Want to generate your own energy? Not sure whether to try solar panels, wind turbines or biomass heaters?

Check out the Energy Saving Trust website. It's got loads of impartial information on renewable energy technologies, so you can find the best solution for your home.

Generate your own energy - renewable energy technology - Energy Saving Trust


The Energy Saving Trust has recently completed the most comprehensive field trial of domestic scale wind turbines to date. The aim of the trials was to provide UK home owners with an indication of whether they would be able to generate electricity from the wind at their home.

If you live in the UK, you can find out how much electricity your home can generate from wind power here:

Can I generate electricity from the wind at my home? / Generate your own energy / Home - Energy Saving Trust

Happy energy saving!
Clare

The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation that provides free, impartial advice to anyone wanting to save money and fight climate change.

[deckingman]

You can also check out the findings from "Which" magazine.

Wind power - Wind and solar power - Your home - Which? Advice

[arthurdentpc]

According to that, basically there are no renewable energies that are economical. Most in that list cost (excluding grants) from around £5000 (solar electricity) to £20000 (wind turbine), and had a saving of few hundred £s per year. So a timescale greater than the lifetime of the product to pay back installation costs then.

[johnscarlet]

I have been looking at MicroCHP , but since I started looking about 12-18 months ago , there does not seem to have been much progress.

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by arthurdentpc

According to that, basically there are no renewable energies that are economical.

I think you have just said out loud the unspoken truth.

They come into their own if you have a house in the middle of nowhere when getting connected to the mains would cost thousands. Other than that, at the moment they are toys for the rich. But you have to start somewhere and cost will slowly fall and hopefully efficiency rise to create something worthwhile.

[BISHI]

We have just moved house and as a house warming present a friend gave us an Owl electricity monitor -

OWL | Wireless Electricity Monitor Designed To Save You Money & The Environment

It clips a wireless monitor around your electricity pipe which tells the portable monitor how much leccy you are using. We went round the house turning different things on and off and were amazed at the results. This is a must have gadget if you want to save electricity. We were surprised at how little our A rated fridge freezer used and at how much an array of halogen down lights used. It really has made us think about being more frugal with our energy.

[RMCF]

As someone who might be doing a self-build in the next 3 - 5 years I sort of looked into all this renewable enegy stuff (mostly solar, wind and heat pump) and from what I can see it would take most things around 15+ years AT LEAST to even get close to paying for themselves.

The prices of these things are far too high at present, and the Gov grants just not good enough to make it attractive.

For example, installing a ground heat pump was around €30k, with a max of €6k grant. That left a cost of €24k. I know that oil is likely to get very expensive in the next decade or two, but €24k will buy a lot of home heating oil (approx 20-24 years at my current usage).

[DPinBucks]

Originally Posted by johntheexpat

I think you have just said out loud the unspoken truth.

They come into their own if you have a house in the middle of nowhere when getting connected to the mains would cost thousands. Other than that, at the moment they are toys for the rich. But you have to start somewhere and cost will slowly fall and hopefully efficiency rise to create something worthwhile.

I agree. It's basic commonsense, really. The average household uses more energy than can be economically extracted from its own ground area (wind, solar and ground heat). I emphasise economically. It doesn't mean, as you say, that individual sites, purpose-built house, or people with enough money, can't do it, but the technology is nowhere near good enough yet to justify retro-fitting the average house, not to mention high-density housing such as blocks of flats.

It's the classic dilemma: given enough take-up it might happen, but the current cost of take-up is prohibitive. You see it with alternative-fuelled cars, too. Perhaps the great progress being made with them is a hopeful sign for domestic energy, too, but it's a much more difficult task.

[leon]

I think alot of people are missing the point when it comes to solar ..

