Solar dose it stack up

Case290

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Worcestershire
Looking like the farm usage is around 20000kwh a year grain fans couple barns work shop / unit house etc fairly standard I guess with most usage at night.
Dose solar stack up with the export rate dropping to 3.2p kWh
Been suggested by solar comp one , I need 42kw solar but no batteries at around 30k installed surly batteries are a must to make use of the system. Electric provider at the current rate of 19p kWh
 

Wisconsonian

Member
Trade
Batteries are the most expensive and shortest lived part of a system. Unusual to have batteries in a grid tie system. Better use of the excess solar is a daily chore that can be stored, like heating water, pumping water etc. And/or, point the panels East and West to better match the use and avoid the surplus.

19 to 3 is quite a ratio to avoid. I'll let the locals answer your other questions.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Looking like the farm usage is around 20000kwh a year grain fans couple barns work shop / unit house etc fairly standard I guess with most usage at night.
Dose solar stack up with the export rate dropping to 3.2p kWh
Been suggested by solar comp one , I need 42kw solar but no batteries at around 30k installed surly batteries are a must to make use of the system. Electric provider at the current rate of 19p kWh
Who evertold you 3.2p is wrong except for small domestic
I would say 8-10p at the moment is the low end of the market but you would want min 50 Kw install plus 3 phase.
You can of course re shuffle some of your usage such as the night
Metering is an issue as the companies charge £350-400 a year m which is a total rip off! Further it can be many months between taking your money and a meter going in.
Expect to pay in the order of £35k for a 50 Kw install
 
So how do you go about securing a decent export price?

I'm poised to put in 65kw array which works out in paper cheaper in finance than paying new day rate.

The thing I haven't worked out is how to get paid well for my surplus..
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
So how do you go about securing a decent export price?

I'm poised to put in 65kw array which works out in paper cheaper in finance than paying new day rate.

The thing I haven't worked out is how to get paid well for my surplus..
You will needto contact your metering company and agree an MOP contract.
You then need to agree a deal with a company such as F&S to buy your exports another person to help will be @AlexMcGowan
Then you needthem to speak to each other.
But you will need a HH meter reading exports , which may take a few months to organise , possibly 6+ 😡😡😡
 
You will needto contact your metering company and agree an MOP contract.
You then need to agree a deal with a company such as F&S to buy your exports another person to help will be @AlexMcGowan
Then you needthem to speak to each other.
But you will need a HH meter reading exports , which may take a few months to organise , possibly 6+ 😡😡😡
Ok..That's great !

Thankyou

So I have a HH smart meter already .so presumably I have a MOP. Does this mean I need to change ?
 
Last edited:

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Ok..That's great !

Thankyou

So I have a HH smart meter already .so presumably I have a MOP. Does this mean I need to change ?
Ah , no you need an export Mpan first. This will be the responsiblity of the DNO
This is no cost
Once you have an export Mpan then you will need an MOP for this and you will realise how the metering companies are taking the pee as they charge double!
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Thankyou.

Sounds like a job for Monday!!
Your installer will be the best person to speak to the DNO and get the export Mpan. Then you need to speak to the metering company. If it is SMS i can can give you some pointers.
If you do not know the metering co then speak to F&S they will be able to access register of metering co’s.
Be prepared for a lot of hassle 😥
 
Your installer will be the best person to speak to the DNO and get the export Mpan. Then you need to speak to the metering company. If it is SMS i can can give you some pointers.
If you do not know the metering co then speak to F&S they will be able to access register of metering co’s.
Be prepared for a lot of hassle 😥
That's awesome help. Thankyou.

Especially the warning of hassle!!
 

AlexMcGowan

Member
Location
Cheshire
You will needto contact your metering company and agree an MOP contract.
You then need to agree a deal with a company such as F&S to buy your exports another person to help will be @AlexMcGowan
Then you needthem to speak to each other.
But you will need a HH meter reading exports , which may take a few months to organise , possibly 6+ 😡😡😡
Thanks for tagging me in @Exfarmer

@Foregoneconclusion, I'd be happy to help setting you up for export if you'd like. Our usual process in this instance would be to complete a full market tender once we have an export MPAN to work with, to see who the most lucrative option is for you specific system. We can then complete any DNO or metering works with the new supplier that we have a good relationship with, ready for it to go live with them, it often helps to expedite the process.
 

AlexMcGowan

Member
Location
Cheshire
So what’s the set up and on going costs to export?

We use some of out export but last time I did the sums it broke even so I left it.

Two mpans, Both 50 Kw
It would depend on the volume you're exporting, however there are things you can put in place to tailor a solution to a smaller system to make it worthwhile.

If you need a meter installation, you can either choose to rent or buy the meter outright, depending on your approach, we tend to work with IMServe as they are the most cost effective. This can either be done directly or via your chosen energy supplier.

If you need a new meter installing for the export you'll need to put a MOP agreement in place to cover that meter. Recent Ofgem changes have come in that state that you must use the same MOP for your export as you use for the import it is paired to, so your hands would be somewhat tied on costs for that one I'm afraid.

You'll need to pay DC/DA charges for your data collection, similar to the above you can either arrange that directly yourself, which is often cheaper, or monthly on your statements, which usually works out at just under £100/Year.

We work with specialist energy B2B energy suppliers who have tailored their export package to suit smaller generators, as it benefits them to have a large amount of smaller generators, as opposed to small amount of large generators, hedging their bets. As such, these energy suppliers charge no administration or metering costs (unless you choose to pay for your DC/DA through them), making everything much simpler and more viable for smaller generators.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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