Photovoltaic/Net metering etc

[trevnhil]

You are probably quite right Kay. Our plot was originally one of three, but it may well have been many, many years ago.

[WHL]

One other question please, what is the life expectancy of these panels?, ie 5 years ten years 20 years, roughly, thanks

[PW in Polemi]

More than 10 years, but as they age, their efficiency decreases and the newer technology improves.
Your supplier should be able to give you full detailed answers to all your questions. We used Andi at Solartec and found him very helpful.

[cyprusmax47]

One other question please, what is the life expectancy of these panels?, ie 5 years ten years 20 years, roughly, thanks

Quality panels (called modules) p.e. from REC one of the leading producers worldwide:
Premium solar panel warranty
25 year product warranty*: covers panel defects
25 year performance warranty: ensures panels perform exactly as they’re expected to – every year for 25 years
25 year labor warranty*: gives added protection in case a panel needs to be serviced

This are warranties given from REC if installed from a certified REC installer, however the modules will last 40 years or longer. The performance however will reduce every year a little bit, (0,25%/year) also depending on the quality of the modules. (cheap Chinese p.e. less!)

Max

[jeba]

One other question please, what is the life expectancy of these panels?, ie 5 years ten years 20 years, roughly, thanks

Those I bought in 2002 were still producing almost as much as back then when I sold my house in 2019.

[trevnhil]

Wow, that is surprisingly good news.. Were they maybe German Panels ?

[Kili01]

I didn't know about this additional requirement when I had my PV system installed when living in Kamares... but as I live in a complex now, although I have my TD for my property,( which is semi detached), my neighbour is still waiting for his. So I wonder if this would be a bar for me should I want to install a PV system here? Also I don't know whether the complex has been fully divided into individual plots.
Can anyone throw any light on this?

Dee

[Anarita John]

We installed our 5kwh system in July 2019. GreenAir did all the paper work. We did not need the permission of any other owners on our plot. Next door neighbour has had hers installed in December. She did not need any permissions from other plot holders. Green Air handled all of the paperwork with EAC. Our neighbour's panels were installed within a week of Christos, the owner of Green Air visiting. They even knew the date that EAC would come to inspect the property, so tomorrow the panels will be live. The main wait is waiting for EAC to inspect.
Earlier in this thread there were comments about guarantees and companies going out of business and what would happen. Green Air use REC panels, which are supposed to be in the top 10 of photovoltaic panels and Solar Edge Invertors, one of the best in the world. Green Air have been around for over 15 years but if they went under, REC and Solar Edge have manufacturers guarantees.

We had extensive work done by Green Air, which, if interested, you can read about here.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9454&hilit=work+on+ ... lar+panels

Since then we have had a Lorenz Solar Pump and Fairland Pool Heater, again fitted by Green Air. We have only had one problem. Our old pool cleaner left the lid of our shed open and it weakened the hinges. Eventually it came off but within a couple of hours, Green Air had repaired it.

We monitor our electric use daily and regularly check the Solar Edge App on our phones. Even if we were away, if anything went wrong with our system, we could notify Green Air immediately.

Our last electric bill was €37.99 for 1685 kwh. That includes electricity for heating our pool. (We have spent nothing else on fuel except our electricity bill. Without our net metering system, our bill for November and December would have been over €400. (Without the pool heater we would have used around 1000 kwh and a bill of €250 without net metering and €22.54 with)

[Devil]

just one neighbour who either objects or fails to approve and that's it, you're stuck.

That certainly seems to be the case; it was for us. One signature was unavailable, indirectly because of coronavirus. I have been hopping mad. In the meantime, my supplier has upped his price

[jeba]

Wow, that is surprisingly good news.. Were they maybe German Panels ?

No, Spanish. I think the manufacturer was Isofoton. Btw: in those days PV was quite expensive. I paid €22000 for 3.18 kWp. However, I received more than 50 Cents for each kWh I exported to the public grid. I did it mainly in order to put shade on the roof as the upper floor was getting too hot in summer. That worked well enough to make an aircon unnecessary.

[cyprusmax47]

Wow, that is surprisingly good news.. Were they maybe German Panels ?

No, Spanish. I think the manufacturer was Isofoton. I did it mainly in order to put shade on the roof as the upper floor was getting too hot in summer. That worked well enough to make an aircon unnecessary.

Exactly, this is another advantage specially in Cyprus hot summers when the PV modules producing shade and cooling the whole roof and building, which reduces costs for air-cons.

Max

[cyprusmax47]

We’re seriously considering having some kind of system fitted to include photovoltaic cells on our roof & hoping to have the net metering too.
What are the pitfalls/advantages and can anyone recommend a company to use
We’re a complete novice and any advice would help
Thanks

I hope there remained no open questions after all that posts from our members....

Max

[Sadie]

We’re seriously considering having some kind of system fitted to include photovoltaic cells on our roof & hoping to have the net metering too.
What are the pitfalls/advantages and can anyone recommend a company to use
We’re a complete novice and any advice would help
Thanks

I hope there remained no open questions after all that posts from our members....

Max

All posts were helpful, one member has even invited us to have a look at their system

[Mark]

I have single phase, can this be upgraded to triple phase?

If not is it worth fitting photovoltaics?

[Dominic]

You need triple phase if you have a 5KW system. Below that you don't.

[cyprusmax47]

I have single phase, can this be upgraded to triple phase?

If not is it worth fitting photovoltaics?

It can be upgraded, however depending where you are it could be time consuming until EAC reacts.
If you install a 4 kWp system you can produce with optimizers app 7200 KW/h per year which is quite reasonable for many...

Max

[Mark]

I have single phase, can this be upgraded to triple phase?

If not is it worth fitting photovoltaics?

It can be upgraded, however depending where you are it could be time consuming until EAC reacts.
If you install a 4 kWp system you can produce with optimizers app 7200 KW/h per year which is quite reasonable for many...

Max

Thanks Max/Dominic for your replies

[J B]

............... the original comment, which was that all owners of the same plot have to agree. If a large plot has been subdivided, either for a complex or for two or three individual houses, then all the owners of each subdivision have to agree. I suspect that not only was your PV system installed before this requirement, but also that your plot is entire, not a subdivision of a larger plot.

What about putting something on communal land?
e.g. Heating for a communal pool and using the panels to 'fund' this?
Would all owners still have to consent?

[trevnhil]

Ours have survived for around five years, and I have not heard of ANY being damaged..

[cyprusmax47]

One for Max, can these panels take the force of these hails storms if positioned on a roof taking the hit and gusts.

The most important certificate is the international IEC 61215. Panels (modules) with this certificate can withstand 25 mm of hail falling at a speed of 23 m/s, which corresponds to hail resistance class 2.

All solar panels sold in the European Union must have this certificate, which means that all solar panels are resistant to hail.

Not to forget that the modules normally are not installed flat on a roof, which will reduce the force when the ice balls hit the surface (glass)

Max