As the cost of electricity skyrockets, not only is it important to look at ways of conserving energy but it’s also critical to ensure that any generating assets you own – such as solar PV panels – are working to the best of their ability, writes Shaun Beattie of Beba Energy Ltd.
Whilst the fundamentals of a solar array are beautifully simple, the componentry is complex; solar systems are made up of hundreds of different pieces which come together to generate clean electricity.
Unfortunately this does mean that, on occasion, solar systems can go wrong.
With this in mind it’s critical to ensure that your investment is regularly checked/monitored to minimise potential downtime or costly repairs.
For those who invested in solar pre-2015 and were able to secure a FIT, each unit of power produced by the array is potentially worth upwards of 70p when the cost of electricity is added to the FIT.
On this basis, a 50kW array, in Kent, will earn/save around £31,500 per year if all of the power generated is consumed on site. Assuming this same system was off for one week in summer – when the days are longer – there is the potential to lose around £1,181 in missed energy savings and FIT income.
