Alternative lighting

Homes and Retreats
Moony
Posts: 525
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:23 pm
Location: Area 7

Re: Alternative lighting

Post by Moony »

dango1uk wrote:We have just had solar panels fitted for free, enough to light whole house and run a heater, have a look at ashadegreener for details, main thing is it didn't cost a penny
This is a good deal for someone who doesnt have the spare cash handy or credit rating to get solar installations as the government FIT payments basically pay off the cost of the system over 'x' years. From a green or money saving excercise it great - however in a grid-down situation you'll still be without power as the system automatically cuts off when it detects a power loss on the grid it is connected to, so it's not a solution if you're worried about temporary (or longer term) loss of power.

I've been looking at combining a grid-connected solar PV installation that'll automatically switch to battery banks on loss of grid power, but while possible it probably doubles the overall cost and may not meet the requirements for receiving FIT payments to help pay off the up front costs :cry:
I'm in Area 7 !