Project: Solar PV Installation Warwickshire
Location: Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: October 2009 

“At every stage we were thrilled with the work that Paul Taylor did for us; Great advice, professional service and fab result.  We are very pleased and can’t recommend The Green Electrician highly enough.” 

James Pavitt, a member of sustainable action group, Transition Stratford, approached specialist pv installers, The Green Electrician to install a solar array on his home in central Stratford-upon-Avon. After a site survey, a design of 10 Sharp 180 Watt solar panels (1.8kWp) was installed on a south facing roof, either side of an existing solar thermal system. The photovoltaic system would incur some shading from a neighbouring house during winter, reducing the efficiency a little during December and January. 

James and Elizabeth, his partner, decided to install solar PV for a number of reasons, but chiefly to reduce carbon emissions. “We like to think that we are reasonably green, but even after installing solar water heating and a wood burning stove, we felt that we were still far too dependent on fossil fuels, so the next stage was to generate solar electricity ourselves,” explains James. 

"The initial cost is a little scary at first, about the same as a small car - but what car could you buy that actually pays you to use it at the same time as being an investment on your property? In fact with the Feed-in Tariff starting soon, you get about a 10% return on your investment. Try getting that in a building society! Being paid to generate is a big plus. And then there is the warm glow you get inside when you see the generation meter ticking away and your usage meter standing still.”

Technology: 1.8kWp Sharp Solar PV
Energy output: 1,435kWh/year
Carbon saving: 776kg CO2/year