignored, although luckily she is still sharp at 90. Those victims certainly lacked a bit of common sense. The loans they took out and the small size of the installations in the photographs made me wince.

JKenH

silverwhistle wrote: »

My mum showed me this on her ipad when I visited today. It was a good opportunity to remind her that any cold caller should be ignored, although luckily she is still sharp at 90. Those victims certainly lacked a bit of common sense. The loans they took out and the small size of the installations in the photographs made me wince.

I think you are being a bit unsympathetic to the victims here. How do you know if you are being fleeced if you get 3 quotes and you have the misfortune that all 3 are from rogues? A bit like double glazing, it is very difficult to know what is a fair price if you don’t have access to the internet or don’t use it. A lot of people are very trusting and to dismiss what has happened because you feel the victims were lacking common sense is harsh. I watched the programme and they just seemed like ordinary working class people who were ripped off.

1961Nick

silverwhistle wrote: »

My mum showed me this on her ipad when I visited today. It was a good opportunity to remind her that any cold caller should be ignored, although luckily she is still sharp at 90. Those victims certainly lacked a bit of common sense. The loans they took out and the small size of the installations in the photographs made me wince.

It's not surprising when you consider how many 'supposedly' intelligent people were duped by PPI.

mmmmikey

1961Nick wrote: »

It's not surprising when you consider how many 'supposedly' intelligent people were duped by PPI.

As you say, perhaps not surprising but that doesn't make it OK. Haven't seen the video but to be fair to the victims there are lots of people with no or little grasp of what a kWh is and some of these sales people are ruthless and persuasive. I'd favour strengthening of the law to make sales people personally liable for what they say with appropriate penalties.

Martyn1981

silverwhistle wrote: »

My mum showed me this on her ipad when I visited today. It was a good opportunity to remind her that any cold caller should be ignored, although luckily she is still sharp at 90. Those victims certainly lacked a bit of common sense. The loans they took out and the small size of the installations in the photographs made me wince.

I'm with you that we all need to take some responsibility, and I really think people considering a five digit investment should seek more advice, but ..... (waffle on its way) .....

I think PV is a particularly easy 'thing' to miss-sell as it's buried under an avalanche of numbers, just three are kW, kWh and kWp and heads of many will already be spinning.

In most of the cases we saw on here the same tactic was used, give people loads of numbers and then a monthly income figure that is slightly greater than the monthly loan payments.

But, when we asked for the breakdowns the people all reported the same, the paperwork gave the system size, the annual generation (fair estimate when checked), FiTs and export income (spot on when we checked), and an overly positive leccy saving* (but nothing new there) ..... but ..... but ..... but all the people seemed to report the same, nowhere in the paperwork could they find that promised monthly income figure.

So loads of truths and half truths, capped off with a lie.

You may recall, or possibly too far back, but when asked almost everyone said the loans were via Barclays, so I contacted barclays business loan people and explained what was going on, the company, the sales tactics, and even the thread links. I suggested they were party to a scam, or at least a miss-selling future PR disaster. They promised to look into it, but also said that they didn't need to get back to me ...... code for not interested perhaps?

*The leccy savings element was also bumped up by the 'free' gift of LED's. This would, no argument, reduce people's import, but folding those savings into the PV package is again misleading, since they are unrelated, and can be done separately.

Yes, I'm still angry about this company, Barclays, and the others, bunch of ........ best stop now.


Silverwhistle, please don't think I disagree with your post, I just feel strongly that PV is particularly confusing, and feel many people are out of their depth when facing these miss-selling experts.

Reed_Richards

Martyn1981 wrote: »

You may recall, or possibly too far back, but when asked almost everyone said the loans were via Barclays, so I contacted barclays business loan people and explained what was going on, the company, the sales tactics, and even the thread links. I suggested they were party to a scam, or at least a miss-selling future PR disaster. They promised to look into it, but also said that they didn't need to get back to me ...... code for not interested perhaps?

And now Barclays have set aside £38 million to pay for mis-selling claims, according to the BBC reporter.

zeupater

pinnks wrote: »

This is interesting. I have always wondered why the land is not better used under such arrays. Cattle may be too large but smaller grazers or crops of some sort just seems to make sense to me. Does anyone know why solar farmers don't let the land to local farmers?

Hi

It probably is in many places!

A good friend of mine has ~5MWp on land which he's leased out for solar & effectively does the same in reverse, which is pretty useful as it provides two income sources from the same acreage ... Last time I looked there were sheep gratefully sheltering from the sun's rays, but I've seen Dexters (small cattle) mowing the lawn as a 'service' just as efficiently!

HTH
Z