Not another bl***dy windfarm 🤬

My solar panels were commissioned on 1 October. Since then we have produced 385 Kw, most of which has been used in the house via the battery with the fully charged on cheap rate overnight. We also have 2 electric cars that we charge overnight on 8.1p Kw cheap electricity. To fully charge one car from 25% to 75% can be done in one night between 00.30 and 05.30, but to fully charge the battery for a long run takes 2 nights. This costs about £3.00 and currently gives us about 120 miles running. We have also been exporting a small amount to the grid and get paid 15p per Kw.

Just checked my electricity bill covering 16 Nov till 15 Dec. Our charge for electricity including standing charge and VAT was £84.56 less the credit for the 45Kw exported of £6.70, making the final total £77.86 - including running both cars! Compared to before the solar panels were fitted for the same period last year of £105.85 plus petrol and diesel for the old cars. This saving will be even larger in the summer.

During the summer months we expect to be exporting far more than we can use. So 10 hours at 3.65 Kw per hour at 15p equates to 36.5 Kw or £5.47 per day. A 30 day month should generate £164.25. Any excess that cannot be exported should be used to keep the cars fully charged. By comparison we are using currently about 8Kw per day in the house, but should drop lower when we reduce using the tumble drier. This should cost about £20.40, so we should be getting paid about £145 per month less the standing charge.

We may change or export tariff from a fixed price of 15p to a variable tariff where we get paid more during the busy times of the day. It is possible to use cheap rate electricity to sell it back to the grid at upto 35p. This then lends the possibility of increasing our battery storage to do this. Sorry no figures calculated yet.

Hope these numbers show that solar panels are worth fitting, especially if you get an electric car.
Pedant mode on

For the above, it's Kwh, not Kw.

Pedant mode off
 
My solar panels were commissioned on 1 October. Since then we have produced 385 Kw, most of which has been used in the house via the battery with the fully charged on cheap rate overnight. We also have 2 electric cars that we charge overnight on 8.1p Kw cheap electricity. To fully charge one car from 25% to 75% can be done in one night between 00.30 and 05.30, but to fully charge the battery for a long run takes 2 nights. This costs about £3.00 and currently gives us about 120 miles running. We have also been exporting a small amount to the grid and get paid 15p per Kw.

Just checked my electricity bill covering 16 Nov till 15 Dec. Our charge for electricity including standing charge and VAT was £84.56 less the credit for the 45Kw exported of £6.70, making the final total £77.86 - including running both cars! Compared to before the solar panels were fitted for the same period last year of £105.85 plus petrol and diesel for the old cars. This saving will be even larger in the summer.

During the summer months we expect to be exporting far more than we can use. So 10 hours at 3.65 Kw per hour at 15p equates to 36.5 Kw or £5.47 per day. A 30 day month should generate £164.25. Any excess that cannot be exported should be used to keep the cars fully charged. By comparison we are using currently about 8Kw per day in the house, but should drop lower when we reduce using the tumble drier. This should cost about £20.40, so we should be getting paid about £145 per month less the standing charge.

We may change or export tariff from a fixed price of 15p to a variable tariff where we get paid more during the busy times of the day. It is possible to use cheap rate electricity to sell it back to the grid at upto 35p. This then lends the possibility of increasing our battery storage to do this. Sorry no figures calculated yet.

Hope these numbers show that solar panels are worth fitting, especially if you get an electric car.
We are solar users, we have 2 x 3kw arrays, an 11kw inverter and a 16kwh Fogstar battery. You’ll find that 3.85kw for 10 hours is dream land, but not to say you won’t be proper quids in. We charge the home battery at 2 kw overnight, in winter, we have 6 hours of cheap rate. We use almost no peak rate leccy, just the residual drain, a few watts. 2 electric cars, plus a hot tub, immersion heaters x 2, and electric towel rails to absorb excess in summer. We do not ever export. Our aim is to be as off grid as possible, I don’t have the need, the time or the mental energy to milk the system, though clearly it can be done. We’re doing about 1.4kw now, going back into the battery to be used for the party this evening, and minimise our recharge overnight. Some winter days we generate next to nothing, then it’s having a big battery that makes the money saving work. I couldn’t manage with a tiny inverter, we can max out our 11kw one with 2 ovens, a 5 ring induction hob, and other ancilliaries in a fairly large house, we have 450 sq m to light, heat and entertain ourselves. Occasionally we must be careful, I have it all monitored. Lots of it is automated/remote controlled. We leave a car plugged in when away, too, in case we have excess power.
 
We probably wouldn't need all these new windfarms if people weren't using up all the electrons posting complaints on internet forums about wind farms. 😉

You do realise there's probably at least one turbine out in the Thames Estuary/Southern North Sea just to power internet anchor threads? 😁
 
We probably wouldn't need all these new windfarms if people weren't using up all the electrons posting complaints on internet forums about wind farms. 😉

You do realise there's probably at least one turbine out in the Thames Estuary/Southern North Sea just to power internet anchor threads? 😁
I’ll make sure to only contribute to anchor threads in summer. At least my contributions will be carbon free. No freer of farmyard odours than the next, of course.
 
We probably wouldn't need all these new windfarms if people weren't using up all the electrons posting complaints on internet forums about wind farms. 😉

You do realise there's probably at least one turbine out in the Thames Estuary/Southern North Sea just to power internet anchor threads? 😁

One turbine seems a very low estimate if you don't mind me saying so :D

My house faces more or less NE/SW so doesn't seem well align for solar.
 
One turbine seems a very low estimate if you don't mind me saying so :D

My house faces more or less NE/SW so doesn't seem well align for solar.
Nothing wrong with SW. and with the price of panels these days, you”ll be getting 60 odd % of the output from NE fac8ng panels for half a day. Thats enough to make them viable. We paid £100 each for 600w panels.
 
I’m sure this comment will go down like a sack of spuds, but I don’t mind them at all.

In my view they make navigating easier. I learned to sail on rivers, so I get disorientated at sea. wind farms give me nice straight lines to follow!
Nought wrong wi' a sack of spuds.(y)
1766279815374.png
 
Top