Solar Panels UK - is it worth it?

[jdwuk]

Hi everyone, I recently took delivery of an M3 SR+ and am loving it so far. One aspect though that has got me thinking is the potential benefit of solar panels to help keep the charging costs down.

I have done some light Googling and made a couple of enquires but just wondering if anyone has experience with getting solar panels. How much did you pay to install? Has installing them kept you costs down? Any issues? Worth it or not?

Any help much appreciated

Cheers!

 

[Dilly]

I had panels several years before buying an EV and benefitted from the 12p/kWh feed in tariff.
with panels alone, you can’t guarantee that you can use all that’s produced such as a sunny day and you and the car are at work!
As I’m retired I can charge when the sun’s out and having solar batteries makes a big difference.
An awful lot depends on how many panels you can fit and the direction they face.
I had 28 panels costing £7500 and a further 13 panels costing £4500 several years later.
in summer, I can get 60KWh in a day. Yesterday - 3.5KWh!
having the batteries makes a difference. In 2009 my annual bill without EV’s was over £1000. This year with a PHEV and an EV, it will be £200

 

[init6]

I think it will vary greatly depending on your location in the UK. Here's a map of the PV potential:



Much as I'd love solar panels, the pay off is just too long.

 

[Dilly]

I think it will vary greatly depending on your location in the UK. Here's a map of the PV potential:

View attachment 745227

Much as I'd love solar panels, the pay off is just too long.

Yes, without FIT and or the ability to use most of the generated power, it’s not the good bet it was. My first panels have paid for themselves after 6 years.

 

[muster39]

I have just ordered solar panels with a battery based on a bulk buy initiative by our local County Council. I can't yet advise on savings but my view is that electricity costs are likely to go up significantly in the coming years. The advantage of the battery is that you can store electricity when it is sunny but you can't consume all the electricity generated by the panels. I'm not too concerned about payback because I think solar panels will add to the value of the house.

 

[scdoubleu]

We installed solar + PowerWall back in October. Between then and now, the Tesla App (it's not just for their EV cars) reports we've been 27% self-powered over all. This includes charging the M3, acquired mid-November. As we progress into spring/summer, I expect this percentage to increase significantly even accounting for the addition of an MY expected Q1 2022.

Standalone solar is not as attractive as it once was now that FIT isn't an option. However, adding battery storage to the mix is a game changer. With current prices/technology, return on investment is likely to take a good many years, if at all. That'll improve quickly though as battery prices come down. Our motivation was not solely based on having the system pay for itself - it's good to be green, and the Tesla PowerWall can keep the house powered up during power cuts.

Note that battery storage opens up the possibility of charging it during off-peak hours for use through the daytime peak period when solar output is low. Sadly, we're not yet in a position to do this having been dumped on British Gas' standard tariff when People's Energy went under. Planning to switch to Octopus Go in the new year.

 

[Regulo]

The FIT scheme that I am on (panels installed 7 years ago) has recouped the cost of the installation now. Without a battery storage system, I wouldn't have them now. You need to use the electric generated usually at night. So you need a battery. Otherwise most of your generated electric gets sent into the grid during the day when you can't use it.

 

[Chickenlips]

Seeing as my energy supplier is about to raise prices again it might well be. 35.63p per kwh!! It was 17p 2 months ago. Is anyone else's that high?

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Massively depends on the size of your roof... I've calculated 20 years to pay back the installation of my system (2.5kw, 10 panel) and seem to be on target for that. It offsets electricity usage a bit during the day (not so much in winter, but it can help for an hour or two) but not something I've ever considered affecting EV charging as that's done at night.

I've read of those with large arrays being able to make their money back a *lot* faster.. under 5 years for some of them, because they generate so much excess they get FIT all year round.

 

[HenryT]

I think the short answer is that it doesn't make sense financially unless you are young enough, have enough of the right type of roof space and don't plan to move house.

That said, we have signed up for solar and battery combo to be installed early in the new year. My logic was to gain some degree of energy independence and initially I was looking at just getting batteries installed to 'bank' some of the 5p electric we get from Octopus each night. The relatively modest increase in cost of having panels included swung the argument to going 'all in'.

