So I've got the cash available, a SW facing roof, and ridiculous tarrifs to pay me to make electricity. Seems like a no brainer. Anyone done this already ? How much hype is there in the claimed performance ?

I'd love to go PV, we have a loft conversion, so no place for solar water heating plumbing meaning the leccy option is the way to go, just need to find the money for it.

one of our engineers at work is into this sort of thing as a sideline. He told me the other day, if you've got the money spare its a no brainer. payback in 3-5yrs and then clear profit.

Depends where you are in the country. We have a set of 5 80W panels on the roof at work as research work. They produce practically sod-all power. It is scotland though.

http://www.contemporaryenergy.co.uk/solarmap.htm

Looks like a peak of 4.5kWh/day in mid summer. How does that compare to your current usage? Dunno about you but I normall yuse 8.5kWh per day.

Edge of Cotswolds. We've already got hot water panels and they go like the clappers for 9 months of the year.

definitely do it – can I ask how much its costing (in quids) and how much power you are getting?

If i get that info, I can pretty much tell you to the nearest tenner what you will get back.

bottom line is, so long as the price is in the region of £5k per kWp installed, your payback will be somewhere near 10 years – 10% return – cant get that guarenteed anywhere else IMHO.

Had something come around at work. British Gas are doing some trials and in return for roofspace for a PV, you get free electric and they claim any net production. On a bigger scale, I think they may put some in the field next to our workshop.

just read jam bo – think your egineer mate is overegging it slightly – this is what I do for a living and I've never seen 3-5 yrs on PV.

There are companies that will provide the PV for free, if you let them have the generation tarrif (FIT) and in return for the use of your roof, you get the free 'leccy.

They are doing this for the return on investment so if you can afford it, buy it yourself – some of the banks are now seeing the light and tailoring loans that are repayed by the FITs then the remainder of the 25 years is clear profit. of course, they still need the same securities that any 5-20K loan would require.

Remember to tell your local DNO – we kind of get upset if you don't. If it's under 16A per phase installed you can do it under Engineering Recommendation G83.
Your local DNO will be happy to talk you through that bit of it and shouldn't charge you.
I believe the intention of the FIT was to give around 7 years pay back no matter what technology you went for – that doesn't mean they got the numbers right.

If the install is a domestic and under 3.6kWp, then its install and notify – do it, then you have 30 days to tell the DNO – but if you intend accessing FITs then your installer will provide all the necessary paperwork as part of the MCS requirements.

would love to know what you are charged – I am in charge of our pricing and it would be good to know what the opposition down south are punting the systems out at.

I did hear of British gas offering 1.7kWp for £11,7000 which cheered me up no end 🙂

Would not bother at this precise moment in time as there are no Grid Tie Inverters available due to the demand from Germany (FIT reduces 30/6/10 so big rush).

Have a look at Tesco renewable energy, 1.8Kw for under 10K and Tesco points as well (£200 worth). I think this is a good package – I would strongly advise against almost every other UK company right now. I doubt Tesco they will be able to quote under 120 day lead time which means you might as well wait until next year as most of the generation occurs in the summer (~200Kw pm) = starter tariff lasts 2 years and is index linked. Prices are likely to fall a bit by then as more suppliers/installers create a competive market.

ROI will be about 8% which looks good compared to savings rate right now and I believe you can assign the FIT when you sell the house which means you should get most of you money back. In the mean time you will be saving 1,000kg pa of CO2 emissions and 35% of your electricity bill both good.

Lots of variables such as future price of electricity, interest rates, are you borrowing money or using savings?, how much of the generated electric you'll use, if you sell the house how much will the house price be increased with the system, maintenance of the system – the panels might last 25 years but will the electrics?

But what most people forget is the fact that if you don't buy a system (say £10k) but invest the money then you'll have £10k plus interest at the end of year 1. If you buy the system then you have the FIT plus what energy you used yourself, say £800. Most genuine calculations I've seen have these two figures matching after 12 – 15 years (see variables above). After that then you're making more money from the PV panels. That's if you're still in the house of course.

From looking at some quotes people have got some of these companies have hyped the prices up due to big demand / limited supply and you have to use an accredited installer which reduces the companies which can fit them.

Smudger666 –

but if you intend accessing FITs then your installer will provide all the necessary paperwork as part of the MCS requirements

Our experience is that some installers are better than others at following what they are meant to do.

Getting quotes now but I'm expecting about £12K for 3kWp. I'm not yet covinced about the reduction in our leccy bill as a lot of our use isn't during strong daylight hours, but the numbers still look good.

From what I understand there's no great rush as you've got a year or two to install and still qualify for the highest FIT rate.

Also, don't install if you plan on moving house in the short/medium term 🙂 Sure the install will up your house price but I'd wager not enough to recoup the outlay.

ps44 – Where in the Cotswolds are you ? Which direction do you panels face ?

I'm in the North of the Cotswolds and have solar hot water and am a little under whelmed by it. Certainly doesn't cover hot water for 9 months of the year.

Panels are on a flat roof, facing due S on a 30 degree angle so pretty much a perfect set up. They've been going for 23 years and never missed a beat, nearly 50000 hours of running.

just read jam bo – think your egineer mate is overegging it slightly

probably. might also be why his current project is 6 months behind….

Agree with DaveGr people are talking about a return on investment while forgetting their capital is gone. I can't imagine that the the panels have much value on the second hand market and you've lost all the money spent on the installation. You may start to make some money after 10 years but what guarantees do you have that the equipment will last that long.

Just got some datalogging results from the panels on the roof of our building here at work, 8th floor urban environment. Over the past week (fairly sunny weather mostly) we managed 800 watt hours in the full weeks measurement from a single 80W panel, thats an average output of ~4.8W. 🙂 Now thats a long payback time!

There are companies that will provide the PV for free, if you let them have the generation tarrif (FIT) and in return for the use of your roof, you get the free 'leccy.

I'd be interested in this….

These guys are doing it in the Yorkshire region. http://www.ashadegreener.co.uk/

Out of interest, how long should one of these systems last, and what (annual or whatever) maintenance requirements? When those mini turbines came along I did the calcs and worked out if I had one installed I ought to get payback in 15 years. Design life: 15 years.

Done it at 43°N. Solarworld panels as they are the cleanest and take them back at the end of their life (if the company still exists then). Solarmax onduleur. Over 3000kWh a year which is somewhat more than we consume. Only 96kWh in December compared with 390kWh for April. Given the price we sell to EDF for and tax credits the system will pay for itself in about six and a half years and make me about 1800e a year for as long as it lasts after that.