Solar panels

[MrRobin]

We have a large, unobstructed, south-facting roof so I looked into this and did considerable research on the topic about a year ago. We didn;t go ahead at the time as we used the capital for something else.

The feed in tarrif only applies to Photovoltaic cells installed since about 2008. There is no grant (at least not in England, don't know about you scots) as the feed in tarrif replaced this. The 15% efficiency is a combination of the solar radiation to electricity conversion, the non-perpendicular angle of incidence of the panel in relation to the sun's position. It is unlikely that this will get much higher in the near future, unless there is a major breakthrough in technology.

I calculated that I would save about £300 in bills (afterall, most elec is used at night when I'm at home and the sun is down) but I would make about £900 a year from the feed in tarrif, from about a £15k outlay. The feed in tarrif runs for 25 years. I worked that out to be an internal rate of return of 6.2%, or 7.8% if you assume elec prices will rise 5% a year. That's better than any savings account could give currently.

I don't know why it would make my house harder to sell and push the price down. I would expect the feed in tarrif would switch owners as part of the conveyancing process. I would expect the value of the house to increase marginally.

[minestrone]

We have a large, unobstructed, south-facting roof so I looked into this and did considerable research on the topic about a year ago. We didn;t go ahead at the time as we used the capital for something else.

The feed in tarrif only applies to Photovoltaic cells installed since about 2008. There is no grant (at least not in England, don't know about you scots) as the feed in tarrif replaced this. The 15% efficiency is a combination of the solar radiation to electricity conversion, the non-perpendicular angle of incidence of the panel in relation to the sun's position. It is unlikely that this will get much higher in the near future, unless there is a major breakthrough in technology.

I calculated that I would save about £300 in bills (afterall, most elec is used at night when I'm at home and the sun is down) but I would make about £900 a year from the feed in tarrif, from about a £15k outlay. The feed in tarrif runs for 25 years. I worked that out to be an internal rate of return of 6.2%, or 7.8% if you assume elec prices will rise 5% a year. That's better than any savings account could give currently.

I don't know why it would make my house harder to sell and push the price down. I would expect the feed in tarrif would switch owners as part of the conveyancing process. I would expect the value of the house to increase marginally.

There is a small grant for a wind turbine (when I checked a few years ago) but the councils will not let you put one up in urban areas. A solar panel up here would be like trying to cook a steak with a hairdryer.

[EternalOptimist]

but I would make about £900 a year from the feed in tarrif, from about a £15k outlay.

one of us is seriously misinformed

I have it as about £30 - 50 for the feed in tariff (what you sell to the grid)

and about £1500 generation tariff (subsidy dependant upon the size of the rig)


per year

[MrRobin]

I think I am just confused with the naming conventions...

You are paid about 40p for every KWh that the solar cells generate. Doesn't matter if you use them or not!

[pacharan]

Like up the road is married to one of these lefty hairy armpit types. Got a wind turbine a.d, get this, earth closet in the garden. She won't let anyone use the indoor big at all.