It should be easier for us to all put solar panels on our roofs?

[Taoneusa]

Energy prices are going crazy, surely we should all be helped to generate solar energy for our own homes and to contribute to the grid.

There's nothing to stop you buying some solar panels, I live in an area with lots of listed buildings and people are free to have panels.

I live in a flat though, so even if we got panels installed it would be a tiny amount of energy generated per flat. How would it be divided up? We'd all have to pay to get it installed, but the usage would be pot luck.

I don't know what the current prices are, but if I am ever lucky enough to own a house I would want to do this, very much, but would not have the money to cover it myself.
As it is, I own a flat, and there are huge roofs on every block just going to waste...

My roof is large enough but faces east/west so not ideal.

Solar panels aren’t the perfect solution. They only last a certain number of years then are another problem for landfill.

We are buying a newbuild and I think they have to start putting solar panels on some to meet their targets. I think it’s great however they can be a nightmare to get the companies to accept them- our neighbour spend a year trying to get British Gas to accept them.

The problem is the installation often isn't cost effective for a single household, especially to retrofit to older houses. A new build developer could get them put on all houses because labour costs would be reduced by the fact the installers can just go from one house to the next and get bulk discount on supplying them, plus the houses can be built with the infrastructure already in place. But to get them on my house, one of a terrace, would be an enormouse pita with having to pay for permits to have scaffolding on the street etc - the only way to make it feasable would be to get the entire row done at the same time and the odds of everyone agree on that are slim to none.

*but would not have the money to cover it myself.
This tends to be a problem. People essentially then lease part of their roof to solar panel companies, which can then cause endless issues with mortgages and the like, and even more if the specific solar panel company goes bust once the schemes they tend to us to make this a profitable business are exhausted…

And solar panels themselves aren’t great, they have quite short lifespans and then end up in landfills. Very few are recyclable to any great degree.

It’s not as simple a solution as it seems.

I've put solar panels on it was really easy I looked up a few companies read a few reviews and made a phone call. Even without the Fit payment the electricity savings make them worth while. Mine also trickle feed into the the hot water system. You don't need the Government to hold your hand do it yourself. I think of it as part of a house refurb. costs way less than a new kitchen or bathroom. Panels last around 20 years and inverters last ten years plus.

Also East West gets earlier and later longer sun. Panels are over 3 roofs East West and South. The south facing panels get too hot and cut out the East West actually give a slightly higher output overall.

In theory it's a great idea but as you can see from the replies already it's not so simple! We are in the middle of a major building project and having solar panels fitted as part of it however it's costing £8.5k and we already had full scaffolding so didn't need to pay extra for that. Our roof is south facing, we have 18 panels and can generate which is battery stored and fed into our electric system and we sell back to the grid. We should produced £1200 of electricity a year which is much less than we consume.

We're hoping to have them fitted soon (survey next month). On the basis on our initial estimate,14 panels and a battery will give us 62% independence from the grid.

@ShirleyPhallus

Solar panels aren’t the perfect solution. They only last a certain number of years then are another problem for landfill.

The panels themselves have a 50+ year lifetime. Early inverters lasted around 20 years, but modern inverters are expected to last close to fifty years. Both can be fully recycled at the end of their useful lives.

I can't understand why every school, hospital and council office doesn't have solar panels. My mum had hers installed - they're guaranteed for 25 years - she recouped the cost in nine years and gets about £1,200 - £1,800 per year cashback now, depending on the weather.

I hate them. They’re so ugly. No way I’m putting them on my beautiful house and turning it into an eyesore.

Our national grid doesn't cope well with back fed micro generation, it's one (of the many) why tariffs encouraging micro generation were massively reduced.
We're to far north to get really effective returns from panels (though they will still output even on a cloudy December 22nd), were seeing problems with effective panel life span and panel disposal.

Combined with a battery store the have their uses domestically but they're not some silver bullet for the UK.
For disclosure one of my interests services commercial solar farms

reasons
too

Matidlalthink

Panels lasting 50 years😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

What a load of shite.

@HollowTalk

I can't understand why every school, hospital and council office doesn't have solar panels. My mum had hers installed - they're guaranteed for 25 years - she recouped the cost in nine years and gets about £1,200 - £1,800 per year cashback now, depending on the weather.

The reason now might be that the payback time is 20-25 years to break even as the subsidies have been removed and you do not get paid for the energy you put back into the grid.

@HarryLimeFoxtrot

I hate them. They’re so ugly. No way I’m putting them on my beautiful house and turning it into an eyesore.

Yes, they are so much more ugly than the destruction of the environment How much do you even look at your roof?

But it's even pot luck of we get any sun!

We live higher up north. So unsure it'll make much electricity. Seems more cost effective if you live somewhere like Spain.

We’ve got them. We got a grant to put them on, and we get a cheque every quarter with our pay back from the grid.

@Watchingyou2sleezes
There is evidenced studies that has followed solar panels since they first started installing them and although they do lose a little efficacy over time they actually last quite a long time - the lack of moving parts helps.
Some installed 25yrs ago did only have a shorter lifespan and are being replaced now but the current technology is more advanced and does anticipate a 40-50yr lifespan for panels less for the inverters but these can be replaced and recycled.
Recycling is currently in its infancy mainly because there hasn't been many coming through the system yet but it will develop and preparations for this are already underway.
Solar panels are not "THE ANSWER", no single thing is but the definitely have a place in moving our energy generation forward.

@HarryLimeFoxtrot
The ones we've got sit within the slated roof so are flush, they are completely black panels in a black slate roof and they look really smart. Conservation area so we were very picky.
It's like anything you get good ones and shite ones - don't pick the shite ones!

@Porfre we live in the NE and now thanks to solar panels and battery are mainly off grid for electricity and some still days (yesterday was one) export. So we'll off Spanish sunshine but still very effective.
You (well the installers) can tweak the inverter set up when you are further north to make them work better for the area, so basically changing the settings for where you live.

[quote wonkylegs]@Porfre we live in the NE and now thanks to solar panels and battery are mainly off grid for electricity and some still days (yesterday was one) export. So we'll off Spanish sunshine but still very effective.
You (well the installers) can tweak the inverter set up when you are further north to make them work better for the area, so basically changing the settings for where you live. [/quote]
Sounds good!