To battery, or not too battery

Avallon_2

Martyn1981 said:

Avallon_2 said:

Hi - quick update.

I'm looking to pull the trigger with a reputable local company. 14 x Aiko Neostar 2s 460w All Black, Solis inverter, Bird Protection at £4,500. 

Appreciate I'm at the budget end, but had a good initial experience and the Neostars seem pretty well reviewed. I'm not put off by the panels being produced in China bearing in mind they are leading the world when it comes to renewable technology...

Thanks everyone for your input.

Very nice deal, and whilst at the cheaper panel end, it's still a huge amount of generation for the money.

So 6.44kWp for £4.5k. QrizB mentioned on a recent thread that the press were quoting silly prices for UK PV. He found £6.5k for 3kWp, and I found the Energy Saving Trust suggesting £7k for 3kWp.

So it's very satisfying to see you proving the claims wrong, and the suggestions/help on here being much closer to reality. Hopefully many other folk considering PV will see your thread (and other similar threads on here).

Indeed - 5ish year payback is much more palatable, and for once I decided not to go for the very cheapest (which would have been £4k flat). 

I found the Spirit Energy Youtube channel very helpful in providing reassurance on the panel quality.

Avallon_2

Slight update - survey has been done. Going for 15 panels @ £4,650 as managed to squeeze another one. Also had the option for 2 Hanchu Blade batteries (18.8 kWh total capacity) at £5,000 extra. Just can't justify the investment based on the payback period...