As we stand, 60% of our electricity usage is still on the daytime rate, despite running 2 EVs charged only on the overnight rate and having moved as much as we can to overnight usage (washer/dryer/dishwasher). My thinking is that of the 13 kW we use at premium rates each day, at least half can be moved to battery use (7.2 kWh battery) topped up overnight at cheap rates, plus whatever solar use we can get and consume. Export could also feature in the summer.

The pre-supposition here of course is that the Octopus type differential pricing will continue in some form or other, but regardless, we will still benefit from the storage facility and ability to bank/export any excess solar production.

 

[HenryT]

Massively depends on the size of your roof... I've calculated 20 years to pay back the installation of my system (2.5kw, 10 panel) and seem to be on target for that. It offsets electricity usage a bit during the day (not so much in winter, but it can help for an hour or two) but not something I've ever considered affecting EV charging as that's done at night.

I've read of those with large arrays being able to make their money back a *lot* faster.. under 5 years for some of them, because they generate so much excess they get FIT all year round.

Are there no batteries in your set up Tony?

Might be a more viable option as electricity charges increase?

 

[Dilly]

It‘s unlikely to happen universally anytime soon due to infrastructure inconsistencies, but I believe that more tariffs like the Tesla Energy Plan will emerge eventually, giving consumers the ability to buy from the grid and sell solar/battery energy for the same price. That should keep a bit of a lid on energy prices.

 

[Dilly]

Massively depends on the size of your roof... I've calculated 20 years to pay back the installation of my system (2.5kw, 10 panel) and seem to be on target for that. It offsets electricity usage a bit during the day (not so much in winter, but it can help for an hour or two) but not something I've ever considered affecting EV charging as that's done at night.

I've read of those with large arrays being able to make their money back a *lot* faster.. under 5 years for some of them, because they generate so much excess they get FIT all year round.

Feed In Tariff is paid for every kWh produced anyway. You’re thinking of Export Tariff, either deemed, where you are paid for half the kWh you produce, or metered where it’s the exact amount.

 

[G4WFT]

We're awaiting installation (due January) of a 4kWp panel + 5 kWh battery config. The cost is just under £9.5k and the estimated payback is 12 years. For me, the payback wasn't a consideration really. We're retired and have savings which are earning next to nothing. We preferred to use some of that capital and reduce our monthly outgoings. As someone else said, the battery is a big advantage in enabling you to store surplus from the panels. Those of us who came to the game too late to get the FIT are only likely to get at best 5p per kWh from SEG, so it's financially better to consume than export.

 

[Tony Hoyle]

No, I know what FIT is. FIT for a typical winter quarter is about £5, which is as near as dammit nonexistant.

 

[RichP88]

My house was built with 5 panels fitted flush with the roof tiles. Have never given them a second thought to be honest. Will the charger that is being installed tap off them automatically or does it need some form of electrical wizardry to achieve this?

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Zappi can do that, but 5 panels is unlikely to have much excess to use for charging anyway so it might not matter (depends how new the panels are but even the newest 400w panels that's only 2kw on a sunny day).

 

[Dilly]

No, I know what FIT is. FIT for a typical winter quarter is about £5, which is as near as dammit nonexistant.

Apologies. That is pretty poor. I fare a bit better. My 28 panels will earn £90 this quarter. The other 13 are post FIT and earn nothing. They do however help with running the house

 

[Washout]

What suppliers are you guys using for your solar/battery installations?

Out of the three in my region I have tried to engage, I've had two ignore a contact and one asking for £1,000+ just to do a survey/quote... (all three supposed to be Tesla Accredited). The market smells of the dodgy double glazing salesmen of yore for me currently...

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Not changed then.. the one I went with, despite claims of being 'backed by barclays' and therefore completely safe, went bust 6 months after installing mine (so I have no warranty... yay).

That said.. not sure if he hangs around these parts but on the tesla facebook group they seem quite fond of Mac Cummings. Evergreen MAC