PV PotentialSutton Bonington

3 November 2011

David Nicholson-Cole

Threats

No easy solutions

•Climate change•End of Oil•Water-Food•Population

Communication• Doing your own thing is important…. But….

• Inspire by example - tell others!

• Websites, Meetings, Open house events, make connections, join groups

• Energy and Climate change - the future!

• Is it for major single government decisions? Spending…. Cutting… regulating… incentivising

• Is it for thousands or millions making small changes? Lifestyle change…. House adaptation… instal energy sources?.. use less energy? less travel… ?

• It’s a bit of all these

• Transition groups, Greening groups and local groups working at raising awareness

Rushcliffe Solar

Solar Awareness Campaign

• Transform Rushcliffe’s energy profile by expanding home power generation (like Merton, Oxford, Freiburg and others)

• Inspire other Transition groups and Local Authorities

• Participation of residents in the low energy future

• Energy saving (reduce need for central generating) reduce emissions

Rushcliffe Solar

How PV panels work!

Rushcliffe SolarIs there enough Sun?

(not really, but it’s the only Sun we have unless we want to live in Libya... or Florida)

Rushcliffe SolarAerial maps + photos are available for most of this region

Rushcliffe SolarCalculating the harvest

• EU’s JRC website - enter roof details and it calculates

Rushcliffe SolarMethodology

• Make people aware of Feed in Tariff and RS - poster, BLOG site, media, leaflets

• Databasing Rushcliffe from aerial photos

• Leaflets to households - hand delivery by team or Transition WB

• Outdoor surgeries and attendance at green festivals or events

• Response system - deliver detailed reports - geometry, power, costing using industry standard prices, payback calculation, advice and warnings

• Using Internet technologies : Streetview, Googlemaps, Digimap, Googledocs, Googlemail, Googleblogger

Rushcliffe Solar

• People write in, or fill out

Rushcliffe SolarGeometric

assessment

• Images showing layout and ideas about appearance

• Using a special CAD tool for size and pitch.

• Only as good as the most recent StreetView

• If trees or chimney have changed, we need to be told

• No petrol is wasted in site visits except by special request

Rushcliffe Solar

Reports emailed to client

Rushcliffe SolarReports emailed to client

• Ideas about Geometry - slope, azimuth, hips, valleys, rooflights

• Obstruction risks - trees, chimneys etc

• Planning issues - eg conservation areas

• Panel arrangements - there may be more than one

• Power output from panel arrangements

• Likely costs, including vat and scaffolding

• Income and Saving - with a pdf spreadsheet

• Images of house with panels, using Googlemaps and Streetview

• Advice on payback, structural matters, insurance, maintenance, pricing, obtaining an installer, reminder about other energy saving ideas

Even with the post 2011 tariff, it’s still worth doing if you can get 4kW onto a

good roof!

Rushcliffe Solar

• Larger Scale reports

• Rushcliffe BC (fail) and Gedling BC (success)

Rushcliffe Solar• Expect 3,500 kWh

looking south, 3,400 to SW or SE, 3,250 to East, 3,000 to West - depends on climate

• Income is:

• 21p FIT, plus

• Savings, plus

• Sales

• Income under previous FIT approx 50p/unit

• Income in future approx 29p/unit

• Typical Installation - 16 240W panels, 3.84 kW

Rushcliffe Solar

• Expect 2,100 kWh looking south, 1,950 to SW or SE, 1,800 to East, 1,700 to West - depends on climate

• Income is:

• 21p FIT plus

• Savings plus

• Sales

• Income under previous FIT approx 45p/unit

• Income in future approx 26p/unit

• Small Installation - 10 240W panels, 2.40 kW

• Fixed costs of inverter, labour, scaffolding are same

Rushcliffe Solar

• Trying too hard?!• Inverters like the strings of

panels to be in same orientation and pitch, to send same voltage

• (not in the UK)

• Doing a lot with a little!

• Solar thermal and PV together

Rushcliffe Solar

• Germany has more widespread installations• This housing estate near Bielefeld• Googlemap in the Black Forest area....

Rushcliffe Solar

• Cowboy installation• Shading, angle and orientation all wrong• This is NOT in Rushcliffe

Rushcliffe Solar• Website

essential for a campaign

• Google blogger content management makes it easy

• News articles, media reports

• Reports of installations

• 12,750 hits till Nov 2011

• http:// Rushcliffesolar. Blogspot.com

Rushcliffe Solar

• Winter a good time to instal - get ready for the next summer harvest!

• RS Still offering free service

• Rushcliffe installs - Greatest number in east Midlands, except Bassetlaw

• The rate of installs is increasing nationally

• PV panels getting cheaper, or more watts/panel becoming possible

• The payback is still acceptable if putting up large enough installation.

Where Next?

