Free Solar for worth getting for after the SHTF?

[Tonka]

I know people here are buying portable solar units etc. But has anyone got, or thought about getting, free Solar fitted?

I am thinking that after SHTF having 16 big panels already pumping power in to your house could be useful. And as they come at no cost to you, and cut down a bit on your bills, it seems like a good idea.

Where I live is eligible for free solar, and am considering it, mainly for a renewable power source after SHTF rather than current money saving.

Any thoughts?

[Skean Dhude]

If it's free go for it but check the T&Cs before you put pen to paper. My area did free ones then stopped when I applied. Bastards.

[Straight Shooter]

Been down that road Tonka ......no good for where I live, why portable ? ...more options ....if I had to BO I would want to take the kit with me and be able to set up in my BOL or even on my BOV ...but a good point for others to consider though.

[Tonka]

Thanks. I'm looking into the T&Cs. Most of my concerns have been quelled, except for what happens when you need to repair your roof and there are a load of solar panels in the way, that technically are owned by someone else. I'm sure it's fine, I just haven't found out yet.

I have very low powerd portable solar, enough to charge a car / bike battery or a handled GPS and the like. Mainly because if it won't fit in my BOB I am unlikely to be transporting it. When things get bad enough that I need to rely on solar, I'm not holding much hope that a car would be a viable option. But I generally plan to bug in... bugging out is there as a plan C, though. Blan B is a secret... it's not really it's just too much of a tangent.

I just like the idea of getting many grands worth of solar panels all in place ready, while someone else foots the bill, and deals with any maintenance issues. Well, after Doomsday, I'm sure I will have to sort the maintenance myself, but that's understandable.

[uks]

Basically they are using your roof as a lodger without paying and taking all the feed in tariffs. You will notice a very small drop in your cost. We looked that this there was no battery bank fitted, connected straight into the mains. We also found by research if you enter into this the value of your house can drop. It would like selling a house with sitting tenants.

[Highlander]

We have 16 panels on our roof,..[ although they are our own ], depending on how the panels are fitted, they can strengthen your roof considerably, we are prone to high winds so the rails have to be screwed into the roof rafters,.. then the panels protect the tiles to a greater extent..... We purchased the panels when the tariff was 43 pence a unit so we make a lot of money, I think the tariff is only about 16 pence now isn't it

With reference to repairing your roof if the panels are owned by someone else,.. by law you should still have access to whats yours, so either the owners of the panels have to remove them while you do your work, or you are allowed to remove them yourself

What I would like to know is how can a person disconnect the panels from the mains system if the grid fails, to allow me to connect either direct to the house or to batteries

[Tonka]

(23 April 2013, 06:48)uks Wrote: Basically they are using your roof as a lodger without paying and taking all the feed in tariffs. You will notice a very small drop in your cost. We looked that this there was no battery bank fitted, connected straight into the mains. We also found by research if you enter into this the value of your house can drop. It would like selling a house with sitting tenants.

They sound like some of the niggles I've been looking at.

Yes, If I was planning on selling I wouldn't want the hassle, but we don't want to lose this location anytime soon. They indeed don't fit a battery bank, that would be something I would do myself... not mentioning it to them of course.
Also, my reason for doing it would be to get free panels ready for doomsday rather than for money saving now... that would just be a plus. And of course the warm fuzzy glow of my contribution to saving the environment.

I still have a few more details I need to look into though.

[uks]

(23 April 2013, 08:04)Highlander Wrote: We have 16 panels on our roof,..[ although they are our own ], depending on how the panels are fitted, they can strengthen your roof considerably, we are prone to high winds so the rails have to be screwed into the roof rafters,.. then the panels protect the tiles to a greater extent..... We purchased the panels when the tariff was 43 pence a unit so we make a lot of money, I think the tariff is only about 16 pence now isn't it

With reference to repairing your roof if the panels are owned by someone else,.. by law you should still have access to whats yours, so either the owners of the panels have to remove them while you do your work, or you are allowed to remove them yourself

What I would like to know is how can a person disconnect the panels from the mains system if the grid fails, to allow me to connect either direct to the house or to batteries

Is there not an automatic cut off switch in case the national grid goes down?. This is to stop your current feeding back down the line to stop it frying the repair men.

[Tonka]

(23 April 2013, 08:04)Highlander Wrote: We have 16 panels on our roof,..[ although they are our own ], depending on how the panels are fitted, they can strengthen your roof considerably, we are prone to high winds so the rails have to be screwed into the roof rafters,.. then the panels protect the tiles to a greater extent..... We purchased the panels when the tariff was 43 pence a unit so we make a lot of money, I think the tariff is only about 16 pence now isn't it

With reference to repairing your roof if the panels are owned by someone else,.. by law you should still have access to whats yours, so either the owners of the panels have to remove them while you do your work, or you are allowed to remove them yourself

What I would like to know is how can a person disconnect the panels from the mains system if the grid fails, to allow me to connect either direct to the house or to batteries

I looked at buying my own... and then the change in tariff made it totally unrealistic. When you got it it was a good deal.

I too would want to learn the ins and outs so I could rewire as necessary after the SHTF. I'm not sure where we'd find the info though... apart from lots of questions to annoy the workmen when they are installing it.

[Spandex228]

Some good points as allways I am keen on a portable solar panel also. I was wandering how versatile they are ?, say is there is one panel what was portable say you could mount it on a BOV for power and also use it with a bank of panels for your home to say help with charging a bank of batteries when it is not used in a portable mode. (IS THERE ONE PANEL THIS VERSATILE) ? all help appreciated.