Anyone gone bust yet?

[SolarCity]

I have followed this thread with intrigue, I do feel that one or two may have come across as a little bit harsh, which for this forum is a shame, sign of the times maybe?

I respectfully disagree. With the title of this thread, the gun barrell that we're all looking down and the Daily Mail tone of the contributor's post - I think I have been less than harsh.

But my patience with this thread has worn thin now - I'm looking forward to the pictures.

 

[Eco Deal]

Anybody install wood burners ???? looking for prices ?

 

[sedgy34]

Funny you should mention it we are looking at the idea too payback 4 yrs

 

[essexrs]

I respectfully disagree. With the title of this thread, the gun barrell that we're all looking down and the Daily Mail tone of the contributor's post - I think I have been less than harsh.

But my patience with this thread has worn thin now - I'm looking forward to the pictures.

Dear oh dear, with an attitude like that no wonder the forums are not that busy - Daily Mail reader, give me a break, I don't read any newspaper as I prefer to read 'NEWS' not someones opinion of the news or celebrity gossip...

Look, I posted a thread and had a couple of you jump down my throat - I have neither insulted anyone, derided anyone or abused anyone - get a grip SolarCity, you are starting to sound bitter...!

I will post the pics when I find time to take them, until that time, take a chill pill as the images are going to prove my point...

 

[SolarCity]

Dear oh dear, with an attitude like that no wonder the forums are not that busy - Daily Mail reader, give me a break, I don't read any newspaper as I prefer to read 'NEWS' not someones opinion of the news or celebrity gossip....

I didn't say you were a Daily Mail reader. I suggested that you had a Daily Mail attitude. Your attitude towards green energy appears to be that it is a waste of money - that green taxes are a waste and a drain on people.

Look, I posted a thread and had a couple of you jump down my throat - I have neither insulted anyone, derided anyone or abused anyone - get a grip SolarCity, you are starting to sound bitter...!

This thread, on a trade forum, is about people going bust - ie, contributors to this forum - if it surprises you that I am bitter when a climate skeptic appears on the forum and cheerily suggests that the government did the right thing then I can only assume that you're not being serious.

Try going on to a police forum and suggesting that cuts to their service is a good thing and see what response you get.

I will post the pics when I find time to take them, until that time, take a chill pill as the images are going to prove my point...

The images will certainly be interesting - but it won't prove any point. It'll just show that you have an incredibly impressive PV system.

 

[confounded]

Dear oh dear, with an attitude like that no wonder the forums are not that busy - Daily Mail reader, give me a break, I don't read any newspaper as I prefer to read 'NEWS' not someones opinion of the news or celebrity gossip...

Look, I posted a thread and had a couple of you jump down my throat - I have neither insulted anyone, derided anyone or abused anyone - get a grip SolarCity, you are starting to sound bitter...!

I will post the pics when I find time to take them, until that time, take a chill pill as the images are going to prove my point...

I for one have been following this thread and have been uneasy about the responses you have received. I am very interested in the system you clearly put a lot of thought into to get installed. Price wise it was expensive but your system specification dictated that, we installed a standard SunPower system (most expensive on the market) around that time and it was similar in price without any of the tracking technology.

Also when you post the pictures if you can give some details on how the planners responded to this technology it would be very helpful.

 

[essexrs]

I for one have been following this thread and have been uneasy about the responses you have received. I am very interested in the system you clearly put a lot of thought into to get installed. Price wise it was expensive but your system specification dictated that, we installed a standard SunPower system (most expensive on the market) around that time and it was similar in price without any of the tracking technology.

Also when you post the pictures if you can give some details on how the planners responded to this technology it would be very helpful.

Is that the U.S. Sunpower or the UK COmpany? I know the U.S. COmpany from my time in the states and in Laguna Beach virtually every system I saw being installed was a Sunpower System, can't speak for the UK Company as don't know if it's connected or the same systems on licence etc.

I checked with my local planning office as I was planning the extension on the house and as I was putting them on the Detached Garage, I needed no planning consent at all provided I kept to all the rules about how they are fitted/installed and by a registered authorised company. The attidude of the planners was that they were actively encouraging residents to install them and consideration was only required if the building was in one of the designated conservation areas or a listed building....

 

[confounded]

Is that the U.S. Sunpower or the UK COmpany? I know the U.S. COmpany from my time in the states and in Laguna Beach virtually every system I saw being installed was a Sunpower System, can't speak for the UK Company as don't know if it's connected or the same systems on licence etc.

I checked with my local planning office as I was planning the extension on the house and as I was putting them on the Detached Garage, I needed no planning consent at all provided I kept to all the rules about how they are fitted/installed and by a registered authorised company. The attidude of the planners was that they were actively encouraging residents to install them and consideration was only required if the building was in one of the designated conservation areas or a listed building....

It is the US SunPower, they were quite late to the UK market only getting their MCS accreditation in October last year. You need to be an approved partner to install them. They are a very good panel although you do pay for it. Some very impressive real life data coming back on them that goes a long way to justifying the extra expense, regarding yield and panel degradation over time.

