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Solar Panels

Does what it says on the tin
StepOne
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Solar Panels

#153691

Postby StepOne » July 20th, 2018, 2:16 pm

Hi,

Not sure this really comes under DIY, but we have just moved into a house which has solar panels fitted. They were fitted in 2015, and the previous owner left us an MCS certificate, but it's become apparent in subsequent discussions that he never received any feed-in-tariffs from them, although he does say that they were bought and paid for, so I don't think it's one of those installations where you get free panels and a third party gets the FITs.

There is a small white meter next to the original electricity meter with 'generation meter' written on it, and a digital display reading '000000.57' kWh. (Doesn't sound a lot for 3 years, even in Scotland!)

There is a large box in the loft with 'SOLAX power' on it. There is a wee display on that too, but I've not been close enough to read what it says.

Our local electrician says he is not an expert on these things but is going to come round and have a look anyway(!).

Does anyone know whether there are things we can check to see why the system is not doing what it is supposed to, or are we going to have to bite the bullet and get a panel installer out to come and check it over?

Also, does anyone have any advice on how we can then get ourselves into the FIT scheme, or has that boat now sailed? Seems a bit daft to me, but everything in the house is gas - it's gas heating, a gas hob and has a combi boiler. So there is minimal electric being used, unless we leave the oven door open and use that to heat the house....!

Any advice?

Cheers,
StepOne

dspp
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Re: Solar Panels

#153706

Postby dspp » July 20th, 2018, 2:56 pm

It has been a while since I had dealings with MCS but:

1. Very good news that you have an MCS cert.
2. Either the generation meter is u/s or the panels/inverter are u/s, or there is a stupid switch issue. I don't think you have any alternative but to get an installer out to have a look after you do the obvious checks. If you go on the MCS website you can search to find a pv installer near you. Obviously check for any blown fuses, switches in wrong position (two obvious checks: there should be a disconnect 1/4 turn switch somewhere, and the mcb on the consumer unit) etc first. Also look at the screen on the inverter.
3. Best get it working before you register for FITs. You do the fit registration with your electricity supplier (not your dno, though they might be the same), i.e. you register with whoever bills you for electricity.
4. You may find it useful to talk to MCS and your electricity supplier regarding getting the FIT eligibility date of the original install, as this will make a BIG difference to your income for the next 20 or so years. From memory I don't think there is a reason why you should not be able to preserve your original FIT eligibility date though I recall some arcania being discussed (but whether they got enacted I cannot recollect).
5. Why didn't the original owner do the FIT paperwork ......... ?
6. Why didn't the original owner pay attention to whether they were working ........ ?
7. Who was the original MCS installer (should be on the MCS cert) and why didn't they pay more attention ........ ?

Feel free to ask more questions / post more info.

regards, dspp

todthedog
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Re: Solar Panels

#153723

Postby todthedog » July 20th, 2018, 3:25 pm

Have a look at the renewable energy forum @

https://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/

Lots of help and advice

StepOne
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Re: Solar Panels

#153773

Postby StepOne » July 20th, 2018, 5:05 pm

dspp wrote:5. Why didn't the original owner do the FIT paperwork ......... ?
6. Why didn't the original owner pay attention to whether they were working ........ ?
7. Who was the original MCS installer (should be on the MCS cert) and why didn't they pay more attention ........ ?


I do wonder that as well, especially as the gas combi boiler was installed about the same time - why wouldn't you have a hot water tank if you have free electricity?

The original installer seems to be no more - phone numbers and website are dead. The local installer I found wants to charge £105 plus VAT to come and do a system check.

One other thing to mention - since I first read the electricity meter when we moved in, the numbers have gone backwards. Seems to be a common issue with solar installations when I googled it, but not sure if it is something I should be telling the power company about or not?

StepOne

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Re: Solar Panels

#153845

Postby fisher » July 20th, 2018, 11:34 pm

I think Meters going backwards are a bit of a "no-no" - certainly with FIT registered installations. The power company you register with for FIT pays you for generating the electricity and also a much smaller amount for supplying generated electricity. Unless you are metered for supply (which most people aren't for supply - just for generation), then the company presumes you are consuming 50% of what you generate and pay you a token amount for the other 50%. If your meter is going backwards you are effectively consuming 100% of what you generate.

We had a meter go backwards for a few days when we first had solar panels installed and once we told our power company about it they were very quick to come around and fit a newer digital meter which does not allow reverse energy to be metered, although it does flash "RED" regularly meaning "Reverse Energy Detected" as a warning to the professional meter readers who come.

As you don't know that you're registered it is all a bit mute. But I can't imagine having an installation turning your meter backwards is entirely legal.

dspp
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Re: Solar Panels

#153907

Postby dspp » July 21st, 2018, 10:48 am

Absolutely, as fisher says having a very old-style meter that goes backwards is a real no-no. The original MCS installer should have picked up this. I would not alert your utility company to this issue at this stage. When you do alert them (which you should do at point of FIT registration) they will be swift to deal with it at no charge to you.

(My personal opinion is that a portion of the installers who didn't last, chose not to last, as the MCS standards and the auditing of compliance was progressively tightened up. Your situation has that whiff about it, though equally I have come across a lot of clients who are their own worst enemies.)

There is a potential contradiction between two facts you have stated. You have stated that your consumption (import) meter goes backwards. This indicates that the solar system is functioning and generating power. Yet you have stated that the generation meter is reading 000.57kWh, which tends to indicate that the solar system is not functioning and generating power. The only way that both statements can be true is if the generation meter is installed incorrectly but the PV system itself is functioning. What indication do you have on the inverter ?

A fee of £105+VAT to come and do a check is about correct to my mind, provided that you get a thorough check by a competent and knowledgeable MCS installer, with a written list of issues. It is at least a couple of hours to travel to/from site, look over the system, write a quick list. Allow £40/hr plus some mileage and £105+VAT is fair.

As I have said before I prefer to leave immersion tanks in (with a dual coil system) when a solar PV system is installed. However this does not mean you get free electricity. You will need to fit a scavenger to do that, and I recommend the Marlec iBoost, though the immersun is also reputable. However many installers, and equally many clients, do not comprehend this pathway. It sounds as if you had one or other or both factors in play ...

regards, dspp

StepOne
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Re: Solar Panels

#157117

Postby StepOne » August 4th, 2018, 12:43 pm

Well, things go from bad to worse. I spoke to the microgeneration team at npower. They cannot find me on the national FIT registration database. And because my MCS certificate is dated March 2015 I have missed the deadline to register for FITs.

Legislation passed in Dec 2015 meant all existing systems had to register by March 2016 or miss out. So it seems there is nothing I can do. Can anyone here confirm this?

And is there anything I can do to actually get some use from these panels which are currently pretty much decorative!

Thanks
Stepone

supremetwo
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Re: Solar Panels

#157122

Postby supremetwo » August 4th, 2018, 1:14 pm

StepOne wrote:Well, things go from bad to worse. I spoke to the microgeneration team at npower. They cannot find me on the national FIT registration database. And because my MCS certificate is dated March 2015 I have missed the deadline to register for FITs.

Legislation passed in Dec 2015 meant all existing systems had to register by March 2016 or miss out. So it seems there is nothing I can do. Can anyone here confirm this?

And is there anything I can do to actually get some use from these panels which are currently pretty much decorative!

Thanks
Stepone

Try http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/

Fresh certification should be possible if they will not accept the March 2015 one.

There is consultation on FIT closure but 'from 1 April 2019' so you should get something.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/d ... e_v1_0.pdf


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