1 when u buy a new car do u say when do i get all my money back ( no u lose money and dont mind it

2 . do u buy shoes and say when do i get my money back .etc etc

its the air u breath thats the point ..carbon and doing your bit to make cleaner air and reduce global warming /

i have 2 solar systems running one for 4 years now ( of grid )
and one on grid for a year using a lorentz german solar track to gain 40% more power ,,
i could go on for ever but i wont .Dont believe the hype its the only product u can buy and withinn 4 to 5 years u get all your money back and then for the next 25 years u get payback ..

as electric prices go up your payback is quicker ..and they will in the next five year u will be having a shock .. the electric companies give u 16p a killowatt at the moment ..next august it will be 40 p that means my payback will be in half and payback even quicker

but seeing as they are wont need to produce as much as solar energy is getting massive then the people left without it will get higher bills ( they need to hit the profit margins)

if u get a comapny round to fit your solar it will cost u a bomb and your payback will be 10 years i had a quote for my solar tracker and 4 x kyocera panels and a inverter that just plugs into your 3 pin plug socket (mastervolt) ( no elctricain needed ) the quote was £9000.00 it took me 3 days and cost me £3700.00 ..

my last bill was £140.00 less i try not to get fustrated with this subject as alot of people are programmed just to pay there bills and not think outside the gold fish bowl
to sum it up .. solar works for the average jo blogs buy a few panels and abit of wire an inverter stick them on your shed and old batteries in the shed and start to make your own its simple dont belive the hype that it hard a do. and it wont ever pay back ..it works trust me i am proof ..
electric will only go up ,, cleaner air ,, u are helping ,,by now we should all have them on the roof but the bottom line is they dont want us to have them

the grants u get are worthless and they are funded by the companies that install them = high prices
diy do some reading ..if u live in england go for the moncrystaline panels ( they are black and like cloudy days )

the first thing u should do before reading about solar and getting confused is get an energy metre they are around £20 u will see in pence the electric and u can adjust your habits to reduce your bill like dont take 15 min in the 9kw electric show take ten ,if u change your habits with the metre i bet u could go on holiday once a year for free ..

sorry if i sound streesed in this post but this subject is like hitting a brick wall with so many programmed people and as u guessed i cant spell to save my life lol

[BISHI]

Many people in Germany have home electricity generation, this has been encouraged by the government there by making it law that any surplus you produce is bought by the energy supplier AT the same price they sell it at. This has not been the case here, ( though I believe that is soon to change). This might make it more economical here but I am pretty sure the cost of facillitating selling energy back to suppliers here is also prohibitive .

[arthurdentpc]

Originally Posted by leon

I think alot of people are missing the point when it comes to solar .. if u get a comapny round to fit your solar it will cost u a bomb and your payback will be 10 years i had a quote for my solar tracker and 4 x kyocera panels and a inverter that just plugs into your 3 pin plug socket (mastervolt) ( no elctricain needed ) the quote was £9000.00 it took me 3 days and cost me £3700.00 ..

my last bill was £140.00 less i try not to get fustrated with this subject as alot of people are programmed just to pay there bills and not think outside the gold fish bowl

How condescending. Unfortunately the vast majority of us are 'programmed' to pay the bills because we have little choice.
I'm pleased for you that you have the time and the knowledge to install that yourself, but I would say 9/10 of the population wouldn't have the electronic knowhow to do it, and would be faced (as I was) with a £9000 quote. I'm surprised that installing yourself is legal anyway, it's getting to the point in the UK where you have to have a qualified engineer round to change the plug.
Also, an outlay of almost £4000 is a very considerable sum for most people.

Having now investigated virtually every type of renewable energy for my average 3 bedroom semi (I ignored hydro since I'm miles from water ), I am convinced that there is nothing that is remotely economical. I will though, put in a (smokeless-zone) wood burning stove with boiler - when I can gather up the £2k for the stove / plumber / fireplace / redecoration req'd.

[DPinBucks]

Originally Posted by arthurdentpc

How condescending. Unfortunately the vast majority of us are 'programmed' to pay the bills because we have little choice.
I'm pleased for you that you have the time and the knowledge to install that yourself, but I would say 9/10 of the population wouldn't have the electronic knowhow to do it, and would be faced (as I was) with a £9000 quote. I'm surprised that installing yourself is legal anyway, it's getting to the point in the UK where you have to have a qualified engineer round to change the plug.
Also, an outlay of almost £4000 is a very considerable sum for most people.

