Myplanet UK Solar Panels ...... A Warning !!!

blankscreen

Sheer coincidence, Watchdog did a hatchet job on a firm targetting elderly and feeble, charging high prices. End of the article paragon of fair play Matt Notsobright stated a 4kw system with 16 panels should not cost more than £5k.

Mine would be easy peasy to fit being a bungellow with uncluttered roof area, boarded out loft with ladder access and lighting.

But others may require scaffolding, perhaps a crane or powered access towers to instal it, and why i treat his claims with large doses of salt, to often as overstatements!

If you look on the MCS site, they suggest £7k - £2k above Matt Akbrights earstwhile claims, and i think they know more about it than him, and his lazy researchers.

The Rep who called here said they use individual mini - inverters as oppossed to one large unit. Space is not an issue so is there any other issue?

blankscreen

Further update,
After the above i asked the Solar Installer Rep to call me, as i'm basically ignorant if this technology outside of the principal opperation.  i'd be oblidged if those with more exoerience or knowledge would comment.

Matt Albright stated a 16 panel system should cost no more than £5k, elswhere on Money Market £7k was suggested.

The Rep says the £5k systems would be older designed less efficient panels, using a single inverter. If you get a shadow on one panel it can lower the output and shut all the other panels down.

Her company use the latest most efficient panels and use 16 individual micro inverters, advantage being this means if one panel (or more) is in shade the others continue to work at 100%. Implying this is the most efficient system and will help keep your feed-in (and so your profit) at the highest possible level, and why the higher installation price.

I did point out we are in an open aspect, nearest tall tree is near 200 feet away, but she suggested larger birds settling on the frames could cause mote of a problem with a single common inverter.

Seems very convincing, i do not have enough knowledge to really know. if true then we will realise a better return over the systems life time.

To add, everything is insurranced backed for 20 years, panels for 25 years

zircon3035

Blankscreen, do you think the company will be there in 20 years to honour the insurance? I've gone for a free 4k/16 panel installation with "20 year warranty". I only get the electricity savings, not the feed-in tarrif however I feel it is worth it having cut my bills by 35% over the year. After one year, my company sold my installation on to another company. I was given the option to buy the system back for £5k but declined. If significantly better technology (like 30% efficiency panels) come out in the future, I might buy a second system (plenty of space) but for now, the savings of a "standard system" are great.
BTW, I hear that individual invertors on each panel increase efficiency by 10% overall, but each invertor is exposed to the heat/cold cycles of the roof, so reliability is worse.

Have you taken a look at www.generaytor.com? Lots of users on there with different systems, many in your area.

neilball

I a single inverter/16 panel system the panels will be split into a smaller set of strings, with each string wired separately to the inverter. Any shading on one panel of that string does indeed drop the output of all the other panels on that string too, so in a tricky installation with shading problems micro-inverters will help keep the overall output as high as possible. Micro inverters also guard against your entire array being out of action due to an inverter failure, obviously a single inverter system has will be completely shut down if the inverter fails. However to argue that it is worth paying an extra £3-4k over a basic system in case a bird sits for a while shading one panel seems a poor sales argument.

Ask for a price breakdown to indicate the difference in cost for a single inverter against micro-inverters and for the difference in price against their basic panels and the high efficiency units. Are they suggesting that the high efficiency units will increase your generating capacity by increasing the output in overcast conditions or are they suggesting that you will simp,y get the same output from a smaller array?

SteveCritten

What a load of codswollop. She is talking out of her backside. I have never heard such rubbish in all my life. Don't just go on how many panels you have ask what kwh it produces. Panels can be 200w/h, 225w/h or 250w/h. So a 16 panel system could vary from 3.2kwh upto 4kwh. Now that will make a hell of a lot of difference to your FIT than the minuscule amount she is talking about by being slightly more efficient.
The company that fitted my system also fitted a system on my friend and business partners house the same weekend ( we did a deal buying together) my roof is like yours and clear for a long way so no potential for shadows. My friends did, he had his panels on his house roof and some on his lower garage roof and the company automatically put in a 2nd invertor. The investors are the most expensive part so why have more than you need?
If their panels were so much more efficient why would they need the same amount of panels to make a 4kwh system (the government won't pay the FIT above that figure.)
Don't be sold by this company get 2 or 3 more quotes. Reputable companies have no need to use pressure sales. I asked where you lived as I would have passed on the details of the company that did mine.
I have had friends quoted recently £5.2k for a 4kwh system.
Sorry mate if I have ranted but these sales people who try to baffle people with bollocks wind me up.

blankscreen

Sincere thanks guys,
I have been reasearching to the point of near snow blindness! Thought i'd sorted it until i read these responses lol!

