Just got a letter offering solar panels.
1st they claim your house does not have to face South? As my house is a bungalow with no shading. I have noticed that the rear garden has (west facing) full sun by 11am maximum in the summer. Is it possible I could generate enough electricity to make it profitable?
Has anyone dealt with this firm Absolute renewable energy. I live in Lincolnshire so maybe someone on the Lincolnshire Wolds may have dealt with them?
The product is Solar PV panels.
Solar panels on East-West roof.
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poppypiesdad
- Posts: 1379
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:48 pm
- Location: Area 11
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
Google them for a start , have you got to outlay any cash ?? Are they wanting the feed in tarrif off you ??
J
J
Be Prepared.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
I keep the money for producing the electric. They charge for putting it on the roof.
I also meant to ask what would happen if there was an electricity surge. Would it destroy them. How can I decouple them from the grid or to be more precise from my neighbours. Not just in case of a catastrophic event but also as we often loose electricity.
I also meant to ask what would happen if there was an electricity surge. Would it destroy them. How can I decouple them from the grid or to be more precise from my neighbours. Not just in case of a catastrophic event but also as we often loose electricity.
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
poppypiesdad wrote:Google them for a start , have you got to outlay any cash ?? Are they wanting the feed in tarrif off you ??
J
Other than there own site can't find them?
Last edited by beer999 on Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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poppypiesdad
- Posts: 1379
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:48 pm
- Location: Area 11
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
The solar panels should go first of all though an isolator switch , then through an inverter before another isolator switch before going through the meter used to get your credit , the inverter should protect you panels , they should be earthed to protect them from lightning strikes .
J
J
Be Prepared.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
Solar panels on East-West roof.
I've just had solar Panels installed on my roof through an eco grant,which means the gov pays for them and I keep the feed in tariff. if I understand it correctly they shut down in the event of power failure. Is there anyway of bypassing this failsafe safely?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
As I understand it grid tied panels don't work if there is no voltage detected in the grid. This is a safety measure to protect line workers as much as anything else because if your panels were still feeding in even if the power station was off line the lines would still be live and potentially dangerous to rectify faults.
It's not impossible to bypass the system but it does become potentially dangerous and definately expensive. A grid tie inverter senses the presence of the mains and wont run without this, it is unlikely that a basic power inverter will produce a good enough qaulity output to "fool" the grid tie inverter.
Also the design of the grid tie inverter assumes that the grid can take all the power produced (up to the maximum output of the grid tie inverter) A stand alone battery inverter can only supply power, not absorb it, unlike the grid.
What would happen if the grid tie inverter was producing 2,000 watts, but the load suddenly dropped to say 1,000 watts ? At the very least the grid tie inverter would trip, and I suspect that something expensive would break. You would almost certainly void any warrenty on the panels to boot.
You would need a decent battery bank as well and another possibility would be to simply charge this up directly from a socket then should anything happen use the power from the batteries via an inverter and even simpler still run a trailing cable to the freezer or what ever. For the short term it would probably be better to learn to do without power for a while , for a longer term SHTF situation it may be better to invest in a off grid system.
It's not impossible to bypass the system but it does become potentially dangerous and definately expensive. A grid tie inverter senses the presence of the mains and wont run without this, it is unlikely that a basic power inverter will produce a good enough qaulity output to "fool" the grid tie inverter.
Also the design of the grid tie inverter assumes that the grid can take all the power produced (up to the maximum output of the grid tie inverter) A stand alone battery inverter can only supply power, not absorb it, unlike the grid.
What would happen if the grid tie inverter was producing 2,000 watts, but the load suddenly dropped to say 1,000 watts ? At the very least the grid tie inverter would trip, and I suspect that something expensive would break. You would almost certainly void any warrenty on the panels to boot.
You would need a decent battery bank as well and another possibility would be to simply charge this up directly from a socket then should anything happen use the power from the batteries via an inverter and even simpler still run a trailing cable to the freezer or what ever. For the short term it would probably be better to learn to do without power for a while , for a longer term SHTF situation it may be better to invest in a off grid system.
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poppypiesdad
- Posts: 1379
- Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:48 pm
- Location: Area 11
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
Grid tie inverters don't work if there is no voltage detected on the output side , the panels will still work, its simple ( if you know what your doing ) to disconnect the inverter from the panel isolator , put this through a charge controller then charge your battery bank and from that use an inverter to power your appliances . Its easy really . Unless you really want the money and the fit has dropped to 16p or is it 12p so it will take a looong time to recoup the costs
J
J
Be Prepared.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
Plan like its the last loaf on the shop shelves.
Plan like its the last beer in the fridge.
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
I doubt if it is even possible to recoup the costs for a off grid system when one looks at the costs of equipment (panels+batteries+ charger+ inverter) , battery depletion over time and loss of FIT but if thinking of such a system then energy sercurity is probably far more important.
Re: Solar panels on East-West roof.
I'm on the hairy edge of getting a west facing array of panels, I've been quoted £7,500. The company admit they're not the cheapest but provide a better product. I'm happy enough with the price (a mate who lives nearby has just got a set for 8K). Does anyone know if this is a good price or not ? Any feedback would be much appreciated.