Having now investigated virtually every type of renewable energy for my average 3 bedroom semi (I ignored hydro since I'm miles from water ), I am convinced that there is nothing that is remotely economical. I will though, put in a (smokeless-zone) wood burning stove with boiler - when I can gather up the £2k for the stove / plumber / fireplace / redecoration req'd.

Well said!

That's essentially what I was trying to say above.

You missed pointing out that his analogies are invalid. I agree that cars, shoes and electricity are equal in being products you buy, but one doesn't ask 'when do I get my money back' when buying electricity, either. He's comparing a purely optional extra (ie how you buy your electricity) with a basic (whether to buy shoes or a car).

And have a look at his economics. Let's assume that the £140 saving is per quarter, and that it's equal throughout the year (summer quarters you use less, but the sun's stronger, so it might even out). At an outlay of £3,700, that's a payback in 6.6 years: less than the 10 years he quotes, but not enormously so. Also, without knowing his circumstances, the figures are useless in applying to other households.

Not to mention the fact that 80% of the population don't even have a shed, and that 99% are not qualified by law to do that kind of work. Unless he's a qualified electrician, neither is he.

[leon]

Originally Posted by DPinBucks

Well said!

That's essentially what I was trying to say above.

You missed pointing out that his analogies are invalid. I agree that cars, shoes and electricity are equal in being products you buy, but one doesn't ask 'when do I get my money back' when buying electricity, either. He's comparing a purely optional extra (ie how you buy your electricity) with a basic (whether to buy shoes or a car).

And have a look at his economics. Let's assume that the £140 saving is per quarter, and that it's equal throughout the year (summer quarters you use less, but the sun's stronger, so it might even out). At an outlay of £3,700, that's a payback in 6.6 years: less than the 10 years he quotes, but not enormously so. Also, without knowing his circumstances, the figures are useless in applying to other households.

Not to mention the fact that 80% of the population don't even have a shed, and that 99% are not qualified by law to do that kind of work. Unless he's a qualified electrician, neither is he.

i see what u mean but your calculations are floored .as u said . .we dont no how much sun we are going to have each year and with your figures there are no increases in the price of electric over the next 6.6 years
the system ( off grid) one that i quoted only cost £2000 .. to set up that system runs my computer room and has a double socket in the front room for charging anything up to 1000 watts

i have zero qualifications on electrics ,

i just read as much as i could on the net for a year and the jumped into it as a hobby ..
this is how simple it is u can start with a solar light shed they cost around £30.00 or
if u want to go more into it buy say 2 x 40w panels of flee bay then buy a small inverter from £26.00 upwards then some cable that it if u can wire a 3 pin plug then u are sorted . and go to your local garage and as for some old batteries .. the batteries can still be used to store energy they maybe useless to start a car but great to store the power .. thats it sit back and make your own electric plug in your laptop etc maybe a monitor nothing to large like a kettle or lawn mower , and you are doing your bit for the climate and the future of the kids and our air ,,

do a google search on videos for home solar sytems there are lots of people having a go !!

i have looked into wind turbines but they are over rated and need special conditions which i dont have ..the type i would need is a vertical turbine which are being tested still and too exspencive for me .. also they have moving parts which will break

if the system i have was to never payback its money which i dont think it will.. i will still save thousands of tons of carbon going into the air in england every year which to me is worth it .i think it works out around 40 large trucks of coal i save every year to me it worth it .. im sorry that the power station will loose some profits and the miners and truck drivers will have less work but me and the missis and u guys will be healthier and breath better

[DPinBucks]

Originally Posted by leon

...
if the system i have was to never payback its money which i dont think it will.. i will still save thousands of tons of carbon going into the air in england every year which to me is worth it . ...

Don't get me wrong. I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment, and I'd pay it myself if I thought it was worth it. There's nothing wrong with paying for things you want, for whatever reason. I'm just a bit sceptical of your figures, is all.

