Anyone got Solar Power..?

Solar power is least cost oriented power generation project. It is neglected all over the world.But countries which located at the equator must make use of the solar energy to produce electricity. As a time will come soon when there is no other source of power except sun.

and wind and rain

i got a dynamo on my bike

I know someone who installs it. It's quite expensive, but worth it in the long run. You can even sell the unused electricity back to the grid.

I got a solar powered calculator

Trying to look into this and wondering what experiences others have had with this type of equipment..?

I don't have it fitted to my home but I do through my job visit homes which have had systems fitted and although it is a bit expensive with the current feed in tarrifs being paid for power returned to the grid the payback period on the investment has reduced dramatically.

I did a survey on a house last week which had 10 panels fitted which generated 2.5Kwp which is about the average on a domestic property. In 2010 this system earned him £1295 in feed in tarrifs from excess electricty returned to the grid however the government are due to review these tarrifs next year so maybe now is the time.

Systems are expensive but I have seen costs ary from below £3k to above £4k so it is a competitive market so shop around if you decide to do it.

I am very wary of them TBH I had a little look into them years ago and they was very expensive to install and by the time they paid for themselves you would need new ones.
Second point they only produce enough Electricity to heat your water central heating ETC so selling Electricity back to the grid sounds far fetched as they would not produce enough Electricity for all your homes needs unless your roof was covered with panels . Then your costs will be soaring.
Would be interested in the actual FACTS you find out about these panels Chief but I think the majority is pie in the sky.

I am very wary of them TBH I had a little look into them years ago and they was very expensive to install and by the time they paid for themselves you would need new ones.
Second point they only produce enough Electricity to heat your water central heating ETC so selling Electricity back to the grid sounds far fetched as they would not produce enough Electricity for all your homes needs unless your roof was covered with panels . Then your costs will be soaring.
Would be interested in the actual FACTS you find out about these panels Chief but I think the majority is pie in the sky.

The case on payback times was absolutely valid until the government sponsored arrangement on Generation and Feed in Tarrifs. You now get money off the government , Tax Free, for every KWP you generate even if you use the power yourself plus you get payment again tax free for any power returned to the grid.

I have been thinking about investing in these PV panels or in my case PV tiles which although more expensive are less intrusive. In my case a 3Kwp system would cost more than £4k but during the day time that system would generate more electricity than my home uses although later in the day they wouldn't but overall on my 3 bedroom house the estimates are for earnings in excess of £1100 per year.

https://www.government-grants.co.uk/fee ... 4QoduWTEWw

I just got this link in an email, the guy normally talks sense. You might find it useful, hope it helps?!

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilit ... lar-panels

My parents moved to west wales and installed 3 or 4 panels.
They heat up all their water and some of the heating, the rest is through an aga.
They seem pretty happy with it, although it's early days.

ive just finished electrical installtion in college level 2 city and guilds. my tutour has been in the industry for years. he said its a con. dont make enough energy to power a light bulb. his words not mine. he says if its so effective how come you cant use solar panels on their own? good question if you ask me.
he also said yes you would save money after about 10 years in wales due to the fact we have so little sunshine. UV levels a pritty low in britian.

just passing on some info. please do not bully me if you disagree just what my tutour said

I reckon they're only good enough heat your hot water tank.

They also break easily. One stone, a football and high winds will damage them.

You guys are way off the mark.The government have a feed in tariff scheme where they will pay you for generating with solar power and they will pay you a guaranteed 43.3 pence per KW hour and this payment is index linked. This tarriff is is guaranteed for 25yrs. My mate had a system put in recently which cost £10,000 and he has yet to draw any electricity from his meter plus he will earn around £900 per year for generating from the government scheme. Admittedly it is the summer time and he does have the ideal south facing roof but the estimated return on you investment is around 11% which you will not get by tying your money up in investments.This investment looks even better value for money when you consider that our energy bills went up 16% this year alone.

If solor panels are that great why don't the Government/Local Authorities insist as part of the planning permission they are installed on new builds?

