Solar Panels

[helendj]

Know I should have posted on renewable energy site, but thought I'd get a quicker response from the General one. Interested in putting in solar panels for a large 3 bedroom house, with all the accompanying white goods etc. Need to get a ball park figure and would love to hear from any kibkomer who has actually had them installed, and their opinions of what they've got - rather than just get responses from companies supplying them. (although all informative replies welcome), so eg cost of installation, how many panels needed, how long to get them installed, etc. etc. As a complete novice all advice would be welcome.Thank you to anyone who does reply.

[owl]

helendj

Cyprus is the perfect place for cost effective solar power, Summer and Winter!

Two options:
On-Grid: i.e. You're still connected to Kibtek but using Solar for daytime needs, reducing your bill. (no more daytime power cuts!)

Off-Grid: (More expensive to install due to needing batteries) You are disconnected from Kibtek, no bills. (no more power cuts,.. ever!).

Hybrid: A combination of the above.

Your costs will depend on what power you use, day & night. Sounds a bit 'techy', but it's quite easy to work out how many Kwh you use. For example, using Immersion heater, electric oven, washing mach, dishwasher kettle, A/Cons, fans, lights, TV, pool pump,.. etc? How often, for how long,.. try to work out how you use these (by the hour).
A good Solar installer will help you work this out, usually with an initial (free) home assessment. They will also advise if your property is appropriate. If they don't offer this service,... avoid them!

Also check with Kibtek for the latest rules & regs, meters etc.

Solar is an excellent long term solution, but DONT be tempted by offers of 'Cheap' panels or 'Bargain Package Deals'. They will definitely be a bad investment.

Three suppliers appear on Kibkom,... Kibsolar and Ecofreeelectric, both based in Girne and Solarsolutionscyprus, who are currently ROC based (they are planning to open in Famagusta which would make them a LEGAL supplier).

Try contacting all three to see how they can help and what service they offer, including after sales service.

If you would like any more info about my experience, please feel free to PM me.

owl

[Col]

If you look through the renewable threads you will see quite a few debates on the subject.

To add to Owls comments be careful of letting someone show you how much a system produces and then calculating what that electricity would cost. Without storage unless you have a small system then is a highly likely that you would not match your usage to that of what you produce. Having a swimming pool pump running would help but even then you will find there are times that you use more than you produce and others when you are not using all that you produce. Best will in the world you might think you will stagger your appliances but reality tends to be different. Storage of course comes at a higher price.

As owl says check what the current legislation is on set ups and meters.

Good luck

[helendj]

Owl and Col, Thank you so much for such an informative and comprehensive response. I really do appreciate you taking the time to give me such good advice - I will heed your wise words. Thank you very very much.

[mematront1000]

I hope you dont mind me asking but are hybrid systems legal? I purchased a property 3 weeks ago with solar already installed and it turns out its a hybrid system with no electricity sold back to the grid. Im concerned that we will be made to remove it by kibkom if its illegal even tbough i didnt have it installed.

[Soner]

I hope you dont mind me asking but are hybrid systems legal? I purchased a property 3 weeks ago with solar already installed and it turns out its a hybrid system with no electricity sold back to the grid. Im concerned that we will be made to remove it by kibkom if its illegal even tbough i didnt have it installed.

You mean by Kibtek.

[waddo]

By hybrid do you mean that you have to manually switch over from your solar system back to the Kibtek system - in the same way you would if you had a standby generator and the mains power failed? If that is the case then you have a solar system that takes the place of a standby generator and you run your property off the solar when you can but can switch back to mains (Kibtek) anytime that you wish? I can not see anything being illegal with that sort of system - it it was illegal then everyone who has a standby generator would be illegal as well!

[poppy++1]

Had ours about 4 months saving is huge, yes I know you pay out initially
I can give you are supplier very professional, did all the necessary paperwork, with kibtek, arranged everything. We were kept informed all the way through
All bills from kibtek reflect our usage and carry over
Can’t fault him

[Mollie the cat]

It is an initial layout however, our electric bills for the past 6 months are average £3 per month, that's a standing charge.

[poppy++1]

Yes about same as ours , electric being collected with this weather is building up nicely for winter

[kibsolar1999]

Alp Direkoglu, Elitra Solar
from 3 to 500 kWp... in total more then 2000 kWp installed.
0548 8783368

[poppy++1]

Alp arranged ours highly recommend

[RAZR63]

Forgive me for saying but no one has mentioned approx costs to install the solar systems and payback time? Which was asked in the original post?

[Kay123]

Ive had my solar panels for about 4 years now costing then about 9,000 pounds. I have to say I don’t know what I would do without them as every few months the electric goes up in price. My system is linked to kibtek so i do get cut off when the electric gets cut the same as everyone else. But for 10 months of the year roughly Im making more than Im using Even during this really hot spell so my monthly bill is just the standing charge and in winter I can use what I’ve banked if there’s no sun. i have heard that the waiting list is long to install as kibkek doesn’t want everyone to have solar. No profits I guess but the bigger picture would be that if everyone had solar panels the oil consumption at the power station would surely be lower.

