Solar Photo Voltaic
Solar Photo voltaic panels, usually roof-mounted, work in a similar way to solar panels, but instead of converting the sun’s rays into hot water, they use daylight (rather than the sun’s radiation) to generate electricity.
Using an inverter to convert the DC current collected into a usable AC power current, the new generation of solar photo voltaic panels can produce around 3,000kWh of electricity a year, based on 16 roof-mounted panels. (This is an example only: there are dozens of different possible configurations, depending on the size of your roof and property)
Since average household use is around 3,000kWh a year, it is reasonable to expect that such a system between 4 to 16 solar photo voltaic panels can provide at least a quarter to all of a household’s electricity requirements, and with security of supply starting to become a potential future issue, such considerations may outweigh straight pay-back calculations.
Solar Photo Voltaic Instalation
However, the installation cost of solar panels versus future cost savings calculation is made much more interesting by the proposed new rates at which locally generated power (whether you use it yourself or feed it back into the grid) will enjoy, under the most recently announced government initiative. Feed-in tariffs will provide renewable generators of power with a 25-year guaranteed per unit support payment of over 30p per kWh for electricity generation. An 8-panel domestic system will generate 1500kWh per year, saving nearly 1 ton of CO2 and make a contribution to utility costs of £450/pa. While a 10kW commercial system will generate 8,000kWh per year, saving nearly 5 tonnes of CO2 and make a contribution to utility costs of £2400/pa.
Obviously every house is different in its power usage and requirements, but it is not unreasonable to expect an average household could, generating 1,500-3,000kWh in this way, “earn” around £500-1,000 per year – and therefore save at least 50-100% off their current power costs (which are of course set to rise substantially over the coming years.) So pay-back times are set to fall dramatically. For more information, please call us on 0845 539 0031
Microgeneration Certification Scheme
