MCS installation of separately sourced PV kit?

[bath_ed]

Hi all,

We're planning on having our roof covering replaced when the weather gets better and so thinking of having solar PV installed at the same time. Non-traditional roof so planning on a standing seam metal roof such as Vieozinc as the roof structure isn't designed for tiles.

Anyway, I just stumbled across this listing on Ebay for a 4kW solar PV kit, basically everything needed apart from the mounting for £2500 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4KW-SOLAR...51479887755?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item2344e7a78b) which seems an amazing price. Is anyone likely to be willing to MCS install a kit they have not supplied themselves?

Ed

 

[TJ Anderson]

You want to check it is MCS approved panels for the FIT and a G83 compliant inverter. Then there is also the energy efficiency of your home to take into account for FIT. Ring round small local PV companies, larger ones wont want to know. We signed off a few installed by others in the boom years!!

 

[bath_ed]

You want to check it is MCS approved panels for the FIT and a G83 compliant inverter. Then there is also the energy efficiency of your home to take into account for FIT. Ring round small local PV companies, larger ones wont want to know. We signed off a few installed by others in the boom years!!

Thanks! Yeah obviously I would have to check that it is compliant. We have recently had an EPC done for the Green Deal with a D rating, so that is OK. That particular kit would probably not fit on the roof (or rather it would physically fit but be too close at the eaves and gutters) but it was the general idea as at that price it seems you could pay someone a fair amount for installation and still get a bargain.

Ed

 

[whinmoor]

This isn't something we'd get involved with. We buy on behalf of the customer from recognised wholesalers so there is traceability and accountability. I'm not comfortable with guaranteeing kit that we haven't sourced as we simply don't know the background. We buy at 20% VAT but only charge our customer 5% so that makes a big difference.

 

[Gavin A]

anyone offering a £400 discount for cash is dodgy as hell, there have also been reports of container loads of panels being ripped off recently, so....... I;ve already refused to install one of these systems for someone, and wouldn't be touching this with a bargepole.

 

[TJ Anderson]

Thanks! Yeah obviously I would have to check that it is compliant. We have recently had an EPC done for the Green Deal with a D rating, so that is OK. That particular kit would probably not fit on the roof (or rather it would physically fit but be too close at the eaves and gutters) but it was the general idea as at that price it seems you could pay someone a fair amount for installation and still get a bargain.

Ed

If the kit is legit and you can get sizing correct, I'd go for it then and get someone to sign it off. I would not worry about warranties when you are getting it that cheap. Some of the panel manufacturers whose kit we fitted have gone bust now, so it was useless anyway, so much for 25 year performance warranties. SMA and Power One (now ABB) have been OK with inverter replacements but cant vouch for SAMIL.

 

[bath_ed]

If the kit is legit and you can get sizing correct, I'd go for it then and get someone to sign it off. I would not worry about warranties when you are getting it that cheap. Some of the panel manufacturers whose kit we fitted have gone bust now, so it was useless anyway, so much for 25 year performance warranties. SMA and Power One (now ABB) have been OK with inverter replacements but cant vouch for SAMIL.

Thanks, hadn't thought about it being stolen kit and obviously don't want to go down that route. It was more a general question rather than that particular listing, as some solar companies are listing their kits (including VAT) at attractive prices, especially as to get the full 4kW we'll probably need the more unusual higher efficiency panels such as BenQ or Panasonic. Those Sunedison 330W panels I hadn't heard of before and would probably go too close to the ridge and gutterline as they're unusually large.

Ed

 

[jason121]

Sunedison don't have any 330 on the market in the UK. The 285 watt and 280 watt full black are standard size panels. 14 for 4kw

 

[bath_ed]

Sunedison don't have any 330 on the market in the UK. The 285 watt and 280 watt full black are standard size panels. 14 for 4kw

Interesting, probably why I hadn't heard of them. I looked them up and it said they were designed for utility scale use. They were from the potentially dodgy EBay listing, 12 for 4 kW. But as they are just under two metres long the fit would probably be too tight.

Ed

 

[TJ Anderson]

Interesting, probably why I hadn't heard of them. I looked them up and it said they were designed for utility scale use. They were from the potentially dodgy EBay listing, 12 for 4 kW. But as they are just under two metres long the fit would probably be too tight.

Ed

On his listing he is also offering 16 x 245W panels as an alternative. These will be shorter in height. A lot of the commercial panels we fitted were approx 2M tall such as the Suntech 280W, we fitted loads of them.

 

[bath_ed]

On his listing he is also offering 16 x 245W panels as an alternative. These will be shorter in height. A lot of the commercial panels we fitted were approx 2M tall such as the Suntech 280W, we fitted loads of them.

The roof is about 4.2m ridge to eaves and 7m in length, so I don't think it's possible to get 4kW worth of panels up there apart from BenQ, Panasonic or Sunpower. Not sure if there are any others I've missed, but think only 12 of those 245W panels would fit.