4kw solar installation system

[Saeed Soroush]

Hi folks I am looking to have 16 panels installed for 4kw system and really what to know what is going to be the payback time?

Anyone who who has solar installation can you please answer the following based on your experience

what is the FIT you receive for a 4kw and what is the actual generation per annual I have been quoted 3.5kw

also how much does a 4kw cut your electricity bill by I have been quoted 50% but I know it's no where near that

also what is the annual export tariff I have been quoted £100 but again these are just theoretical quotes I would like to know actual numbers from people who have them

Ikea quoted me £6000 for the 4kw system and annual benefit of £750 I would like to know now accurate this figure really is??

 

[telectrix]

not well up on solar, but those figures ikea quoted look in the right area to me. ( assuming average performance of the panels on a south.ish facing roof.

 

[TedM]

Someone else giving you their figures only makes sense if they live near you.

3500 kWh per year is a reasonable prediction for a 4kWp system on a south facing roof in Dundee.

Whether you save 50% or not is mostly dependent on your own lifestyle choices. If you are at home all day, every day then you will have more scope to save more. Installing an Immersun unit will increase savings as well if you have a hot water tank. You could also easily save almost nothing if you are not at home during the day.

Generating 3500 kWh a year will currently pay you:

3500 x 14.38p = £503.30 for generation
3500 x 50% x 4.77p = £83.47 for deemed export

Total £586.77 income plus whatever savings you do make by reducing your electricity bill.

 

[Gavin A]

Dear Ted, please check your units, regards A P. Edant

 

[The Solar King]

I would agree that 3500kWh/a is a reasonable output prediction for Dundee provided there is no shading of the proposed installation.

Be wary on self use figures and savings. How much you self use will depend on your annual electricity consumption. A typical household using 4000-4500kw/a will have self use of around 35% on a 4kW system. The more strategies you can develop to increase self use, the greater the benefit.

Incidentally, if Ikea are quoting for a 4kW system and have surveyed your property, it would suggest your roof is big enough to take a larger system. Ikea normally quote using thin film panels which have less capacity per square metre than crystalline panels. There are implications over moving Feed In Tariff band, but if a full discounted cash flow of the proposed project is undertaken, returns are often near identical.

 

[langstroth2]

Worth having a look at pvoutput.org, it'll give you an idea what similar sized (and orientation/shade level) systems in your area are actually producing on average over a year.

I've found my own self use is at about 15-20% (based on comparison of grid import prior to panels going in 3 yrs ago).

 

[The Solar King]

Just on the question of Thin Film Panels.
Whilst they produce less energy per square metre of panel, the good ones produce more energy per kW of panel installed.

We have just signed up our first customer using Solar Frontier Thin Film panels. Due to their low light performance and higher tolerance of shading, they are a good choice in the right location, outperforming crystalline panels or the use of optimisers. You do need the roof space - typically an extra 500mm depth for a 4kW install.

If you have restricted roof space, high output crystalline panels may be a better bet. It needs to be properly assessed and calculated through to allow the right choice to be made.

 

[JulianC]

I concur, Solar Frontier panels are pretty darned good. I have a whopping 3 of them. You know what it's like: The wife say's "What shall we do with the messy end of the patio" and before you know it, there's a mini-ground mount array down there, keeping the weeds down. I do like a nice eco-folly.