Solar PV installations
Solar Photovoltaics (PV)
Datalex are NICEIC trained Solar PV installers and hold all the necessary accreditations for the installation of solar PV systems.
Why Solar PV?
If the government offered to pay you £1,000 a year for the next 25 years, in return for an up-front investment of £12,500, you'd snap it up in a second. Well, that's pretty much the deal on offer this week after the government finally revealed what it will pay those who install electricity generating solar panels – in and around their homes – through the new "Feed-in Tariffs" (FITs). (Miles Brignal, The Guardian Newspaper)
What is the ‘Feed-in-Tariff’?
The UK government’s ‘Feed-in-Tariff’ comes into effect on 1st April 2010.
If you install a solar PV electric system, the government backed ‘Feed-in-Tariff ’will provide you with an income for every unit of electricity you generate, GUARANTEED for 25 years.
You will be paid for the electricity the system generates regardless of whether you use it in your home or not. You will also receive extra payments for any surplus electricity you export back to the national grid.
The Feed-in-Tariff rates
| Energy source | System size | Tariff | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar PV | =4 kW new[C] | 36.1 | 25 |
| Solar PV | =4 kW retrofit[C] | 41.3 | 25 |
| Solar PV | >4-10kW | 36.1 | 25 |
| Solar PV | >10 - 100kW | 31.4 | 25 |
| Solar PV | >100kW - 5MW | 29.3 | 25 |
| Solar PV | Standalone[C] | 29.3 | 25 |
A Typical Solar PV system
System size: 18m2/ 2.5kWp
A typical domestic solar system requires approximately 18m2 of uninterrupted roof area.
Annual Generation: 2,125 units (kWh) per year
This is over half the average home’s electricity bill. The electricity the system generates is measured in kWh (kilowatt hours) which are the same as units on your bill.
System Cost: £12,500
This is the typical installed cost of the system.
Profit over 25 years: £35,759
This could be the total from generating, saving and exporting electricity. The example shown above is for illustrative purposes only and assumes: the solar electric installation generates 850kWp per kWp per year; the system qualifies for the Feed-in-Tariff at 41.3p per unit generated; 50% of electricity produced is exported at 3p per unit; grid electricity costs 13p per unit and increases by 6% per year; and inflation is 3% per year.