PV Panels : the options to
convert sunshine to money and carbon savings
Notes :
Photovoltaic Panels convert sunlight into electricity.
Solar Panels harvest energy from the sun to heat water.
This webpage outlines the the benefits of installing PV Panels on buildings.
In the United Kingdom the installation of both commercial and residential PV panels was encouraged by the Government policy of a guaranteed Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) Payment for each KWh of electricity generated.
The United Kingdom FIT payment scheme was closed to new applications from 1st April 2019.
Question : Why Install photovoltaic panels without a guaranteed FIT Payment?
Answer : PV Panels continue to offer a good ROI working as a standalone installation or when combined with battery storage.
PV Generation by month from a “perfect south facing PV array” in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, 2023 data.
For a building with PV Panels the electricity drawn from the grid is much lower during the spring and summer.
For this building the electricity usage is approximately constant throughout the seasons. The PV panels generate some power every day but result in significant savings on the monthly electricity invoices April to October.
During the summer months, the daily total KWh suppled from the electricity grid are significantly lower than the Autumn.
This is KWh electricity that will be invoiced by the power supply company.
During the sample seven days the grid supplied electricity is an average 66 KWh lower in June than September.
Depending on the supply contract this equates to a daily £15 - £20 savings.
In addition, there is a payment for each KWh exported to the Electricity Grid
Photovoltaic Panels + Battery / Energy Storage
CARBON COUNTER Energy Management Software servives compliment the electricity PV platforms by providing on-going access to the essential data.
If you’re interested in more information about PV Panels with Energy Storage Contact Us.
We have several very lengthy documents about the photovoltaic panels payback / ROI.
Happy to summarise in a focused phone call or video chat
The saving model for PV Panels with on-site energy storage is technology driven.
The essential hardware and software is
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a smart meter that measures both KWh supplied from the electricity grid and power exported back to the grid
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Hybrid inverter(s) that convert DC to AC or AC to DC. So the battery can be charged from either the Electricity Grid or PV Panels.
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Solar batteries, large energy storage units typically found outside a building
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On-site real-time metrics reporting the battery storage levels and energy usage
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National Energy Dashboards to share the demand and supply of electricity (grid balancing)
For larger companies the price of electricity can change every half hour. During the summer months around midday when PV generation is excessive there is often more power than demand, so the KWh spot price is very low. Demand for electricity is always much lower during the night-time so again the price is lower.
With the option to charge an on-site battery using either PV Panels or low cost, off-peak grid supplies the ROI is not only determined by the sun shine intensity.
A battery is always either charging or discharging depending on the spot price of electricity.
Battery stored power is available for either on-site use or can be sold back to the grid if the price is high.
There are specialist companies that will invest, project manage the installation and micro manage the on-site plant.