[benjaminbutton]

Hay123, that's the logical and you would think the most realistic way to go re Kibtek. However, this is Kibtek we are talking about and they have had more Directors etc than I've had hot dinners. You would have to bash that idea into their brains with a mallet, and still they wouldn't or couldn't accept the fact.

[Mollie the cat]

We had ours fitted 16 months ago, £3,800 for 8 panels, best ever value.

[gates]

But the thing is if you don’t have battery backup you in the same situation as the rest. Unless you have a generator

[Mollie the cat]

We have a great generator thank you.

[Tanky]

Just had a return email from the company who installed my panels.
I asked about a battery hook up for back up.

Battery good for 5Kva with inverter would cost 5k all inclusive.
Is it legal?? The answer from them is NO.
So is a battery hook up for 5k worth it? This would supply many lights, fridges, TV most things but not aircons . And not being legal.

Think I may hang on for the power cable from Turkey.

[kibsolar1999]

some words...
1. the power stations in TRNC you just can not switch on and off. so, the amount of solar power in that network is limited. that may become better with the "cable from turkey".
2. many say that Kibtek does not want "battery systems to be connected to the grid", because "they want to earn more money", but this is, at its best, only half of the truth.
solar panels produce DC, which is "transformed" to AC from a grid connected inverter. this inverter has a set up, eg for "grid Türkiye, 220 Volt " or eg "grid cyprus, 240 Volt". in these country set ups are included eg, grid dis- and reconnection conditions and times, proper isolation the lot.
they are called VDE 126 -1 or AR-N 4105 and so on.
if you now connect a solar grid inverter to an battery inverter (during a power cut) you may will realise that the inverter will not work, as "the grid" (here: the mini grid created from the battery inverter) is different as the "normal grid".
you have to tell the inverter to pls work off grid as well, which changes the country settings, and, many do not comply with "grid -house" isolation rules any more.
so, although it looks as you may need just a little bit cabling work, technically seen it is a complete different installation, which needs regulations, safety equipment and kibtek fears that, as you can do a lot of rubbish here. thats why they say: no.

a battery hook up, back up is legal, but without the solar inverter connected. many do not understand that you just can not connect batteries to a solar inverter. to some you can, these are called "hybrid" inverters, but under this name you can find different "working principles" . in general you need (the batteries) and a battery inverter with an included AC charger.

what i want to say.... is that the subject is more complicated as many think and some installers want to know as well. to avooid weird things going on , kibtek from the beginning demanded an electric plan in which all items are listed (eg solar panel serial numbers , inverter serial number , cable diameters aso) and did not permit any alterations.

new solar powered off-grid battery systems are not illegal as long this system is technically not able to feed (= being connected to) the grid. this you can realise with a manuell change over. automated change overs are only permitted if the solar panels do charge the batteries DC, not AC.

[blueparrot]

some words...
1. the power stations in TRNC you just can not switch on and off. so, the amount of solar power in that network is limited. that may become better with the "cable from turkey".
2. many say that Kibtek does not want "battery systems to be connected to the grid", because "they want to earn more money", but this is, at its best, only half of the truth.
solar panels produce DC, which is "transformed" to AC from a grid connected inverter. this inverter has a set up, eg for "grid Türkiye, 220 Volt " or eg "grid cyprus, 240 Volt". in these country set ups are included eg, grid dis- and reconnection conditions and times, proper isolation the lot.
they are called VDE 126 -1 or AR-N 4105 and so on.
if you now connect a solar grid inverter to an battery inverter (during a power cut) you may will realise that the inverter will not work, as "the grid" (here: the mini grid created from the battery inverter) is different as the "normal grid".
you have to tell the inverter to pls work off grid as well, which changes the country settings, and, many do not comply with "grid -house" isolation rules any more.
so, although it looks as you may need just a little bit cabling work, technically seen it is a complete different installation, which needs regulations, safety equipment and kibtek fears that, as you can do a lot of rubbish here. thats why they say: no.

a battery hook up, back up is legal, but without the solar inverter connected. many do not understand that you just can not connect batteries to a solar inverter. to some you can, these are called "hybrid" inverters, but under this name you can find different "working principles" . in general you need (the batteries) and a battery inverter with an included AC charger.

what i want to say.... is that the subject is more complicated as many think and some installers want to know as well. to avooid weird things going on , kibtek from the beginning demanded an electric plan in which all items are listed (eg solar panel serial numbers , inverter serial number , cable diameters aso) and did not permit any alterations.

new solar powered off-grid battery systems are not illegal as long this system is technically not able to feed (= being connected to) the grid. this you can realise with a manuell change over. automated change overs are only permitted if the solar panels do charge the batteries DC, not AC.

Enlightening, thank you.