I first took an interest in solar power generation in the
summer of 2010 when a number of companies began to advertise free installation
and free use of the electricity generated. I have been (but this year, 2011, Ive been
trying to reduce it) a fairly heavy electricity user, nearly 7,000 kWh per year
due to constantly operating pumps for a garden pond, quite a lot of computer
equipment running 24/7 and a home cinema system that in theory draws more than 2kW
when operating at full blast - though probably a good deal less in practice.
I believed that I should be able to use a high proportion of anything generated locally
with higher than average saving in electricity costs.
I registered an interest with Homesun who were advertising free installations
heavily and they sent a salesman to do a preliminary survey. My experiences with
Homesun are reported here. In my opinion they do a
fairly good impression of a company with minimal interest in
customers and wholly focused on enriching themselves. I received much
better service from a local company, Solstice Energy.
Although I did a great deal of research
on the web about the viability of solar panels and asked the experts at Solstice
Energy many questions there is nothing like observing a system in operation to
really get to grips with the practicalities. To possibly assist others in their
own research I shall post figures on this website relating to my systems on-going
performance.
One claim I picked up from enthusiastic owners who had posted information to
forums is that on cloudy days the output would remain above 20% of that on a
sunny day. Homesuns website is inclined to perpetuate the myth with their
slogan It even works in Winter. I should have known better; energy cannot be
created and anyone who has played with a photographic exposure meter will know
that brightness levels vary widely. In the worst cloudy conditions the power
output is barely one fiftieth of what it is if the sun shows its face.
For the first two months following my installation the weather could only
be described as foul with the sun missing throughout February making a new solar
owner feel rather depressed about the investment but a superb April transformed
all that with that months output running about 40% above prediction boosting
the output since installation date to nearly 20% above prediction. Its very
clear that the Winter period counts for very little. It produces next to nothing on
good days and if you lose the lot it doesnt amount to much. A poor Summer
however would be a disaster.
In good periods such as April 2011 I have found it absolutely impossible to use a
significant proportion of the electricity generated and personally I have given up
trying very hard. The money is made via the Feed in Tariff, not by saving electricity,
and if I had gone for a rent-a-roof scheme all the glorious April weather would not
have benefited me at all, or at least not by more than a pound or two.
See the blog for an ongoing report.
If you find the information on this website useful you may wish to look at
the following similar sites
www.dobbers24.co.uk/solar
www.wrezzle.co.uk/Solar
bristowfamily.co.uk/solar
www.uksolarcasestudy.co.uk