Solar PV
Photovoltaics (PV) has taken off and is experiencing a phenomenal growth. The Feed in Tariff (FIT) has driven this growth since it is possible to be paid for the electricity you generate as well as make savings on your electricity bills. The rate of return on your investment stands at approximately 10%, which is higher than many bank and building society base rates. Your house is expected to have an increased value of up to 9% with a solar PV system installed.
PV systems can be attached to sloping or flat roofs. They can also be ground-mounted. The ideal orientation for a PV system is south, though south-east and south-west are almost as good. West and east orientations can be used but the overall efficiency of a given PV array is reduced. The ideal pitch at latitudes in the south of the UK is 30 degrees, though in practice only slight reductions in efficiency are experienced at pitches from 20 to 60 degrees.
We install a variety of PV modules from leading manufacturers including LG, Sanyo, Schuco, Day4 Energy, Mitsubishi, Romag, TG Solar, Schott, JA Solar, Voltec, Sharp and Upsolar.
Our inverters are manufactured by Solis, SMA, Solar Edge, Mastervolt, Diehl, Enecsys, Fronius, Growatt, Goodwe and Power one.
You will make modest savings on your electricity bills since, during the day, you will be using some of the electricity you are producing. The amount you save will vary depending on the size and performance of your PV system and the amount of electricity you use.
We can install a gadget (e.g. iBoost or Immersun etc) which diverts surplus generated electricity to your hot water cylinder immersion heater. In this way your PV system can also be used to heat your hot water.
With the introduction of electric cars (EVs) it is possible to charge your car using your PV system. A good solution is to have a battery (Tesla Powerwall 2, PowerFlow etc) which stores surplus PV-generated electricity during the day and then use this at night to charge your EV. Alternatively, charge your EV during the day directly from the solar PV on a slow charge.
See photographs of our installations here.
Solar PV Case Studies
PV 'in roof'
PV on flat roof
PV on zinc roof
PV ground-mounted system
PV and solar thermal on flat roof
PV on flat roof - 10kWp
PV on split roofs
PV installation process
PV with differering orientations
PV on slate roof
Feed in Tariff scheme
The FIT is a scheme in which owners of PV systems are rewarded for every unit of electricity they generate, irrespective of whether they are used on site or not.
This is known as the Generation Tariff and is currently under review. Payments are also made for 50% of every unit generated by the PV system. This is known as the Export Tariff and is currently under review. These payment rates are fixed for 20 years, linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) and are tax-free. PV systems installed from 1 August 2012 will be subject to an approximate 7% decrease in the FIT rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about PV systems?
Read our dedicated Photovoltaic FAQ section that answers the most common queries.