Staggeringly inexpensive solar upgrade :-)

badmemory

My roof is not south facing, in fact when the sun is in the south I do not get much of it.  But the sun rises on the front panels and sets on the back ones.  I wish we had this much sun in winter I would be laughing.  In the few days I have had solar I have used from the grid £7 worth instead of £54.50 worth.  Also if I was already set up to be paid for what I have sent to the grid I would be owed £22.

Actually apart from being interested in peoples thoughts this £22 is what brought me back.  If I have to pay income tax I will need to adjust my spreadsheet accordingly.  Does anyone know the answer?

FreeBear

wrf12345 said: There is also a good case for spreading "power plants" over as wide an area as possible for security in case of war.

I'm quite taken with the idea of nuclear microreactors in the 1-20MW range - Small enough to be transported by lorry, and quick to be deployed. But many people see nuclear as a terrorist target or an environmental disaster in waiting.

Qyburn

badmemory said:

If I have to pay income tax I will need to adjust my spreadsheet accordingly.  Does anyone know the answer?

Export payment from domestic systems aren't taxable, so long as it’s installed on or near your house and generally doesn't grossly exceed your own use. Not sure how or if that last part is policed.

69bertie

Netexporter said:

I don't understand why developers don't use solar panels as original roofing material on new houses. They're miles cheaper than slates or tiles.

Probably because solar panels don't last for ever, whereas your average tile will last getting onto 100 years. And then you have to make the panel water tight etc.

Reed_Richards

Tiles can crack and get blown off in high winds.  Although a solar panel may not last for ever as a generator of solar power, as a roof covering it might compete with your average tile.  

mmmmikey

Reed_Richards said:

Tiles can crack and get blown off in high winds.  Although a solar panel may not last for ever as a generator of solar power, as a roof covering it might compete with your average tile.  

Yes good point. Even in their existing form they are faced with toughened glass and even if the cells underneath fail the glass itself should last pretty much forever. Designing an off the shelf fixing system to seal the edges, provide ventilation and allow easy replacement shouldn't be particularly challenging.

I certainly didn't struggle with my DIY effort, and if the odd drip gets through there's still a layer of regular roofing felt to get through, now held in place by the frame that holds the panels.

I'm certainly pleased with the result so far, I'll post a picture later. I should probably also update this post every 10 years to let you know how well their lasting :-)

WheatOne

The house I live in was built with in-roof solar panels. They are only 270w panels so not a huge total system capacity (2.43kw) and there is no battery but in the summer months the export more than covers the import cost including running an EV.

I've looked at batteries but financially they don't make financial sense when it is possible to get 15p a kWh for export even accounting for the ability to charge at 7p overnight.

born_again

wrf12345 said:

The cost of "free" solar plus battery versus the cost of not doing a nuclear plant or two would be an interesting calculation for our servants in government. There is also a good case for spreading "power plants" over as wide an area as possible for security in case of war.

Would be the best way forward. More than happy to lend my roof. Same with all council owned car parks, hospital car parks. Which they have done at our local one. Amazing. It powers the hospital most of the time.
Simple & cheap idea's are the best.
Imagine the votes that could be won by giving people free solar & batteries to reduce costs to the householder & provide excess back to the network. 😍

BarelySentientAI

born_again said:

wrf12345 said:

The cost of "free" solar plus battery versus the cost of not doing a nuclear plant or two would be an interesting calculation for our servants in government. There is also a good case for spreading "power plants" over as wide an area as possible for security in case of war.

Would be the best way forward. More than happy to lend my roof. Same with all council owned car parks, hospital car parks. Which they have done at our local one. Amazing. It powers the hospital most of the time.
Simple & cheap idea's are the best.
Imagine the votes that could be won by giving people free solar & batteries to reduce costs to the householder & provide excess back to the network. 😍

Everyone is happy when they get given things that other people are paying for.

Many would then expect to be paid for the excess that they dumped on the network or complain if they weren't, and then move on to complaining about paying for a grid that they think they have less need of.

Changes are worth thinking about, of course, but it's not as simple or cheap as people make out

Qyburn

wrf12345 said:

The cost of "free" solar plus battery versus the cost of not doing a nuclear plant or two would be an interesting calculation for our servants in government.

Their not really comparable, the one producing constant output all day and all year, but incapable of anything but very slow changes in output. Versus the alternative where output is rather dependent, gives nothing at night and very little in Winter.

The more renewable we have, the greater need for something that can rev up and down to adapt to the variations in wind, solar and even tide.
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