My main argument is that you seem to be saying that if you can do it for £3,700/£2,000 then anyone can (and should), and arthurdentpc and I are saying that that simply isn't true. The vast majority of people who want to do it are forced by circumstances to pay the full whack, and many residences (eg flats) are not suitable at all.

And if you're not a qualified electrician, then unless you did the installation more than a few years ago, you must by law get it signed off as OK. You could be required to provide a certificate as part of the HIPS if you ever sell the house.

[johntheexpat]

Originally Posted by leon

... nothing to large like a kettle or lawn mower , and you are doing your bit for the climate and the future of the kids and our air ,,

Just as a matter of interest, how much power (as a % of total consumption) is actually used at a low enough rate/wattage to be easily supplied by an inverter.

I have a 400W inverter, which could power my computer/monitor/internet connection, or TV and stuff, lights maybe, but not a lot else.
Most of my power goes in electric heating/ hot water/refrigerator/dishwasher/washing machine, etc etc

[leon]

Originally Posted by johntheexpat

Just as a matter of interest, how much power (as a % of total consumption) is actually used at a low enough rate/wattage to be easily supplied by an inverter.

I have a 400W inverter, which could power my computer/monitor/internet connection, or TV and stuff, lights maybe, but not a lot else.
Most of my power goes in electric heating/ hot water/refrigerator/dishwasher/washing machine, etc etc

Most of it is low level as u say they call it a phantom load
its them things that are plugged in all the time
i.e fridge /telephone /monitors /pc /laptops and if u have a combi boiler it only 40w for the pump ..
the main gas guzzerlers are if. lawn mover ( my flymo is a killowatt)
kettle around 2500 watts but only on for 2 min ..our hob is around 6000 watts with all 4 rings on but that goes down once the temp is reached

the inverter for my off grid ( battery setup) is 750w and a boost of 1100w for 3 min that does my 2 plug sockets in the front room and 6 in the computer room most of the time my pc and charger (like the mobile phone /battery chargers for aa batteries) run on the solar there might be the odd time i turn the inverter of if the batteries look like they are going below 12v i dont want to ruin them ..
a 400w inveter is a handy size to run some plugs of the only thing to watch is there are many inverter makes and i think 2 types
type 1.. pure sign wave
2.. normal inverter usually cheaper )
the pure signwave one means its very clean electric better than u will get from your supplier this is great for delicate stuff like your tv and laptop etc if u use the cheaper one say for a laptop the transformer it will make a clicking sound and may even break the transformer after years of use ..

with the new breed of inverter from mastevolt these are designed to go in your house u connect a few solar panels run a lead to them ( use the right type of lead ) then hang the inverter on the wall. The lead goes in one end ( 3 wires like a plug ) the other lead that comes out of the inverter this one u stick a house hold plug on it and plug it into your mains what this does it grid tye u and your phantom load will go ..
look for the Mastervolt Soladin £375.00 does up to 600w of panels very easy to fit ..
as dpin said there are regs but they change every month with solar stuff ,, u used to need planning for panels now u dont, same as tackers ..the goverment are not quite sure what to do they want us to go green but they dont want us to pay less taxes and also dont want to be seen that they are not green

i guess u are adding electrics to your house (mastervolt invertor)but u are using a 3 pin plug its kind of asking the council can i plug in my tv today please

There is another type of solar that call ( exporting) u pay your electric company around £150 for a small meter and all the electric u make goes up the grid they read both metres and pay u a cheque every 3 months that of sets your bill or zeros the bill
we buy electric at around 15p a killowatt .they buy it of us at 10p this year its 16p and next august its 40p so next year u can make a killing on your solar panels i think this is alot to do with the fines england will pay if the carbon does not reach a certain level. this way of doing it is good but not right now its a cleaner way add panels and inveter and the electric metre and u are sorted .. the main problem is they dont pay enough to the solar people

sorry if i am waffling on
its true what dpinbuck says its not for everyone i put of buying a new smart car for these panels and im running around in the old one i have ,,
but the question that i get asked all the time is they dont pay for themselves which is wrong and most people dont mind loosing money on all the other things they buy there was a govement report which cost us tax payer thousands it looked into solar and the report said in would take 25 years plus to pay back ( its complete dribble ) and has since been shelved but the romours went out into the big wide world and its stuck but when u research it and with the rising in energy cost the payback is shorter.

