Balcony solar becomes "a thing"

DIY take on it - comments welcome

Yeah. Headline numbers (2x400W=800W) are all very well. However I am feeling that if you got half of that you'd be lucky. Plus the variance with weather and the fact that it's only sunny less than 182 days a year.

However a really critical metric will be the real cost of electricity. What sounds pathetic at 25p/KWh may suddenly seem much more atractive at (for example) 50p/KWh. Assuming that the solar panel costs are realtively independent of cost of electricity.

My brother in the US (Tennessee) has 48 panels which from his uncharacteristic silence ;) I am suspecting are less than impressive.

If you generate more than you consume, does it feed back into the grid? Does the meter go backwards? What about modern "digital" meters?

Looks like it's all to play for right now.

Yes, depending on the settings. If you have a battery you can store it for later. You may be able to tell it not to export in some cases.

Not unless it's very old. I was somewhere with a meter number starting '90' (ie 1990) and that had the anti-backwards symbol (a ratchet and pawl).

Digital meters just record export in a separate register.

Theo

It can do, but you're unlikely to get paid, some can be set for zero export to make sure they charge a battery instead.

If you reduce that greedy "I have to make money" element, just reducing your own consumption is reward enough.

I wouldn't try to make money, just maximise my consumption by using in the evening what I generated during the day.

None of these scams work without using taxpayers money. I dont like making money out of my neighbours. I prefer to use the Markets to take money out of bankers/

When I look at any capital expenditure of a money saving kind I always ask myself 'would I make more payback in the market' and the answer is overwhelmingly yes.

I am quite happy to make money out of stupid people. Their lookout. Many years ago my lad (aged about 6) saw lady in Safeways (which dates it) who was buying a 48 pack of Weetabix. Excitedly he said to her that it was better to buy 2x24 packs as it was cheaper.

She looked at him with a "aw cute" smile, said "But I want 48" and put the more expensive option in her trolley.

It was a teachable moment that he still remembers. Especially the bit when I told him she was paying for his treat out of the savings *we* were making.

I often wondered what company she ran - very posh voice.

Anyway, if the insfrastructure is setup to allow me to make money from the schemes and I am in a postion to take advanage - well performative self denial isn't my style. But it does explain a few things in others.

Back in the day, I could have "done a Harry" and creamed other bill-payers for FIT payments, but I didn't do that.

Where does taxpayer money come into balcony solar? It's the first scheme where there's no "MCS installers club" to suck up the subsidy.

I've realised I don't keep a close enough eye on investments, for my pension I moved it out of SIPPs back to the managed funds which had done the best for me longer term.

I am blinded by your halo ;)

Good innit ?

As far as I can see the critical question here is the efficacy of the kit. If people shell out a grand on a few panels plus gubbins and *feel* that are sticking it to the man (the man in this case being President Trump) then what's not to like ?

If we assume a modest take up (say 5% of properties) then it would be interesting to speculate what that reduction in demand does to the overall UK energy picture ?

Just to restate. This will be Joe Public buying something with their own money. So no subsidy yet.

This may well form an entry point for people who have previously decided that the large up front cost of an installed system was off-putting.

If they see some real value from one of these plug & play setups, they might then decide to go further.

Golly. What a fascist capitalist you are to be sure. I might say 'don't spend the money in renewables, invest it in oil companies and get more return than from solar panels and if you need the moneym, yiu cabn sell tehsages ars well.

But some people just think solar panels are 'smart'

What big words you do use Grandma.

If your solar panels and installation and batteries can do more than

And eschew anything to do with 'renewables'

But then I am interested in making money, not congratulating myself by buying GreenWank ]

In the amount yoiu are paid to generate electricity that compromises the grid stability by dint of its intermittency and thus adds cost to everyone's bills - costs that go on gas standby and spinning reserve gas power and batteries for when the sun goes behind a cloud or sets altogether.

Its like throwing litter out of the car window, Some one else has to be paid to pick it up,

You simply cannot see what the effect on electricity generation costs 10 GW of completely arbitrary variable power fluctuation on the grid under no central control can do to the cost of ameliorating its effects?

And incurring public costs by using it,.

Its like buying a car and forgetting about the cost of roads and traffic jams.

This is relatively cheap, as hobbies go.

However, the reality of this is, it's a drop in the bucket. Someone building a datacenter this week, just wiped the floor with your clean power, and moved on to raising someone elses power bill by their presence.

It's a feel good thing, and as hobbies go, it provides the most satisfaction if there is a display to watch to see whether you are "all on solar at the moment".

To go completely off grid, and have "sufficient margin to not think about the power system", that's way way outside of my comfort range for investment. For me, it would make more sense to crush the house, and build a new one that has actual insulation :-)

Paul

Paul

zero

You might as easily argue that going round turning lights off and hanging clothes on the line instead of using the tumble dryer causes intermittent demand ...