Questions and Answers

Q. How much investment is required to install Solar PV in order to generate my own electricity?

A. Exact prices are subject to survey, the size of the installation and the specific equipment installed, but as a guide small systems start at around £6-7k, with a 3.9kW installation coming in at around £10-12k. We can beat any like for like quotation!

Q. How much electricity will I generate from a solar PV installation and what will be my expected return on investment?

A. A roof mounted PV system that suffers no shade, is facing between south east and south west and located in the south west of England can be expected to generate around 1,000 units per kW installed, per annum and often more! Exact generation figures per kW installed are impossible to predict as local climatic conditions, the quality of the product installed, the pitch of the roof and the exact orientation of the array do affect annual production. For retrofit systems under 4kW the return on investment is a calculation of units generated x 21p, plus the value of the units saved off your electricity bill and plus the income from units sold back to the National Grid. Economies of scale will mean that a 3.7kW system will give a better return than say a 1.48kW system, as the cost per kW installed is lower for a larger system. It would not be unreasonable to anticipate a guaranteed, tax-free, index-linked, return on investment in excess of 10% for a suitably sited, small-scale system and a better return for a 3.9kW system.

Q. How much maintenance is required?

A. Solar PV requires no maintenance and has no moving parts.

Q. I am concerned about an investment in new technology?

A. Solar PV is not a new technology! The first commercial systems were installed 50 years ago and it is solar PV that has been powering International Space Stations since the 70s. It’s not new technology, but the government guaranteed, Feed in Tariff policy has now made it economical to install.

Q. What is the expected life span of a PV system?

A. All the PV we install enjoys a performance warranty for 25 years. The PV cells do degenerate as the years go by, just as transistors do, however it would not be unreasonable to expect some significant generation for 50 years, maybe more!

Q. Should I wait for the technology to improve its generation potential before investing?

A. No, even though the technology is being improved little by little. The Feed in Tariff is designed to return a better guaranteed income for those installing PV now, rather than to those who install in years to come!

Q. If I opted for a roof mounted installation; will my roof be secure and watertight?

A. Assuming your roof is sound at present, then yes it definitely will be once your PV system has been installed! Our insallation teams are very experienced and the solar panels are secured by way of mounting systems that are specifically designed to ensure the integrity of your roof.

Q. Does PV generate electricity on a cloudy day?

A. Yes it does, but of course PV will generate more units on a sunny day in June than a cloudy day in December. PV utilises the ultra violet sector of the spectrum and converts the daylight radiation in to DC power, which is then passed through an inverter to produce an AC current.

Q. How about pollution and noise?

A. Solar PV generation emits no pollution and is silent too!

Q. Yes I am interested. I would like to know more about an investment in PV and get the full facts, but I do not want to be hounded as if I was interested in double-glazing!

A. We totally understand and never adopt that style of approach. Just contact us and one of our Solarteam will answer your questions. If you would like to learn exactly what’s possible together with a price, then we will need to survey your property and will provide you with a firm quotation without any pressure or obligation to go ahead.

Q. Do I need planning permission to install solar PV?

A. Generally the answer is no for roof mounted solutions, as it is a permitted development under planning regulations. However you will require permission if you have a listed building or you may do if you are within a conservation area or a National Park.

Q. Where’s the catch?

A. There is no catch…Think about it, would companies be investing millions and offering this if they weren’t sure of a good return from PV?

Q. We are a business/company/farm etc and are considering a system well in excess of 4kW, can you help?

A. Yes, we have experience installing large systems and we would be delighted to quote.