Solar Payback

[Ifeelsorrycastratinglambs]

What would the payback period be for installing Solar Panels privately ? Alma Solar currently have a promo of 30 x 280W Panels for circa £3K, with a stated efficiency of 15%, would this require a 9KW inverter or is the efficiency taken into consideration and thus a lower rated inverter ? Cheers

 

[upnortheast]

Don`t give your location but I would guess that could produce about 3800 kw a year.
If you could use all the leccy yourself that is about £500 worth.
That can be difficult bearing in mind most of the production is between 10am & 3pm in the summer months

 

[Stump Grinder]

The panels seem cheap. Are they any good?
What are you using the power for?

 

[f0ster]

the panels should produce at least 6000kwh pa, 15% efficiency is a bit on the low side but it is not bad, panel prices start at about £ 56.52 plus vat at 16.5% efficiency for a 280w ja solar. you are better off increasing the size up to 12kw and using a 10kw inverter that is locked to 16A per phase, you don't need a grid connection up to 16A per phase.

 

[snarling bee]

Modern panels are over 400W.
I would think they are either old and/or used or smaller than the standard size.

 

[f0ster]

Modern panels are any size you require. A 400w panel is no more efficient than a 250w panel. What you can do is buy one of the best panels on the market such as sun power or Panasonic but you will pay through the nose for the efficiency. About 20%+. if you have the room use standard efficiency panels about 16% but put more of them on. You only need the best panels where space is limited. A standard panel is in the region of about 22p per watt where as the top ones listed above are up in the region of 70p per watt.

 

[Lincsman]

12 years.