and im not sure if right but what else can u buy that pays for itself and then for the next 25 years makes u money ??? the panels have a guarantee of 25 years the type i use are used on the space station so the manufacture says ..
i wonder what a unit of electric will be in ten years ?? maybe double /treble/etc
u can start a solar of grid system for as little as £200.00 i would say its still alot of money but im sure once u bought a owl energy metre that £200 would have been saved by changing your habits around the house ..

[johntheexpat]

Its an interesting point about the cost. Many people on these Forums will buy a new car for £40K+ and the moment it rolls off the forecourt it loses many £Ks, but baulk at the prospect of investing that same amount in solar panels.
But it also seems true that if a scheme gets too popular and it looks like costing the taxman money, it will be scrapped or 're-vamped' no matter how green it may be.
Perhaps when they finally introduce the Carbon Tax (and France is talking of between 3 and 4 centimes per litre as carbon tax on petrol/derv) they will drop VAT on panels and all associated paraphernalia for home generation of electricity.

Please, please, you don't have to laugh quite so much at my suggestion. Stranger things have happened. Not very often but occasionally!

You can sell any excess energy generated by your renewable energy installation. So though the initial cost is expensive, cheaper bills and the ability to sell your own energy, could mean that you actually save money over them long term.

You can find out more and view 'buy back tariffs' here:
Sell your own energy - Generate your own energy

Also, check to see if you are eligible for a grant to help with the install costs.

Renewable energy - UK grants for installation - Energy Savings Trust

Clare
The Energy Saving Trust
Energy Saving Trust - Energy Efficiency & Energy Conservation to combat Climate Change

[DELUCAS]

Originally Posted by leon

I think alot of people are missing the point when it comes to solar ..

1 when u buy a new car do u say when do i get all my money back ( no u lose money and dont mind it

2 . do u buy shoes and say when do i get my money back .etc etc

its the air u breath thats the point ..carbon and doing your bit to make cleaner air and reduce global warming /

i have 2 solar systems running one for 4 years now ( of grid )
and one on grid for a year using a lorentz german solar track to gain 40% more power ,,
i could go on for ever but i wont .Dont believe the hype its the only product u can buy and withinn 4 to 5 years u get all your money back and then for the next 25 years u get payback ..

as electric prices go up your payback is quicker ..and they will in the next five year u will be having a shock .. the electric companies give u 16p a killowatt at the moment ..next august it will be 40 p that means my payback will be in half and payback even quicker

but seeing as they are wont need to produce as much as solar energy is getting massive then the people left without it will get higher bills ( they need to hit the profit margins)

if u get a comapny round to fit your solar it will cost u a bomb and your payback will be 10 years i had a quote for my solar tracker and 4 x kyocera panels and a inverter that just plugs into your 3 pin plug socket (mastervolt) ( no elctricain needed ) the quote was £9000.00 it took me 3 days and cost me £3700.00 ..

my last bill was £140.00 less i try not to get fustrated with this subject as alot of people are programmed just to pay there bills and not think outside the gold fish bowl
to sum it up .. solar works for the average jo blogs buy a few panels and abit of wire an inverter stick them on your shed and old batteries in the shed and start to make your own its simple dont belive the hype that it hard a do. and it wont ever pay back ..it works trust me i am proof ..
electric will only go up ,, cleaner air ,, u are helping ,,by now we should all have them on the roof but the bottom line is they dont want us to have them

the grants u get are worthless and they are funded by the companies that install them = high prices
diy do some reading ..if u live in england go for the moncrystaline panels ( they are black and like cloudy days )

the first thing u should do before reading about solar and getting confused is get an energy metre they are around £20 u will see in pence the electric and u can adjust your habits to reduce your bill like dont take 15 min in the 9kw electric show take ten ,if u change your habits with the metre i bet u could go on holiday once a year for free ..