Thanks for this, i was told on single inverter it was only one string, one 'advantage' if indevidual inverters was less space taken up

I fid got a sort of a breakdown, the 16 inverters were £1500.00, remove that from £9k but add the single inverter knocks of about £1k. We are not shaded but it had not struck me that micro inverters are external so subject to extremes of weather heat/cold deterioration.

Their surveyor is due tomorrow, it is 16 panels @ 4kwt, i can ask him the differenceof older lower output units, but think as fuel charges go up 10% year on year that currently 'minor' difference will get amplified buy the profit of FIT?

Alan

neilball

As others have pointed out, a 4Kw system is a 4Kw system regardless of the size/efficiency of panel, so most of the higher efficiency panels I've seen simply make panel size smaller for the same 250w maximum output. So unless the 'efficiency' increases the panel output in overcast conditions then you are not actually generating more units per year but actually shrinking the panel sizes instead. This might be significant if your roof is too small to allow enough 'standard' panels to be fitted, thereby reducing your array output unless smaller, more efficient panels are used.

As for the number of strings, this is dependent on the inverter. Mine supports two strings, so each string has 8 panels attached.

blankscreen

Thanks Zircon,
Will i be there in 20 years? .
Very prudent points, the installers are www.smartsavessolutions.com, FSA registered who offer an indeoendent 10 yesr warrantee insurrance backed and members of MCE, RECC and iwa.biz.

It will be paid up over 10 years, the warranty is for 20 years, i have to check if there is any protection beyond this. I'd guess if not it is another valid reason for going the free option, as i assume your not liable for any finance not then being covered by the FIT on a funded system?


[QUOTE="zircon3035, post: 21390101, member: 61286]
I've gone for a free 4k/16 panel installation with "20 year warranty". I only get the electricity savings, not the feed-in tarrif however I feel it is worth it having cut my bills by 35% over the year. After one year, my company sold my installation on to another company. I was given the option to buy the system back for £5k but declined. If significantly better technology (like 30% efficiency panels) come out in the future, I might buy a second system (plenty of space) but for now, the savings of a "standard system" are great.
BTW, I hear that individual invertors on each panel increase efficiency by 10% overall, but each invertor is exposed to the heat/cold cycles of the roof, so reliability is worse.

Have you taken a look at www.generaytor.com? Lots of users on there with different systems, many in your area.[/QUOTE]

My eye's are like two glazed cherries on an ice cream atm, so i'll have a rest then take a look later.

Alan

blankscreen

Not bragging but size is not an issue wwity me (for once lol!).

I agree, the rep said micro inverters keep the efficiency at the max better than singles for the conditions prevailing. Figures were based on an average if 4.5 hours of daylight. I read elsewhere and surprises me that with latest paneks clouds can cause higher generation due to their deffusion effect on daylight.

Alan

blankscreen

roflmao Steve

They are 250's x 16, i realise the FIT will never be more than the 4Kw maximum, any extra us simply a freebee for the power co.

My take is its like having more power in reserve than needed to ensure at least 4kw is generated, like with a car engine than you need for any hill climb, but live in holland, or a larger 200 watt amp when you only use 10 watts. in my younger days i used to run a disco using a 30 watt amp, never a moan it was not loud enough, even at street parties. One time it did fail i used my 5 watt headphone amp and crossed my fingers lol! [/QUOTE

Don't be sold by this company get 2 or 3 more quotes. Reputable companies have no need to use pressure sales. I asked where you lived as I would have passed on the details of the company that did mine.
I have had friends quoted recently £5.2k for a 4kwh system.
Sorry mate if I have ranted but these sales people who try to baffle people with danglies wind me up.[/QUOTE]

no appology needed, and again my thanks to all for the time taken, think i've cracked it now, i'm going to buy a middle floor flat! .

Alan