Solar Panel installations

[Donnywolf]

Never hear anything about these whereas couldnt escape them and the free electric and FITs
Are they dead in the water or waiting for next "boom"
All that sunshine and all those millions of empty roofs

[albie]

The support from the feed in tariff was reduced and then removed, because the cost of solar has fallen so much.

Depends on how much leccy you use, but if you have the up front cost, they look like a very good deal to forward pay for electricity if costs per unit used increase.

Here is a guide to costs;
https://www.solarguide.co.uk/how-much-does-it-cost-to-install-solar-panels#/

Size of roofspace available will determine the capacity of the installed system.
If you are getting an EV, then you can set against the cost of petrol/diesel saved.

[silent majority]

Solar is delivering 15% of our energy today thanks to the clear sky's.

Biomass is at 5% and wind is at 12%. 32% from renewables is not bad but could be so much better.

[albie]

Yes, but it is where the future growth is that is most important;
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8wqBn9XsAI1KDh?format=jpg&name=900x900

My guess is that offshore wind is the best bet on a unit cost basis at utility scale.

The next round of auctions under "contract for difference" is due in December, I think.
Expect record low prices for offshore wind at scale.

[Donnywolf]

Thanks Albie

Im not considering an installation as I may be moving within a year , 2 tops but was just wondering while walking in blazing sun and minimal houses with Solar where the b-o-o-m went

Simplistically thinking of climate changing or offsetting gas price hikes by favouring electricity but of course simplistic it was as people simply couldnt swap CH or Cookers from one to the other

[selby]

  They  should be a requirement to get planning permission on every big unit on industrial estates,  where there would be acres of roof to cover and the ability to feed into the grid through the already installed electric connections.
  There is no need to pay land owners to cover usable agricultural land, and get a subsidy for the use of it.

[mugnapper]

  They  should be a requirement to get planning permission on every big unit on industrial estates,  where there would be acres of roof to cover and the ability to feed into the grid through the already installed electric connections.
  There is no need to pay land owners to cover usable agricultural land, and get a subsidy for the use of it.

I've been saying this for years Selby. Also, if Governments are really interested in reducing emissions, solar panels should be mandatory for every new housing development.

[silent majority]

Yes, but it is where the future growth is that is most important;
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8wqBn9XsAI1KDh?format=jpg&name=900x900

My guess is that offshore wind is the best bet on a unit cost basis at utility scale.

The next round of auctions under "contract for difference" is due in December, I think.
Expect record low prices for offshore wind at scale.

Albie , I wasn't talking about the general picture for solar/wind etc, I was talking about yesterday at the time I posted. It was a snapshot of just one moment in time and solar was doing extremely well because of the clear sky's.

It's not normally that good, and as the days get shorter the contribution declines. Wind has been quite low for the last few weeks.

[belton rover]

I have solar panels (already installed when We bought the house). I have to give quarterly readings for payment, which averages about £700 per year. It doesn’t seem to feed into my own usage though. I called the solar panel tariff company (British Gas) and my energy provider (EDF) and both say that part has nothing to do with them.
Should it feed into my own usage for cheaper bills or is it just payment for the energy my panels create?

[albie]

Belton,

Normally the solar is used by the house during daylight hours, so it should be running things like a fridge freezer or other activities like boiling a kettle.

This will be reflected in your bill being lower than it would be if you took all your juice from the grid.

Any excess produced in daytime goes into the grid, and you get paid for that, but at a lower rate than the unit cost that you buy. If you do not have battery storage, you buy from the grid for night time use at normal tariff.

I don't know what British Gas and EDF are saying.....are they just crediting you for export alone, without in house use?

It might be something to do with the deal that the original owners of your house agreed.
You could ask your provider to confirm, and ask if you can change the terms of any agreement.

It is possible that the previous owners signed an agreement just to rent out their roofspace....the panels were installed by the utility at their cost, not bought by the householder.

If this is the deal agreed, and maybe you use different utility providers, then it gets muddy.
I would try to get a copy of the original agreement if possible.

[belton rover]

Thanks, Albie, that’s really helpful. All I really know is that my electricity bill is higher than it used to be before we moved.
I’ll certainly look into the original agreement.

[Donnywolf]

Could you run a Cable to Thorne for me to connect Hot Tub to

We could come to mutual agreement - Pints once a week in Reindeer or better yet The Crown

[Metalmicky]

I have panels and them installed about 7 years ago. Cost was £5k at the time, but with my Fits payments and savings on electricity, I am just about square now, and have a further  13 years of FiT payments to come. During spring/summer our combined utilities bills come in at less than £40 a month... rising to about £80-90 in winter.

[albie]

Anyone thinking of adding battery storage can now do so with no VAT, so a 20% reduction from Feb 1;
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/02/01/uk-vat-relief-on-residential-batteries-comes-into-effect/

As batteries are also falling in cost, the installation price should reflect that.