sorry if i sound streesed in this post but this subject is like hitting a brick wall with so many programmed people and as u guessed i cant spell to save my life lol

Leon nice set up mate

I to have been toying with the idea of going solar for about a year plus and now more seeing that energy bills are going up to even 60% in the future .

as its still new to me i was thinking of going the maplins all in one kit (150 watt kit ) £1500.00

a bit dear but a start as i believe i can add more solar panels from a different source and cheaper

I too run a little smart car to as to keep my bills down as every little bit helps .

so what is the best suited panels for the uk weather as i to am in kent .

any help would be excellent !!

[leon]

delucus
that looks a good kit
everything u need , i would get the kit and ask around at a few car batttery places and seek out some old batteries to add to the system .n a good day of sun that panel will charge that in no time ,, the way i use my off grid is charge in the dayand use at night .. the bigger the bank the better.ill try and take a picture of my off grid stuff today ..it will give u an idea of how to store the stuff in a outside shed etc ..

ill get the makes of my gear and u can price it up im not sure if it will be cheaper but my charge controller can have up to 40amps running through it so u can add alot of panels to it as and when ..

the charge controller batteries and invertor can all go in one box /shed /i have mine in a homebase green small shed ( cost around £70 ) designed for a lawn mower ..
below is a small picture of how the system will work each part can be upgraded or u can buy them seperate

[leon]

did u hear on the news about electric could go up by 60% in the next ten years that like £2000 a year on bills .. the way things are going your £1500 will be well spent and payback could be within a few years then 20 odd years of off setting your bills

its 9.25 i am in kent just looked at my laptop and ive made over a 1kw today already doesnt sound alot its like 16p but its 16p that i dont giveaway ..with luck by tonight i would have saved a pound or so ..if it was say 10 years down the line .. maybe ill be making £4.00 or £5.00 a day and this is a small system ..

[leon]

the photos show the unit they are in
, and the invertor ( makes 12v into 240v ) for the house
the white charge controller is a xantrex 40amp version with display and battery probe ( the probe sticks on the side of the battery so it can be adjusted by the controller and not over charge the batteries )

on the left is a lock down switch that will cut of the panels if i need to work on the equipment ..then to the right of that is a houshold 40amp trip switch in case of overload ..just for peace of mind ..
then next to that the charge controller
the blue unit is the good inverter the two housold plugs one going to my computer room and the other plug goes to my pond .. if the batteries are full and i am not using the pc printers etc i use to run the pond pumps and uv ..

the other box on to the right is the cheap as chips ebay invertor that is not a puresign wave invertor and the electric it makes is not as clean as the blue one so if u was to run a laptop etc it might damage the transformer on the laptop after time ..its ok for pond pumps etc

the display on the xantrex tell u the amps the panels are producing and the volts of the batts /and overall total since the system went online ..in kw thats good in one way u can see how much the unit has made i.e times the 1kw by 15p and thats you payback ..

the three trojen batteries are deep cycle ones and i bought them new the others are second hand lorry batteries add up to around 200 amps of storage

if u need to no how to convert the amps into volt times it by 13 .. 1 amp = 13volts i think

if u look at the bits in the box and search for the prices it might be cheaper than £1500 im not sure as i bought this lot around 3 years ago ..the inverter and the charge controller are very good makes and have been used in the solar industry for years ,, u also can buy a xantrex in 20amp / 40amp and 60amp all the same sized metal box ..

the panels i use are kyocera from japan on the off grid system are 4 x 80w panels i started with one and keep adding i can run double that on the xantrex .but im looking into solar water heating at the moment and costing up a system should be around £2000 rather the the quoted £5000 from the surveys

sorry about the picture quality its on my phone camera

and this pc has been running all morning on solar prooly saved around a ton of carbon yippeee

good luck just shout if u have any question i dont no it all can only tell u what i have done and seen

thanks

[DELUCAS]

Thanks leon

for the pictures and information it is helpfull and reasuring to guide me on the next steps i should take !

