Solar panels questions

ComicGeek

Yes, what they need to do is create a feed-in tariff scheme, whereby domestic solar producers can get paid above market rates, which then in turn increase the viability of solar panels and decrease installation costs as well.

Oh, wait.....

Ectophile

The government has gone off small-scale solar, and isn't interested in offering any sort of subsidy to make it worthwhile.  Only big solar farms can actually make a profit these days.

FreeBear

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Solar panels are generally PD so provided you have PD rights (not all properties do) you should be OK.  Checking with the local authority is advised.

Are you intending to DIY this?  I'm curious why you would ask the question about the voltage 

No not DIY - purely a safety point of view
PD?? 

I have solar panels professionally installed on my roof and there are no exposed wires, everything is insulated so the only way you'll get a shock is if you start disconnecting things or decide to attack the cables with shears.

Sorry - maybe I failed ot explain - I am concerned - since a house roof is consideraby higher than a garage roof and doesn't get cats etc walking on it !

II am just worried about the safety vs heght

A cat, nor any other animal/bird will get electrocuted by walking on a solar panel - They have a sheet of glass to protect the solar cells from damage. If an animal decides to chew on the cable coming out the back, they might get a shock depending on how many volts is being generated at that time of day. Cats don't generally chew cables, so you needn't worry too much about moggy.

kdotdotdotdot

FreeBear said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Solar panels are generally PD so provided you have PD rights (not all properties do) you should be OK.  Checking with the local authority is advised.

Are you intending to DIY this?  I'm curious why you would ask the question about the voltage 

No not DIY - purely a safety point of view
PD?? 

I have solar panels professionally installed on my roof and there are no exposed wires, everything is insulated so the only way you'll get a shock is if you start disconnecting things or decide to attack the cables with shears.

Sorry - maybe I failed ot explain - I am concerned - since a house roof is consideraby higher than a garage roof and doesn't get cats etc walking on it !

II am just worried about the safety vs heght

 Cats don't generally chew cables, so you needn't worry too much about moggy.

Squirrels, rats and mice on the other hand . . . !

onomatopoeia99

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Solar panels are generally PD so provided you have PD rights (not all properties do) you should be OK.  Checking with the local authority is advised.

Are you intending to DIY this?  I'm curious why you would ask the question about the voltage 

No not DIY - purely a safety point of view
PD?? 

I have solar panels professionally installed on my roof and there are no exposed wires, everything is insulated so the only way you'll get a shock is if you start disconnecting things or decide to attack the cables with shears.

Sorry - maybe I failed ot explain - I am concerned - since a house roof is consideraby higher than a garage roof and doesn't get cats etc walking on it !

II am just worried about the safety vs heght

My house is a bungalow, at their lowest extent the panels are not much higher than the gutter, which I can almost touch when standing on tip toe, and a similar height to the garage roof.  If you are concerned I'd suggest putting them on your house roof rather than your garage.

I got in right at the end of feed in tariff, so get approx 4p/kWh plus about half as much again from deemed export.  As a relatively heavy user of electricity (~6000kWh/year) my payback is 8-9 years.

Rosa_Damascena

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Solar panels are generally PD so provided you have PD rights (not all properties do) you should be OK.  Checking with the local authority is advised.

Are you intending to DIY this?  I'm curious why you would ask the question about the voltage 

No not DIY - purely a safety point of view
PD?? 

I have solar panels professionally installed on my roof and there are no exposed wires, everything is insulated so the only way you'll get a shock is if you start disconnecting things or decide to attack the cables with shears.

Sorry - maybe I failed ot explain - I am concerned - since a house roof is consideraby higher than a garage roof and doesn't get cats etc walking on it !

II am just worried about the safety vs heght

My house is a bungalow, at their lowest extent the panels are not much higher than the gutter, which I can almost touch when standing on tip toe, and a similar height to the garage roof.  If you are concerned I'd suggest putting them on your house roof rather than your garage.

I got in right at the end of feed in tariff, so get approx 4p/kWh plus about half as much again from deemed export.  As a relatively heavy user of electricity (~6000kWh/year) my payback is 8-9 years.

That is very high. Explain yourself, Sir! Do you use an electric UFH system?

[Deleted User]

OK - Is one panel much the same as another ?

Presumably - none of these companies manufacture them, themselves ?

How do I judge quality ?

Is it OK to buy the cheapest available and rely on warranties ?

Is fitting the panels a bigger issue than the quality of the panels ?

At the moment - they appear to be around £6k for a 4kW system

And should generate around 3000-4000kW hrs of power per annum - ie) we use around 2500kW hrs - so that would cover all of our daylight needs !

Doozergirl

Deleted_User said:

OK - Is one panel much the same as another ?

Presumably - none of these companies manufacture them, themselves ?

How do I judge quality ?

Is it OK to buy the cheapest available and rely on warranties ?

Is fitting the panels a bigger issue than the quality of the panels ?

At the moment - they appear to be around £6k for a 4kW system

And should generate around 3000-4000kW hrs of power per annum - ie) we use around 2500kW hrs - so that would cover all of our daylight needs !

Will it?  Are you home all day ready to use it all as it's produced?  

Otherwise you need to store it in batteries at more cost.  

I think anyone buying solar panels right now needs to look at it as a hobby, not a moneysaving exercise.  

onomatopoeia99

Rosa_Damascena said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Deleted_User said:

onomatopoeia99 said:

Solar panels are generally PD so provided you have PD rights (not all properties do) you should be OK.  Checking with the local authority is advised.

Are you intending to DIY this?  I'm curious why you would ask the question about the voltage 

No not DIY - purely a safety point of view
PD?? 

I have solar panels professionally installed on my roof and there are no exposed wires, everything is insulated so the only way you'll get a shock is if you start disconnecting things or decide to attack the cables with shears.

Sorry - maybe I failed ot explain - I am concerned - since a house roof is consideraby higher than a garage roof and doesn't get cats etc walking on it !

II am just worried about the safety vs heght

My house is a bungalow, at their lowest extent the panels are not much higher than the gutter, which I can almost touch when standing on tip toe, and a similar height to the garage roof.  If you are concerned I'd suggest putting them on your house roof rather than your garage.

I got in right at the end of feed in tariff, so get approx 4p/kWh plus about half as much again from deemed export.  As a relatively heavy user of electricity (~6000kWh/year) my payback is 8-9 years.

That is very high. Explain yourself, Sir! Do you use an electric UFH system?

The constant load on my home is about 400W even when I'm not there, which is 10kWh/day.  2/3 of that is the server, which began its life in a datacentre.  The draw from the socket in my study where I have the rack, network switch and other items is around 300W with my desktop computer switched off.  

Working from home I'm using a fairly steady 900W-1kW during the day with the desktop computers on as well.

onomatopoeia99

Doozergirl said:

Deleted_User said:

OK - Is one panel much the same as another ?

Presumably - none of these companies manufacture them, themselves ?

How do I judge quality ?

Is it OK to buy the cheapest available and rely on warranties ?

Is fitting the panels a bigger issue than the quality of the panels ?

At the moment - they appear to be around £6k for a 4kW system

And should generate around 3000-4000kW hrs of power per annum - ie) we use around 2500kW hrs - so that would cover all of our daylight needs !

Will it?  Are you home all day ready to use it all as it's produced?  

Otherwise you need to store it in batteries at more cost.  

I think anyone buying solar panels right now needs to look at it as a hobby, not a moneysaving exercise.  

I have a battery as well, with that added in to the cost, payback gets up to around 13-14 years.