Rushcliffe SolarChanges to Feed in Tariff

• 31st October 2011 Announcement

• 12th December 2011, systems MUST be installed

• 8.7% is still possible for installations of 4 kW (16 x 245W panels)

There are reasons for this

• Panels had fallen to 1/4 of price in 2009, quality has risen. Chinese, insignificant in 2009, now are the dominant supplier of quality high performance panels

• Inverter, mounting rails, labour and scaffolding the same cost

• More installers in the market, competition pushed down cost. Installation costs have nearly halved since 2009.

• Therefore, Tariff moved from an ‘incentive’ to a ‘money machine’

• ‘Cowboys’ jumping into the market with wrong motives

Rushcliffe Solar• Changes to Feed in

Tariff? It’s not as bad as you fear!

• People who ALREADY installed are safe

• Newcomers have to accept that this is a ‘new starting point’ - We are at same payback as we had back in April 2010

• It is still worth doing if you also have the Altruistic viewpoint - making clean energy with zero transmission losses

• 8% or nearly 9% is still possible for installations of 4 kW (16 x 245W panels)

• Yes, it rules out the bad or the small installations

Earnings from sales and from using your own power is more significant

Rushcliffe SolarFurther Thoughts

• Snow

• Thermal

• Structure

• Flat roofs

• Large installations

• Trackers

• Shading and shading solutions

• Solar Tiles

• Garden Installations

• Theft, Cleaning, Hail

• PV, a Route to Carbon Zero

• Peveril Solar House

• Regular Metering

Rushcliffe Solar• Fitting takes only one day• You have to be patient in Winter• Snow is partially translucent

Under new FIT, systems smaller than 16 panels are less economic

Rushcliffe Solar

Thermal• Some like to mix Thermal and PV panels. Perhaps done at different times• Thermal can tolerate a bit of shading, PV cannot• A future technology is combination PV and thermal panels (PVT)

• Do you want high grade or low grade heat? PVT is ideal for low Temp, high Energy quantity• PVT can defrost snow off panels

Rushcliffe SolarStructural • PV roof is average of 20-24 kilos per panel.• Metal rails will strengthen roof.• Panels are a ‘rainscreen’ protection to roof• 25 year minimum, so ensure that roof is strong enough.• Roof must have sarking felt.

• Brace roof with extra timber if worried (I did, to daughter’s house)• Installer will advise on roof condition

Rushcliffe SolarFlat Roofs • Can be laid flat with waterproof fixings• Better if laid on Racks (fewer penetrations of roof)• Wind uplift risk• Good ventilation, good return in summer

Rushcliffe SolarUniversity of Nottingham has installed PV on halls of residence - large south facing arrays• Example of large institutions profiting from Feed in Tariff

• They are also doing interesting things, like cooling new buildings by burying heat underground

Rushcliffe SolarTrackers • Get maximum performance - flat top to Bell Curve•Essential in southern climes, with East and West being more important than South• Good for people with large field or orchards, or historic house

Rushcliffe SolarShading • Shading is a menace - panels in strings, so one panel not functioning stops whole string from working•Chimneys, TV Aerials, Trees, wires

• Examine the geometry for Equinox and Summer• Winter shading is not such a problem (sun angles are so low and day length is short)

Oh damn!

Rushcliffe SolarSolutions to Shading problem

• Work hard on Geometry to make it work in all seasons• SolarEdge data monitors in each panel can display performance, divert bad panels, or shaded ones.• Micro inverters make each panel independent, allowing shade to affect single panels, with no harm to others.

Rushcliffe SolarRoof TilesSolar roof tiles are good for areas where large panels not possible.• But....

• Reduced solar capture - get too hot• Higher cost - compared with standard panels

Rushcliffe SolarGarden installations• If Roof is not suitable, consider Garden• Very good if garden is sloping

• Set up concrete pads, with rails• Armoured cable runs back to house• Ventilation under panel is good

Rushcliffe SolarAre my panels safe?•They are held in click-fit connections• Sometimes at the front of your houseBUT!•Almost No Resale value!•Installed panels have serial numbers, registered with OfGem.• Any attempt to instal would not get FIT, and would reveal the identity of the thieves.•Could only be used OFF-Grid - extremely unlikely

Rushcliffe Solar

Cleaning• They have self cleaning “hydrophobic” finish - ‘Lotus effect’• Delicate coating - clean with Softest of brushes

Hail, Stones• Toughened glass• Insured (part of your house)• Can be replaced (click fit)

Rushcliffe Solar

DNC’s Peveril Solar House - Carbon Zero

Rushcliffe Solar

Peveril Solar House •Balance PV power with Heating+DHW•Insulation is vital. But what do you do if well insulated?

Rushcliffe Solar

One way to start! RECORD your Meter Readings!

Websites

WBEcohouses / RushcliffeSolarTransitionWB /

ChargingtheEarth

All Blogspot.com websites