i am debating whether to go all in one solution now or buy the required items one at a time as i have seen some brand makes of solar ie sanyo / sharp and kycorea on e-bay going for approx £400-600 ---175w-205w per panel .

battery wise i have access to many car batterys as i believe even with 1 dead cell they should be ok !!??

hoping maybe prices of solar panels may drop in the winter

i have approxamated to buy all three items for £900-£1100

[leon]

that sounds great i noticed some kyocera going cheap on ebay they are the 85w version £350 each .kyocera just brought out a 87w with slightly better efficency ..a bargain at £350 and i bet a deal could be made for more than one

ive heard sanyo and sharp are good its nice to see u are looking for good makes that will last the 30 years or more ..

the dead cell batterys are ok imoa i had 5 from a friend who has a lorry company and only one didnt hold a charge ..so i got rid of it the others are fine ..
good luck with the project its good to see others taking up solar and saving thousands of tons of carbon going into the air ..and reducing there bills

[DELUCAS]

Damm i thought i was gonna have the largest 75- megawatt plant


America's (newest) largest solar plant set to go live in Florida



If all goes well, this 25-megawatt solar plant in Florida won't be America's largest for long, but it's not like we'd pass up the opportunity to let this $150 million facility bask in its own glory (and the sun, if we're being thorough) while it can. The Desoto facility is just one of three solar projects that Florida Power & Light is spearheading, and judging by the proximity of this one (in Arcadia) to the 75-megawatt facility planned for nearby Charlotte County, we'd surmise that the two are linked in some form or fashion. President Obama is expected to show up rocking a set of Kanye glasses underneath a welder's mask when the plant is fired up this Tuesday, and while it'll only provide power to "a fraction" of FP&L's customer base, it'll still generate around twice as much energy as the second-largest photovoltaic facility in the US of A.

[coolmp3]

After reading this forum i finally decided to order some solar kit. I have gone for 4x80w BP solar bp380's and looking at geting a Soladin 600 to grid tie the system. From what i have read the soladin requires 40v+ input so i need to put the panels in series. Does anyone know if a moden digital electric meter runs backwards if i use less than i am generating?

[leon]

they dont run backwards but they will stop .. i find when im making to much i start a massive charge everything up in the house time
well done for taking the plung\ you will be saving thousands of tons of gasses every year .and saving alot too

im looking into the grant that gives u 38p a killowatt that great seing as we buy it at 11p the grant will only run for another 3 months so i hear and u do need to have a credited company to install them ..which means big bucks as they charge around £1000 a day for 3 men working on your roof. but my neighbour is good with figures and says that a 4kw system will bring u in £100.00 a month for at least 40 years and more if electric goes up which is always going to happen

[coolmp3]

Have you looking into generation tarifs? They state i need a ofgem approved meter which i am currently getting via ebay. Do i need someone to inspect the system to approve it as its a diy install or does it only apply to pro installs? i hope not! Unfortuntaly my roof faces SE so from what i have read it runs at 94% effenceny instead of 97% if it was facing due south. What is the best fixed angel for the panels. I know its best to have it adjustable between summer and winter.
Im looking at making a wooden frame for the panels to mount onto which will fix onto a pitched extension roof. Any tips for mounting on a tie roof. I was going to fix a battern into the house all and fix the frame to that.
Thanks
Chris

[coolmp3]

Well my panels have not turned up yet due to the bad weather not that i was going to be installing them at -2! I have installed the indoor electrics ready for the feed from the panels. I have also wired a direct feed from the inverter output to the consumer unit.

[leon]

looks good chris bet u cant wait to get them going did u buy the lead for the invertor so u can record all you data on the pc ?

we just added up what the tracker has made this year £700.00 we are happy

those invertors work great i love when the lights speed up as the sun comes up and when i hear the fan kick in i no im flat out lol ...

its so good to see others getting involved in solar it s a rewarding hobby /buisness
think of how many tons of bad carbon u are saving ..
i went out this morning and brushed of the snow from the panels.. with my window cleaners rubber gadget ,, there still alot of sun out there lol