S Manchester Solar Recommendations

A question about : S Manchester Solar Recommendations

OK, First off:
Can Anyone Recommend a good solar installer in the S Manchester/Warrington Area?

I've got a couple of quotes, which, from reading the MSE forums seem rather high (Ј6.5K and 7.9K for a 4kwp system, 30 deg S facing roof, unshaded), so I'm going to get some another quote or two (hence 1st question) but I did wonder about peoples thoughts on added extras which are being pushed at me:

1- Iboost. ok so it's free (thrown in) but working on the assumption that I could haggle Ј300 off the cost if I declined it, is it worth it? My thinking is that it probably is (no-one in during the day, old inefficient boiler, big water tank, and a tendency to take long showers)

2- spending more on premium panels that will degrade less over their lifetime. I'm told panels typically degrade by 1% per year (is this true? optimistic? conservative?) my expensive quote has some panels that allegedly will only degrade by 0.5% per year (and to be fair have a guarantee of 12% deg over 20 years, (though I'm not confident in being able to measure this convincingly...)). To my thinking this is not worth it. In year zero you save nothing, in year 20 you are 10% better off, so on average it only makes 5% difference, with the benefit skewed towards the last 10 years. For 5% benefit you should only add 5% to a system cost (i.e. Ј250) so I think spending more than that is a waste of time

3 - Performance monitoring: I like the idea of being able to monitor the performance (mainly as how do you know if somethings gone wrong if you dont, but also as it's kinda fun) I'm getting told that more expensive inverters have more/better monitoring capabilities but is this true? what sort of monitoring do I really need?

4 - If I just buy the cheapest system I can (assuming it's installed properly and all the components actually work), will I get approximately the generation estimated using the online tool (about 3400 Kwh/y in my case) or less? or more? (consensus on MSE forum seems to be that you will probably beat it a bit, but is that with a system that uses better components than the bare minimum?)

Best answers:

• 4. My system is a fairly basic 4kW one. The panels are black/black but they're generic Chinese rather than branded. It cost Ј4K.
  First (part) year: PVGIS estimate 1150kWh - Achieved 1170kWh
  Second year: PVGIS estimate 3400Kwh - Achieved 3455kWh.
• Hiya Relbs.
  1. As long as you've figured out that it isn't technically free, then if you do decide to have one, you certainly sound like a good fit.
  2. I think you've done the maths well. As you say, how will you really know, when weather could give you +/-5% from one year to the next. Some tests on panels seem to show 0.5 to 0.7% degradation, but it varies. Some of the very old systems have very little degradation.
  3. Not sure. I have a simple system that monitors the flashes on the generation meter, so I know what I'm generating. Others have much more complicated and better systems.
  4. Have a play with PVGIS. I entered 4kWp, left azimuth (orientation) at zero (south) and entered 30d in the slope. I then randomly stuck pins in and around Warrington and got figures between 3,600 and 3,750. So stick a pin right on your property and see what it says.
  So far, since 2011, for my systems, I've generated between 99% and 108% of annual targets. So it's pretty damn accurate.
  All the best.
  Mart.
• Thanks for the comments.
  Can anyone recommend or suggest a solar installer in the North West? Think we are going to go for a more simple system, and looking to pay around Ј6000. Do this seem right?
• A 4kw system should cost between Ј5000 and Ј6000 depending on the type of panels, inverter, scaffolding requirements etc. My install was completed 18 months ago by T.P Solar and I know they have also done a number of other installations for other members on this board - I will send you their details.
• I'd strongly recommend JLeaf Solar. They're based in Cheadle Hulme on the Gtr Manchester / Cheshire border. Richard, the boss, impressed me with his knowledge and the install was done in one day. No high pressure salesmanship from a family-run business.
  My install was circa Ј8K. Higher than normal as it covers 3 roofs and I opted for Panasonic panels and SolarEdge micro-inverters.
  The monitoring software is excellent. Here's a snapshot of what it can do.
  Here's their website. If you do opt for them please mention Ray Proudfoot.
  https://www.jleaf.co.uk