Solar Energy

Photovoltaic (PV) Panels generate electricity from sunlight and not heat as in solar heating systems. A System will usually consist of a number of PV Panels on the roof, with an Inverter Box in the loft, a small extra Meter to register generated units and Isolator switches for safety, somewhere near the fuse panel or consumer unit. This installation must be done by a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered installer who will give you a certificate which you will need. The maximum domestic system size is 4kW.

Feed-in Tariff (FIT) As the solar industry has seen a reduction in price of about 30% for a PV systems since the scheme was introduced, the Government have now reduced the rates for new installations to 21p/kWh.

The Government has lost a court case (11/01/12) about changing the tariff, see Solar groups win court case on subsidies. So where does that leave us now? Well, the Government may appeal but the tariff was only meant to be until April this year, so I doubt that it will change.

It also appears that the industry has reduced their prices for solar panels by about 30% which allows installers to offer much improved prices, for example; a 4kw system for about £9,800 (1st Solar PV Ltd.). This will allow a payback in about 8 years, which is around an 8% return and very worth while. This rate is index linked, tax free and guaranteed for 25 years. There is also the fact that electricity prices will still be rising for the foreseeable future.

So a typical installation of 16 panels on a standard pitched roof, generating a maximum of 3.84kWh will yield about 3,331kWh per year. This gives a calculated return of £1001, made up from; £699 FIT payment, £250 electricity savings, £52 feedback bonus. Based on this alone, payback time will therefore be around 8 years. This example is for a south facing roof but south-west or south-east will still generate up to 85% of the southern aspect. Included in the above example, at the moment, 3.1p/kWh (feedback bonus) for half what you generate, paid by your Electricity Supplier. For this example, this should generate a return of £46,762 over the 25 guaranteed years.

During the sunny months (8) an average of 12 hours is available whilst in the winter months (4) only 6 hours on average are available. Also the energy levels will be considerably less in the winter.

There are an increasing number of our members that already have them fitted and these are the experiences of some of them. All had their systems installed with the previous FIT rate of 43.3p/kW.

Hugh

Fitted by John Sandison of 1st Solar PV Ltd., 3 Queensmead Avenue, Epsom, Surrey. 020 8786 8927

Our system

3.9 kW peak.
All mounted on roof facing West. The output is approx. 85% compared with a South facing roof.
Expected annual output = 870 x 3.9 x 0.85 = 2880 kWh / year. (1 kWh = 1 unit of electricity)
Output decreases slowly over time, but guaranteed by makers to be not less than 90% after 10 years or 80% after 25 years.
Comprising 16 panels 245Wp each. Panels approx. 1 x 1.6m, can be mounted landscape or portrait.

In the loft – Inverter, to convert the output from the panels into normal 240v AC electricity
Cable from loft to consumer unit
Isolating switches and Generation Meter, adjacent to Consumer Unit
Display Unit – The best bit ! Free-standing box (solar powered of course), linked to inverter by Bluetooth.

John

Our Panels

Solar Farm - 10 Panels

Other Main Equipment

Inverter

Isolating switches and Generation Meter, adjacent to Consumer Unit

Financial
The primary payment (known as FIT = Feed in Tariff) was 43.3p per unit generated increasing by inflation index, whether you use it or it is exported to the grid. Plus payment is made for electricity exported. Because, as yet, there is no export meter measuring this, it is assumed that 50% is exported and a ‘deemed’ payment is made of 3.1p/unit.

This amount is guaranteed by the government for 25 years and is index linked to RPI.

Our system cost £9,998.28. (Which included 5% VAT only).
Annual income approx. £765 – tax-free.
In addition there is an assumption that cost of electricity saved is about £200.

SO FAR
In first 91 days (to 22 July) we generated 895 KWHs (i.e about 9.8 KWHs per day).

The company’s projected savings calculations assume a daily average throughout the year of 5 KWHs and we must remember that we have had exceptional sunshine in April and May.

The official savings calculations are based on average sunshine in Sheffield so we can expect an improvement here in the south east. Based on this average sunshine generating just under 5KWHs per day, We should expect to be paid £774 for the Feed in Tariff plus £27 exported and in addition we are expected to save about £200 on our consumption. A total of about £1,000. This is a 10% return on the initial investment net of tax as there is no taxation to pay.

