Solar panels in real life

juraj.kecso

Hi All,

I have recently started contemplating installing solar panels on our roof to help with electricity costs.

We have a pitched roof facing south east and live in East Sussex, very close to the sea. The roof does get a fair amount of sunshine, usually from early morning until about 4.00pm, depending on the season.

My partner and I also work mainly from home, which means we use most electricity (washing, cooking etc.) during the day.

However, with a projected cost return of 10 or 15 years, I am not so convinced.

I thought about a 3kWp system, which should be enough. According to the smart meter, we consume around 8 to 12 kWh of electricity per day. We have a gas combi boiler for heating and how water.

Would anyone like to share their experience of having solar panels? Are they worth the investment? I am not talking about smart tariffs, purely the amount of electricity generated.

In particular, I would like to know:

 - What system do you have
 - How many kWh does it really generate on a good day or during the winter when the weather is not so good?

grumbler

IIRC, feed-in tariffs (that pay you for the electricity you produce) don't exist any more. As a result, solar panels make sense only with energy-storing devices in your house, that make the system even more expensive. 

Some recent thread (use search to find many other discussions) -  Will solar panels save us money?

WaywardDriver

Look at the PV performance tool at Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) | EU Science Hub (europa.eu) to get an idea of what to expect in your location.

Ectophile

I'm also in East Sussex, not far from the sea, and my roof is slightly East of South.

I have 3.42kWp of panels, a 3.3kWh battery (3kWh usable) and a 3.68kW inverter.

In the spring and summer, the panels generate more electricity than I can use.  The battery means I'm almost self-sufficient for several months.  It's hard to find any use for between 1 and 3 kW for hours on end.

The winter is another matter.  On a grey day, the panels might generate enough power to run a few (energy efficient) lights and a laptop.  But a sunny day can be quite good, for the short time a winter day lasts.

With a South East roof, you will be generating most power in the mornings.  As soon as the sun goes round, the power output will drop off.

The battery is good for feeling smug on a summer's evening, when I can run all night on my own electricity.  But they are still expensive, and probably won't last as long as the panels (even though the panels were already 6 years old when I got the battery).  The actual economics of adding a battery are very borderline.

fenwick458

my take on solar panels is they are not worth it. far too many components to look after, means they are expensive to maintain.
solar water heating has far less components and gives a better return, you are garaunteed to be able to use all the energy you produce just heat your water cylinder.
it's harder to try and efficiently use all the energy produced from solar so most of it's wasted now the feed in tarrifs are gone

ispookie666

We had solar panels installed in our old house in 2015 at a cost of £1.5 per watt (3.5kw system).  We also had iBoost (diverter to heat water).  In its life time it has produce 21.6 MW and diverted 2 MW to heat water.  Yes, we still get FIT.  My daily usage of electricity in winter is 12-15kw but 4-6KW in summer and a couple more in spring.  
There is nothing better than using free electricity to run dishwasher, washing machine, hoover, ironing 

We have only had minor problems with the system and one of the panels has degraded (among the 14). Another £500 and we are breaking even

Ectophile

fenwick458 said:

my take on solar panels is they are not worth it. far too many components to look after, means they are expensive to maintain.
solar water heating has far less components and gives a better return, you are garaunteed to be able to use all the energy you produce just heat your water cylinder.
it's harder to try and efficiently use all the energy produced from solar so most of it's wasted now the feed in tarrifs are gone

But solar hot water means that all you get is hot water. Pretty much unlimited amounts in summer, but rather less so in winter. With solar photovoltaic, you can add a "diverter" that sends spare electricity to an immersion heater. So lots of hot water, and free electricity for other things. Hardly anyone bothers with solar hot water these days.

Slinky

The thing with hot water is, how much do you actually use? In our house it's just showers and a bit of hand washing and washing up. Dishwashers and washing machines are cold fill in the main so you'll be paying to heat the water for them.