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Rent-a-roof PV installations.

Sparkingchip
A few days before Christmas I went to do some work at a house, I was under the stairs at the consumer unit and the customer was stood back in the hallway several metres away by the open front door, in the manner that things are now done.


I said “ I see you have solar panels”.


The customer replied “Yes, but the ###### things don’t work and the firm that owns them won’t repair them”.


I said “I presume they are on a Rent-a-roof scheme”.


“You’ve got it” replied the customer.


I was then working in the loft where the inverter is, but could not see an obvious quick fix, so just did what I was supposed to be doing up there and left the PV system well alone.


I wonder how many Rent-a-roof PV installations are not actually working anymore?


Andy Betteridge.

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    An internet search throws up hits such as this:

    Most Utility Companies will assume a 50% export and do not measure the actual amount fed back into the grid.
    http://www.energygrants.co.uk/solar_power/solar-pv-feed-in-tariff-calculator.html


    Which seems a lot more practical than relying on people in their eighties and nineties to submit regular meter readings.

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    Most Utility Companies will assume a 50% export and do not measure the actual amount fed back into the grid.

    ................but they still need regular meter readings to calculate the FiT and the value of the 50%  exported.
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    It could be that the company has calculated that the additional investment would not be adequately recouped in the remaining FIT term.



    I had my PV installed near the beginning of the scheme. At that time the economics were not so obvious. The costs were more than double that of today, and it was not simple to estimate the amount that would be generated, there was little history of domestic installations to go on.



    The installations are rated at a peak output, but there was limited information on what the practical generated output would be; you could either rely on the salesman(!), or calculate it from the efficiency of the panels and sunshine data for your location. In practice my 3.8 kWp does not generate more than 2.6 kW on a good summers day, and rarely at that. Most of the time it is much less. At that time I estimated that the FIT would pay back the capital outlay in just over 10 years, in practice it was 8 years 9 months. The installation is now just over 10 years installed.



    Only in the last 6 months have I been able to monitor the energy exported to the grid. I had always thought it was more than the 50% they pay for, in practice if the last 6 months is typical 50% is surprisingly accurate.

    The energy company email me every 3 months asking for a generator meter reading.



    David


    Edited to tidy layout


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    I have a generation meter, and I have to send in the readings every quarter.  The FIT I get is based on that reading. so if I don't submit one, I don't get paid.


    "Rent a roof" schemes may well be fitted with an AMR (Automatic Meter Reader), which is like an early smart meter.  So the customer doesn't need to do anything.  So long as the reading is ticking up, it must be working.


    These rent-a-roof schemes were often set up by fly-by-night companies, with the panels being sold on from company to company.  Finding out who actually owns the installation can be tricky.  It may be that the current owner is happy to collect the FIT payments on the installs still working, and abandons them as soon as the inverter fails.


    The early inverters were pretty poor.  My first one came with a 5½ year warranty.  I thought that was a rather strange length for a warranty at the time.   6 years layer, I found out why they used that figure.  The inverter was not designed to be repairable, and ended up being replaced.
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    Well, according to this website  to install a replacement inverter is a simple DIY task.

    I do wonder if  quiet a few  get started and then get stuck when something is not as expected.

    M.

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    The instructions look simple, and if you understand electric circuits there should be nothing to it.  I suspect the difficulties are mechanical.


    I am pretty sure that I could replace mine, I have two SMA devices.  I think that the most difficult job would be to lift it off the wall, they are full of iron.


    I suspect the newer types are transformerless (or at least 50 Hz transformer free).


    David
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    mapj1:

    Well, according to this website  to install a replacement inverter is a simple DIY task.

    I do wonder if  quiet a few  get started and then get stuck when something is not as expected.

    M.

     




    Do you realise that is the website of a guy who was at one time a frequent contributor to this forum?


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    Sparkingchip:

    An internet search throws up hits such as this:

    Most Utility Companies will assume a 50% export and do not measure the actual amount fed back into the grid.
    http://www.energygrants.co.uk/solar_power/solar-pv-feed-in-tariff-calculator.html


    Which seems a lot more practical than relying on people in their eighties and nineties to submit regular meter readings.

     


    Yes they assume 50% export - but that's 50% of the total generation - so you still need a PV meter and it needs to be read & readings submitted. The policy just saves the need for a 3rd meter (or for the supplier's meter to register exports separately).


       - Andy.


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    So, a Rent-a-roof company cannot claim payments on a PV system that doesn’t work?

    https://info.ambervalley.gov.uk/docarc/docviewer.aspx?docGuid=f481ccde32794bdb8f7493b1ff68f451
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    Sparkingchip:
    ......




    Do you realise that is the website of a guy who was at one time a frequent contributor to this forum?




    No, but I wish him well. I just imagine that there are more call-backs to self fits than the description implies. A straight swap will be easy - but I wonder how many older rigs really are a straight swap, and how many have the wrong sort of DC wiring, earthing issues or are missing an RCD for the new inverter etc.

    I'm also reminded of an issue I got involved in a while ago with tingles on roof due to solar panels   that was down to things not being earthed in the way you may expect.

    Mike.


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