Graham

Having spent a pleasant sunny afternoon at Hugh’s Solar Party, I researched the information, got some quotations and selected the same installer as Hugh: John Sandison of 1st Solar PV Ltd., 3 Queensmead Avenue, Epsom, Surrey. 020 8786 8927

As John (the owner) and I are both engineers we hit it off straight away. You can’t miss him in his smart blue overalls, earpiece for his phone and an online iPad for showing you who, what and how. The Company is also local which gave me more confidence. There were no pressure selling or super discounts if you sign now, just plain helpful information. Several options were offered and explained in the detail I required.

Having been given time to consider, I selected:
16 x Day4 Energy Panels 60MC-1 240 watt (16 x 240W = 3.84kW).

The 245W units I wanted, which would have given me 3.92kW, were not available.

This gives me just under a 4kWh system, the maximum for a domestic FIT. The Day4 Panels are not Chinese but German, registered in Canada and made in Poland. They are very good if a shadow such as a chimney, snow or mould occurs. They have things called Bypass Diodes and Day4 Panels have more of them and a different connection scheme. On some other panels shadows can reduce the output power to almost zero.

The Panels are fitted on a flat roof above the garage and kitchen using rails held down with paving stones for easy removal when roof repairs are required. This is due to my house roof ridge facing the worst direction for solar generation, north-south. They are fitted in landscape mode at about 12 degrees from horizontal, not the best angle but a maximum of only 200mm from the roof is allowed by the Local Planning Department. Alternatively, pay £500, send many engineering drawings to set drawing scales and then wait 8 weeks for a lengthy review, hoping for the best!

Power from the Panels is then fed just below into the garage to a board with the Inverter, Meter and Isolator Switches, set just next to the Consumer Unit.

As my Consumer Unit (Fuse Box) was from the 1970’s it also had to be replaced with a modern unit which will cost extra. The new unit must contain Residual Current Devices (RCD’s) to comply with modern safety standards and have a spare input for the Inverter. This can cause some problems so you must ask about your situation. RCDs will also force you to sort out any old bugs in your wiring.

The installation fitted was what was ordered and good quality fittings were supplied. The Consumer Unit fitted was a quality MK model. The work was mostly carried out by John and his two friendly staff with the extra help of an electrician. There was no rubbish left behind. I did have a couple of problems with my electrics which John helped sort out during the commissioning stage.

If there was a downside, it was timing, being a busy man John tends to be later and take longer than originally stated but you can’t help liking him. For example the quoted 2 days, stretched into 4 1/2, partly due to my electric problems. So do allow extra time.

My system was Commissioned on July 22nd 2011, generating power and cash, with the total power generation on the first two full days: 23kWh and 22kWh. The Solar Panels face south and are shadowed sometimes, I have yet to see by how much.

Generation is almost silent (small internal fan runs when it is hot) and the Inverter only gets warm when working. The Sunny Beam Remote Display is a lovely little solar powered toy which shows how much electricity and cash is generated, as well as CO2 saved by the minute, day etc. The Panels are guaranteed for 10 years and with a guaranteed output of 80% after 25 years. The Inverter is guaranteed for 5 years. Bear in mind that the income will be £1300+ per year during the whole period.

Maintenance is suggested only for the Panels, although they are self-cleaning, they recommended cleaning once or twice a year to remove bird droppings, mould etc., to maintain performance. Ask your window cleaner or use a soft mop on a long pole or maybe just a hose, unless you are lucky like me with a flat roof. Check that your house insurance covers solar panels, mine does.

Addendum
I downloaded a Feed In Tariff Application Form from the nPower website, posted it when fully commissioned (22/7/2011). A letter has been received just over a week later saying "it can take around 6 weeks for us to complete the checks", "payments will be backdated".
I have now received (27/8/2011) a letter showing that I have been accepted by Ofgem and an Application Form requesting me to sign my name, Address, date, FIT ID (supplied with the form) which I suppose is the Contract. All could have been dealt with by nPower. The two pages of conditions came with the letter seem reasonable; Starting Date: 27/7/2011, End Date 26/7/2036, 43.3p tariff, 3.1 export tariff, it also suggests that over 61,000 have taken up the offer.

During my first full week of generating, good days generate 22kWhs and dull days about half that.

From July 22nd onwards the skies have got more cloudy and the sun lower but we still received our first payment cheque for over £500 in December.