How to boost any solar panel output by 75%

[Kontiki]

Found this website while I was looking for information on solar panels Solar Mirror Might have a go to see if it does work

I was actually looking for information about fitting solar panels on the house, has anybody had it done yet? It seems to give a good return on the investment as you get sod all interest from the banks I've had 3 quotes up to now but there is a big difference between them, got a couple more coming this week then we will decide which one to use then go for it.

 

[vwalan]

i made enquires a while ago .the plan was to bring 20-30 panels back from maroc . (cheaper there )but the people that fit the inverter and export meter refused to do it unless they supplied the panels at 4 times the price of maroc. at that time they were paying 3times the cost of a unit for green energy . i believe its now twice the cost of a unit so it will take longer to break even. with 80wat panels in maroc costing 100quid at the time i reckoned in 4 yr i could be making money but the prices they wanted i decided it would take too long. it is far better to supply the grid than try to store it. the silly thing is all the extra they pay for green energy means they chuck away generated power so its not green at all. wind is even more wasteful. but eventually you can make a shilling . but it definately not green. only the pound notes are green. ha ha shame we dont have them now.
cheers alan.

 

[Kontiki]

I'm planning on having them installed to save/make money, if it helps the environment thats all the better but I have doubts that any of these 'green' technologies work effectively. When you get down to the total cost in energy terms to produce & install the components you are probably lucky to break even
Thought myself about getting all the equipment & getting somebody to install it but as you say they won't install anything unless they supply it.
Of the 3 quotes I have had there is over a thousand pounds between them on just the cost of the panels alone, they are all using different amounts as the sizes aren't the same output but they are all about a total of 3.89 Kw.

 

[Deleted member 2636]

Navitron are well worth a look. I helped install a hot water system to supplement the oil heating for a swimming pool last year. The amount of oil that it saved was significant.

If anyone is lucky enough to live in Cornwall, they can visit SAS & Trewartha's Plumbing & Heating Lt Has the Reliable Liskeard Plumbers You Can Trust for Central Heating Services There you can see at least two if not three different systems running side by side and make your own mind up as to which is the most effective.

They are also getting into photo voltaic and ground source as well

Solar Panels - Photovoltaic Solar Panels & Solar Water Heating Panels

 

[sasquatch]

My chum is having panels fitted this week to his house. It will require 21 in total,they were delivered yesterday and they only occupy 1 pallet. The electricity that isn't used is returned to the grid and he gets paid for it?
He as also been told they can move house with you-This I would like to see or is that just a sales pitch.
The panels are made by Yingli solar. A few weeks ago on the One Show,Dom Littlewood did an item on these,an option is renting your roof to the generating companies and being paid.

 

[maingate]

The only downside to mirrors is their weight.

A thin piece of ply and some aluminium cooking foil would be almost as good.

 

[bevdrew]

For house PV panels, and if you apply through the Feed-in-Tarrif scheme, you get paid for ALL the electricity the solar panels generate (41.3p for every kw/h) - even the leccy you use yourself.

To join the scheme you have to use an "approved" installer. Tesco's do it but don't know if get points too! We have calculated that it would cost us around £10,000 to install solar PV panels on our roof for the Feed In Tarrif Scheme.

More info here:
Feed in tariffs - Generate your own energy - Energy Saving Trust

Another option - There are some companies that will install and maintain the panels on your roof for free, usually for 25 years. In exchange for the income from the electricity generated - you still get the free leccy you use from the solar panels but not the 41.3p/kwh for the generated electricity.

 

[maingate]

I had a chat with a chap in Garlieston (on the Solway) last year. He has a waterwheel and as that is what I would like to have, I was quite interested.

He does not put anything back into the grid. He said it would cost a fair bit of money for the equipment and that the low price he was offered did not make it worth his while. There are good schemes out there but there must be bad ones as well.

He put underfloor heating in and his genny is mainly used for that.

 

[Deleted member 207]

Found this website while I was looking for information on solar panels Solar Mirror Might have a go to see if it does work

I've seen an ad (Greeny DIY mag) for an installation of solar panels using an old PC and two large servo motors to keep the panels facing directly at the sun. The PC controls the daily angles of the panels in the vertical/horizontal planes, parsed the information to the servos so that at say 4am in Summer the sun focussed on the panels, and likewise at 8am in Winter it did the same. The panels then tracked the sun throughout the day. The maker claimed something similar about output improvements or halving the number of panels - which is probably greener still considering the energy used to make the panels. Problems that I saw with this - PC and servos were on for 24 hours a day chewing into output. No doubt programmable servo controllers would do the job.

The mirror was a common experiment but unless you can change the angle of the mirror relative to the panel and the sun then in some months the reflected light is likely to miss the panel.

 

[Kontiki]

I understand about the FIT's as it was this income that interests us (let the house pay for itself while we are away on our travels ), problem is I have seen that this might be under threat from our ConDem'd government. There was a story in the Guardian about them being reduced by 10% (don't know if they are also talking about applying this to people currently receiving it ) I was also told that it isn't too big of a job to remove the system to take it with you if you move house, I've had a look at how they fit the panels so it does look like it is possible (no plans to move though after 30 years we've collected too much junk)
The quotes I have been getting are in the 13 to 15k region for a 3.9 kw set up.

BTW I was only thinking about messing around with a mirror on a small suitcase type solar panel just to see if it would give a significant difference.

 

[vwalan]

its possible to buy panels easily at 1875 quid a kw how do they get their prices . i paid 165 for some 80wat panels a few months ago have seen some at 750 for 5 panels . i bought mine from a guy that buys them by the pallet so it should be possible to buy them even cheaper with a bit of effort. i know they need profit but it seems like a rip off. i dont see how you can get alot back at the prices they ask. was better a few years ago they paid 3 times the going rate for normal units . getting less all the time and ther price of panels asnt come down by the installers .