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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Experience of Solar panels


T2 MSW

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My parents have solar panels. They make more than they use so they actually make money from them. I know it's not the same everywhere, but they recommend it to everyone.

 

Same ^. My parents paid around £5k to have them installed, and are currently making a small profit from them. Even during the winter it seems to bring in a few £

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We've got Thermal panels on the house for Hot Water (came with the property) - for 10 months in a year they seem to be doing their job well and saving atleast £250-300 a year in gas consumption - seem to be working well in London climate.

Same here, the water is noticeably hotter for a couple of days after some sunshine! I can't help but think of this as a better solution than photoelectric as we get full use of the energy they generate.

 

Between these and the rain water flushing our loos, I feel I'm doing enough for the environment to compensate for the Supra!

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Best thing I have ever done! Apart from buying a supra. I purchased a 4kw system end of 2011. Paid just under £11k for the system. Despite the large outlay I make just under 50p a kwh. I've been generating over 4MW a year, so you do the math!

There are several things you need to bare in mind. The most efficient solar panels are Sanyo panels, approx 18~19%. These are ideal for small roofs. I have Samsung panels which are approx 14% efficient. The roof pitch and direction is also critical to receiving the most amount of irradiation. Ideally you want a 30 degree pitched roof pointing south. The solar inverter is also important, as some makes are more efficient than others and will start tracking earlier. Even under the current tariffs which have been cut considerably, I still think it's worth investing in.

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I have a 4kw system, they are brilliant.

 

Generally the government will pay me 1k per year for 20 years, my electricity is almost free over the year.

 

Cost 7k to install.

 

Fit rate is being canned by the government in the next few months so be quick.

 

What sort of panels did you go for?

 

And who did you go with

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What sort of panels did you go for?

 

And who did you go with

I can't remember the panel name off the top of my head, they were mid cost I believe with a good inverter. Used Chiltern solar to install who were very good.

 

Things to think about....

Can the panels face the right way to get sunlight.

Is the roof strong, apparently it's not the weight of the panels but that they will try and lift the roof when it's windy.

Cleaning isn't an issue, they self clean.

Rather than using a single inverter, I believe you use lots of small ones (one for each panel).

 

There is nothing better than watching that electricity wheel spinning backwards! :-)

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