Probably will, 25% has already got to be energy efficient. I dont think it will be that long until they tell us we must have 25% renewable.

The biggest problem is the initial cost, but it does work IF YOUR PROPERTY IS SUITABLE. There are alot of people offering super systems which will generate bla bla bla and make you bla bla bla.

A 4kw system produces 4kw an hour, a 2kw makes 2kw an hour............. a 2kw wont make more, so be careful of people claiming otherwise.

The incentive is from the feed in tarrif from the government, they will send out a cheque 4 times a year for the next 25 years. Its already been stated that fuel has gone up this year by over 15% so over the next 25 years you would more than likely benefit by 60k + on a 4kw system. If you sign up before the government review the FIT. If you sign up now you are guaranteed index linked for the initial sign up price.

A 4kw system tends to cost around 14k, if anyone is interested i will install only 1 at a cost of 11.5k (which is basically free labour) Need the assessor to visit your house to do a quick check for application reasons.

I have attached a spreadsheet which explains how you get your money back, make a bit more sense. (it wont let me add the spreadsheet so contact me if you want to know more.

If anyone is interested in this first come first serve offer, contact me at http://www.cardiffelectricians.com

14k what a rip off. I Havent had any proof solar is cost efficent or produces enough electricity for all your needs.

rylec

A 4kw system produces 4kw an hour, a 2kw makes 2kw an hour............. a 2kw wont make more, so be careful of people claiming otherwise.

The thing you haven't mentioned is that this is the maximum production, the actual efficiency is between 10% and 20%. Plus people need to remember that you don't get any production at night (the person above who said that his friend hadn't used any metered electricity since he'd had panels fitted obviously doesn't use any power through the night). The Spanish managed to overcome this problem by linking in diesel generators to their systems so they could make money by selling off this electricity as being solar generated, unfortunately someone eventually realised that the power supplied to the grid should be less at nights.

Brewster

As a time will come soon when there is no other source of power except sun.

Get a grip. The sun, together with CO2 and water causes plants to grow. This plants can be processed or burnt to release energy or maybe left to produce fossil fuels.

The sun also produces wind which is a source of power, even though its not a very good one.

Interaction with the moon causes tides.

And nuclear power can last for a heck of a long time, especially with fast breeders.

there are other sources of power too, but I think those examples are enough.

As a time will come soon when there is no other source of power except sun.

Not true. Efforts are being made (successfully) in producing renewable energies - at the current time they are trying to improve the effects of said energies and the rate at which they can produce them.

[quote="Taliesin"]rylec

(the person above who said that his friend hadn't used any metered electricity since he'd had panels fitted obviously doesn't use any power through the night).

Your assumptions are wrong there mate. Have you not heard of battery backup systems.

There are a lot of fly by night companies out there who are not members of the MCS scheme (Microgeneration Certification Scheme).
There is a solar consultancy that offers free advice and is totally independant. Friends of mine who have used them tell me that they do not charge as their advice is free and these guys can recommend the best and cheapest installation companies which can save a lot of legwork. Here is a link to their e mail address so feel free to contact them if you wish.
solarenergyconsultants@hotmail.co.uk

If solor panels are that great why don't the Government/Local Authorities insist as part of the planning permission they are installed on new builds?

That has happened in Ireland already and will happen here as soon as the red tape is sorted.

If solor panels are that great why don't the Government/Local Authorities insist as part of the planning permission they are installed on new builds?

That has happened in Ireland already and will happen here as soon as the red tape is sorted.

Again the ones that are put into new builds all they do is heat your water up. And i bet your bottom dollar that if they go wrong they are just ditched and never replaced.

If solor panels are that great why don't the Government/Local Authorities insist as part of the planning permission they are installed on new builds?

That has happened in Ireland already and will happen here as soon as the red tape is sorted.

Again the ones that are put into new builds all they do is heat your water up. And i bet your bottom dollar that if they go wrong they are just ditched and never replaced.

Yeah, the developers will throw any old shite up there.

It's a great concept that should be used but there is a lot of rubbish out there. Stay away from Italian brands!