Low kW Solar, Pointless?

Firestar_3x · 29 May 2014 at 13:39

Been looking at a string of solar products recently, it seems like you can get some 500watt / 1kW on-grid systems, from around 500 - 800 which won't take up much roof space and provide some during the day power.

Or you can buy the panels for around £100 - £200 depending on the watts:

http://www.bimblesolar.com/solar/innotech250W

And add your own inverter, which i would be after a chassi mounted thing to cut down loss.

The idea of DIY solar seems like an interesting one, the point of which would be to power products which run during the day, i.e. servers, sky boxes and the such.

Clearly you won't get the feed in tariff with anything you install yourself, which on such a low cost system isn't too much of a problem, with the install being so cheap i wonder what the payback time would be?

Derek W · 30 May 2014 at 08:11

I cant really see too much of a point in this as the main appeal for PV panels is the feed in tariff thats on offer to offset the costs the electricity in the first place. Assuming that you're at work all day as you say only things like the fridge / sky boxes / servers etc would benefit from the diy route but depending on how many panels you get combined with the sunlight levels after you've powered these items there is no benefit for you. Its almost like renting a house, it does what you need it to do but after your lease is done you walk away with nothing.

LeeUK · 30 May 2014 at 11:33

How do you connect it to your fuse box/consumer unit, with a widow maker?

Firestar_3x · 30 May 2014 at 11:48

Yea, max savings is looking to be £54 a year based on it powering on standby running equipment during the day.

With the low output, say 500watt max, you can simply plug it into a home socket.

ron3003 · 30 May 2014 at 19:55

Firestar_3x said:
Yea, max savings is looking to be £54 a year based on it powering on standby running equipment during the day.

With the low output, say 500watt max, you can simply plug it into a home socket.

Seriously, do not connect like this. Use a proper isolator as anyone unplugging a system connected the way you suggest is liable to get a shock off the plug pins.