Solar panels needed

I believe some one on here before has recommended diacasa electrical lighting shop main road san Javier...big poster at the roundabout..flat roof might be an issue ..we had them in situ when we bought ..total god send no electric bill with battery back up...if you are in it for the long haul and resident and not 90 dayer you will get the benefit of your initial outlay

Thank you Jorge. 

No we are not 90 dayers and when next in the area I will look these people up

Much obliged and thanks. 

Seamus T

We installed 18 solar panels just over a year ago and we also have a flat roof. Our installer included a metal grid for the panels to be attached to in order to get the maximum amount of sun in their price and we have been very happy with everything. Now that we are having more sun and longer hours, we are finally producing more electricity than we are using, so are building up our "credit" for next winter when we use more electricity from the grid than we produce. We also added a couple of storage batteries.

Our installer was: https://green-solar.es/en/home/

I had solar panels supplied & installed by Iberdrola in June 2021.

They provided a free estimate by email - they use your current consumption pattern and a google image of the property to recommend the best location for the panels; and then followed up with a site survey to confirm costs. 

After installation, they will then move you onto their Solar tariff - where basically, you pay a low rate for overnight usage (when you're not generating) and then the rate is higher in the daytime (but you shouldn't need to purchase much, as you'll be generating). You also earn approx. €0.05 per kWh that you export into the grid, if you're not using what you generate.

They provide a calculation which shows how long it would take to recover your investment (in my case 6-7 years); and they also offer finance. They also do all the paperwork for obtaining approval from your local council, etc. 

Note - I missed out on getting any grants, so you should also enquire if there are grants or discounts against your IBI with the regional councils, etc. as any of these need to be claimed in advance of installation.

I paid around €4K for 5 panels delivering a maximum of 1.6kW, which was calculated to cover my average daytime consumption. I've seen people pay more for a lot more kW, but most of the benefit is in avoiding buying power from Iberdrola due to your self-consumption, so whilst you get a feed-in tariff (as mentioned above) when generating more than you need, this takes longer to recover the investment.

The system was also designed so that I could add more panels in the future fairly easily (if, for example, I bought an electric vehicle).

Independent companies can do most of the above, are probably cheaper and may be more helpful with obtaining grants, etc. (my only criticism of my experience with Iberdrola) but you would have to arrange the change of tariff with Iberdrola yourself, once you have all the correct documentation.

I'm saving €30 - €50 per month off my bill, which is on track for the expected 6-7 year return period.

Hope this helps!

Hi RIchT

Thank you for the very detailed report which is very much appreciated. I think you must have a background in electricity as you make it very clear. My major issue is the type of onstru too, I am on first floor of a 3 Level small apartment block... I will have to get clearance from the residents even though we have a large flat roof area available. 

Thanks so much, obviously your title is accurate.... Only one word missing.... Maybe should be 

Very Rich T

Regards

Seamus T

Hi Mags, 

Thank you so much for the solid information on the panels. I guess there is no fast payback but at least we are doing our share for the environment and Co trolling our day to day expenditure

Much appreciated

Seamus T

It's true that it could take between 4 and 6 years for the solar panels to pay for themselves but after that, it's all free electricity! We've just come out of the month of March without having consumed any electricity from the grid, and we've "paid in" 513.34kWh to the grid, for which they give us a refund of 10 cents per kWh. From now on, we we'll only be paying the standing charge of around 21€ each month until around December 2023, when we start consuming a lot of electricity again. We have electric underfloor heating in the winter and air-condtioning in the summer, so do use quite a lot!

My God you are well equipped especially the underfloor heating which takes the winter out of the 4 seasons. They should pe refunding the standing charge as well as increasing the miserly credit per Kwhr. 

All Governments take a back seat instead of insisting on regulators treat customers with respect. Well done, it's not the payback years that matters, it's the comfort enjoyed. 

Best wishes

Seamus T