Ikea solar panels... what next?

[trevortron]

Ikea stores in the UK are to beginning selling solar panel packages.All 17 outlets in Britain are to get into the green energy market within the next 10 months.The world’s largest furniture retailer ran a pilot project at its Lakeside store, east of London, and found that one photovoltaic system sold nearly every day.The panels harness the power of sunlight and convert into electricity.Britain's solar market is still small and behind green energy leaders such as Germany and Spain, but there has been regular growth, with year-on-year installations rising 25% in September to 1.7 gigawatts.Government subsidies were put in place to boost greener energy production and help meet agreed targets to cut carbon emissions. Houses with solar panels are eligible for subsidies and can sell excess electricity to the national grid.An average semi-detached house with a south-facing roof would earn as much as £770 a year through subsidies and savings on energy bills, an Ikea case study showed.Ikea is to sell panels made in China for a minimum spend of £5,700. Customers get 18 panels, which should break even within roughly seven years. The package includes in-store consultation, installation and maintenance.

 

[oneman]

looks like china will be dumping more panels in the UK,

BBC News - China offers tax rebates on solar power


I would say that £5,700 including inverter and installation for a 4KW system would be bloody cheap. You would need to get it installed by a certified installer in order to qualify for the subsidies.

 

[haoolsj]

seems they will cut out the middle man companies and offer a lot cheaper prices to the end consumer, win win in my book but the "energy" companies wont be happy

 

[madhatter007]

No expert in this but I have read the Chinese panels are not very good, german ones are miles ahead in terms of performance?

 

[leemoo]

No expert in this but I have read the Chinese panels are not very good, german ones are miles ahead in terms of performance?

They may help start driving down the price though which is great as a consumer

 

[trevortron]

No expert in this but I have read the Chinese panels are not very good, german ones are miles ahead in terms of performance?

You are probably correct, though it might be unfair to tar them all with the same brush- there are no doubt dozens of manufacturers and some are bound to be better than others. Hopefully Ikea's buying power will command something semi-decent.

 

[oneman]

No expert in this but I have read the Chinese panels are not very good, german ones are miles ahead in terms of performance?

depends, there are good and bad panels from lots of countries. You pays your monies and takes your chances. My panels are from Suntech, which was the worlds largest producer and has just gone bust. In terms of performance they are middle of the road.

Though what does performance mean ? Are you looking at W per square meter ? Does it matter for the domestic user where there is a hard 4Kw limit on FIT so unless your roof space is small and you need the smallest possible panels it doesn't make much difference. The thing that worries me about the Ikea deal is that its for 18 panels, when I was doing research last year, most panels were 230w to 260w for 'standard' size. So most installs required 16 panels (like mine). If Ikea need 18 panels to hit the 4Kw limit that does make me think they are sourcing some really cheap inefficient panels. Means you will need more roof space (might not be an issue) and may lose more efficiency over time. My middle of the road panels are supposed to be rated at 80% efficiency over 25 years. Better panels might keep 90% at best but cost twice as much so is it worth spending the extra ?

 

[oneman]

I was just thinking of this thread as I just got my latest FIT payment. Thanks to a rather nice summer, from 7/4/13 to 23/09/13 (about 5 1/2 months) my FIT payment is £1,142.20 plus around £150 saved on leccy bill.

 

[killdeer]

I've got 16 free solar panels which were installed by a company called 'A Shade Greener' about 15 months ago. It's basically one of the 'rent a roof schemes'

The installation and 25 years of maintenance are all included in this free scheme. My house faces due south and this made it an excellent choice for such panels.

I know I don't qualify for the FIT payments which is claimed by the company but I didn't have the kind of money to pay for the panels myself. It's brilliant to see my energy bills falling whilst many others are facing yet more significant rises. Two of my neighbours have also opted to go with this scheme and I can truly say we're all delighted.

 

[oneman]

I've got 16 free solar panels which were installed by a company called 'A Shade Greener' about 15 months ago. It's basically one of the 'rent a roof schemes'

The installation and 25 years of maintenance are all included in this free scheme. My house faces due south and this made it an excellent choice for such panels.

I know I don't qualify for the FIT payments which is claimed by the company but I didn't have the kind of money to pay for the panels myself. It's brilliant to see my energy bills falling whilst many others are facing yet more significant rises. Two of my neighbours have also opted to go with this scheme and I can truly say we're all delighted.

I looked into the 'rent a roof' scheme, just be aware of the pitfalls, mainly around the 25 year contract which can effect house value and AFAIK they won't install unless you pretty much have an ideal situation. If you have the cash then I would suggest that you buy the panels rather than rent out your roof.