My Solar Journey

By Catherine Cotteril

Back in the early ‘naughties’ solar power crept into the consciousness of ordinary householders. We knew that the sun was the main provider of the earth’s energy and now we would be able to harness it directly to power our homes. Gradually the blue rash of PV panels began to cover the roofs of early adopters, first one roof, then a neighbours, and before we knew it a cluster would be glinting from several houses on a street or estate. 
We heard talk of 45p per unit from a government keen to encourage us to harness this ‘free’ energy source. The number of companies delivering and installing panels increased exponentially and that’s where my journey began. One enterprising company held a ‘seminar’ in the local village hall to demonstrate all the positives of having PV installed on your roof. As time passed more and more people latched on, but at the same time the government’s offer for the Feed in Tariff (FIT) began decreasing. So, I jumped on after the seminar; with a company who seemed to be reliable and honest – they have since ceased to trade but that’s not unusual or worrying. My house was in a suitable position and my roof was good. They estimated that I would have paid for my twelve panels after 10 years and they were spot on. I was eligible for a 21p FIT and that has rolled in – index linked – every 3 months for the past 12 years. It will continue for another 13. I had a recent health check last year and the panels and inverter are working well so all is good!
I investigated fitting a battery, but until my inverter begins to fail or the batteries become MUCH cheaper, or my electricity usage during the evening rockets – eg if I was to buy an ev; it’s not financially worth it for me.
I make sure that high energy jobs, such as washing and drying (if I have to) happen during the day, but apart from that the panels sit there and I forget about them – apart from when it snows, but that’s a whole other story!
The numbers:
I have 3kW capacity from 12 panels. They probably generate between 3200 and 3900kWh over a year. 
I have been billed for aprox 1200 kWh from July 23 to July 24.