One of the requirements of PV's permitted development is that the panels are mounted in the same plane of the roof (in anticipation of fixed roof mounting systems to tilt panels toward the optimum directions and causing aesthetic issues. So the reason for the interest in your system is that presumably when the panels tilt they will be out of plane of the roof? As you say the planners have been very supportive of PV and it is unlikely anyone will pull you up on it, but this is why it is of interest to us installers if it was to become a commonly used method to boost yield.

 

[essexrs]

It is the US SunPower, they were quite late to the UK market only getting their MCS accreditation in October last year. You need to be an approved partner to install them. They are a very good panel although you do pay for it. Some very impressive real life data coming back on them that goes a long way to justifying the extra expense, regarding yield and panel degradation over time.

One of the requirements of PV's permitted development is that the panels are mounted in the same plane of the roof (in anticipation of fixed roof mounting systems to tilt panels toward the optimum directions and causing aesthetic issues. So the reason for the interest in your system is that presumably when the panels tilt they will be out of plane of the roof? As you say the planners have been very supportive of PV and it is unlikely anyone will pull you up on it, but this is why it is of interest to us installers if it was to become a commonly used method to boost yield.

That's good news if it's the U.S. Company, they are really rated in the U.S...

I advised the planning dept of the fact these would move vertically off the plane but it was the fact it was being fitted to the detached garage that is not viewed from the road that was the clincher, I think had the garage been attached to the house and visible from the road, then they might have given me a hard time or refused... I have always found with planning depts if you are straight up about what you want to do, they will assist you a great deal.... when I first built the detached garage, technically it needed no planning as 'permitted' development, not being over 4.2mtres etc, but I still checked to make sure - they came round, measured up the land and size of current house and said, 'Yes, no problem as with the additional building it will still only be 28% of the land space which is why I am adding the side extension as that will take it up to 35%, well within the 50% limit.

 

[confounded]

That's good news if it's the U.S. Company, they are really rated in the U.S...

I advised the planning dept of the fact these would move vertically off the plane but it was the fact it was being fitted to the detached garage that is not viewed from the road that was the clincher, I think had the garage been attached to the house and visible from the road, then they might have given me a hard time or refused... I have always found with planning depts if you are straight up about what you want to do, they will assist you a great deal.... when I first built the detached garage, technically it needed no planning as 'permitted' development, not being over 4.2mtres etc, but I still checked to make sure - they came round, measured up the land and size of current house and said, 'Yes, no problem as with the additional building it will still only be 28% of the land space which is why I am adding the side extension as that will take it up to 35%, well within the 50% limit.

Hopefully they become well rated here as well, certainly seem in a different league to any other panel currently on the market.

Good to hear with full knowledge of how the system will function that the planners were still happy. As you say always best to run things past them.

Would love to see time laps photos of your systems in action. How has the system performed since it was installed given it has had the bulk of the generating season already (fingers crossed for a summer next year!)

 

[essexrs]

Hopefully they become well rated here as well, certainly seem in a different league to any other panel currently on the market.

Good to hear with full knowledge of how the system will function that the planners were still happy. As you say always best to run things past them.

Would love to see time laps photos of your systems in action. How has the system performed since it was installed given it has had the bulk of the generating season already (fingers crossed for a summer next year!)

Hopefully they become well rated here as well, certainly seem in a different league to any other panel currently on the market.

Good to hear with full knowledge of how the system will function that the planners were still happy. As you say always best to run things past them.

Would love to see time laps photos of your systems in action. How has the system performed since it was installed given it has had the bulk of the generating season already (fingers crossed for a summer next year!)

Well they went live on 1 March 2012 and despite the fact we have had the worse spring/summer/autumn I can remember in my lifetime, so far they have cut my direct debit in half and for the first 2 qtrs I have received approx £285 for March-May, £655 for Jun-August and with November being the end of the 3rd quarter, I am expecting around £300 based on my daily readings. I would expect a similar £285-£300 for the period Jan-Mar 2012 so expecting roughly of £1,500 or thereabouts this first year. This would mean with no improvement in weather this would produce FIT to cover the costs of £13,500 within 9yrs.

Of course I have to take into account my Electric Bills have dropped between £40-50pm on my Direct Debit, so that is another £480 - £600 pa making a total of £1,980 per annum income/savings reducing 'pay-back' time to 6-7 yrs. As the panels should be good for 15-20yrs, even allowing for 'drop-off', if I say they are useless by year 15, I will have 6yrs of around £2,000pa tax free, that is making £10-£12K overall profit over the life of the panels or £18-20K if they last the full 20yrs. You have to try and calculate 'drop-off' against increased FIT rates in line with inflation so not an exact 'science' but it does give a good indication.

I have devised a spreadsheet that carries the tarrifs and then calculates income based on the daily readings inserted. It then calculates the 'average' daily generation, that was until October around 10.5kW hrs per day, this has dropped now to about 9.2 kW hrs per day. Once I have the full 12 months, it will give me a good daily 'average' over the year with a total FIT income...