Solar Panels for Dummies

Blue_Doggy

I would like to have solar panels and a battery installed on my house, but, as a not-very-technical older person I find all the descriptions very confusing, and the “alphabet soup” difficult to follow.
 

Can anyone please recommend a straight-forward, easy to understand guide? I have looked on online booksellers, but can’t find anything which is a) up-to-date and b) not written for people who will be designing and installing the set-up themselves.
 

Ideally, I’d like something like a step-by-step guide or checklist, including how to select a supplier (accreditation bodies?), how to evaluate their offerings (how technical do I have to be with them?), how to verify the installation is correctly done (do building regulations apply? Is there such a thing as post-installation inspection by an independent body?). At what stage do I need to involve my electricity supplier, what should I expect, and what will they expect and what’s the best way to do it? Are they likely to refuse to continue to supply me, or charge a higher rate for what they do supply (to keep up their income)?
 

Thanks in advance, sorry for the long post.

Martyn1981

Hiya, not sure how much help it will now be, but the PV FAQs (link in my auto-sig) may give you a start, at least to think about what more you want to know.

Sorry they are so out of date now, and many links will be broken.

Netexporter

Youtube may be your friend. There are plenty of videos on the subject, some technical, but many aimed at people taking their first steps. Put "UK" in your search terms to avoid stuff from abroad, where products and regulations may differ.

Heedtheadvice

Martyn's thread, though a bit old now, is good that might answer some questions and give poster practical insight....

..but you might be better stating  with https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/solar-panels/ which will give you an overview and typical costings and savings info.....

and info from another Martin chap at https://energyadvicehelpline.org/martin-lewiss-top-tips-on-solar-panels/

Then there is https://www.renewableenergyhub.co.uk/main/solar-panels

Those together will cover quite a lot..

though us MSEers will want to get best value so often can give better specific detail on how to do that once you have a better understanding.

There are other web advice pages but not all are independent being aimed to help sales.

Screwdriva

To add to the above, Gary Does Solar is an excellent YouTube channel which offers relatively unbiased advice in an easier format. 

There are a few rules of thumb I have learned to observe over and above the aforementioned advice over the course of helping over 150 households achieve their Solar PV ambitions:

1) A battery rarely makes financial sense if household consumption doesn't exceed ~4000 kWh per year. Exporting excess Solar to the grid from a PV only system via tariffs like Octopus Flux can make more financial sense, unless you suffer from blackouts, are on FIT, drive alot in an EV or plan to invest in electrified heating in the near future.

2) Always invest in quality brands with the best reputations and warranty durations possible. This maximizes your chances of avoiding component failure years down the road, when the installer may no longer be around or able to help.

3) Installer reputations matter. Trustpilot scores are a good starting point but look for personal recommendations too. And always bias towards installers who have been in operation for a few years (over newer "local lads"), and allocate preference to those who offer reputed components brands that allow you to follow #2 above. 

Best of luck! 

Blue_Doggy

Thank you very much, kind people, for taking the time to write your responses and links! Lots to read there and get my head around.

Martyn1981

Blue_Doggy said:

Thank you very much, kind people, for taking the time to write your responses and links! Lots to read there and get my head around.

Great start, but do take @Heedtheadvice's comment seriously, and keep coming back for more info, advice and explanations. PV'ers love chatting about the stuff, so as you start to get a rough idea of what you want, then just share and chat.

For instance, you asked a specific question about your leccy supplier, they don't need to be informed*, and you shouldn't see any tariff change - I'm only being a bit evasive here, as na reduction in your import demand, as you cover some consumption via your PV, may mean a change of tariff/supplier may make sense ..... but also, may not.

*Not to be confused with your DNO (Distribution Network Operator), one of ten companies who operate the local distribution network (the National Grid operates the transmission network). Your installer will notify the DNO about your PV install.

Rosa_Damascena

By all means read up on the tech OP, but personally I would hold off until after the new government has announced its position on solar panels. I think there may be some nice incentives on the horizon.

Diwali

I agree with the last post. There have been (still are?) generous grants to go ‘green’ and probably more to come in future. 

I qualified for the ECO4 grant earlier this year and had 10 PV solar panels installed along with an Air Source Heat Pump, hot water tank, new radiators and home insulation. The cost? Zero. Obviously, there was a fair amount of upheaval during installation but the system works well and is exporting excess production to the grid. The downside is that you have little choice in choosing the equipment supplied and it remains to be seen how reliable it will be. But hey, it was free! 

wiggers

The main thing to consider with any capital investment is the Net Present Value (NPV). One of the inputs to this calculation is the discount rate, which basically means how much return you are currently making on the capital. You then have other inputs such as the capital cost of the installation, the costs of maintenance and replacement of items such as the inverter, meters, etc. On the plus side you have the amount of electricity you're no longer buying from the grid and the income from spare electricity being sold. Another unknown is the amount by which these will change over time, which is down to the whims of the government.

The discount rate is applied to income and expenditure in the future, compounded per year. So in 10yrs time, at a 5% discount rate, the factor will be 1.05^10 = 1.63. So if you're expecting a return of say £500 per year then the net present value of that in year 10 will only be £307. In year 20 it will be just £188. 

This is why the calculation of "pay-back time" is highly flawed. You could easily end up worse off than keeping the capital invested.

badmemory

Whilst I agree with all you say in financial terms that is not the only reason for solar.  I liked the idea of not using so much energy generated in more polluting ways.  I have to say in the couple of weeks I have had them it has been fun seeing my meter showing significantly less usage in a week than previously in a single day.  Pity I'm not getting paid for all I am exporting yet.  Pity it won't be like this in winter too.  At my age it is quite likely I will not see the payback time (in my late 80s by then), but it will be fun with the spreadsheet checking.