Do you want to install solar panels and have a lot of questions? Congratulations on contributing to the ecological transition and your ecological approach. In this article we will take stock of all the most requested questions regarding the costs of solar panels:
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their usefulness, advantages and disadvantages
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how to install them to be autonomous (or almost) in consumption ofElectricity supply
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financial gains from this operation
How to Feed a Energy house solar?
Nowadays you can either connect to the electricity network and receive electricity from electricity suppliers, such as Engie, Total Direct Energie or Leclerc or you can install solar panels on your roof or a wind turbine in the garden on a battery network and be autonomous in electricity. But the vast majority ofsolar electricity are still connected to the grid, which allows them to inject the unused surplus into self-consumption and to sell this energy to suppliers.
You can thus make profitable the cost of your installation and perhaps even generate profits with your installation if it is well profitable. This is why it is important before embarking on a solar energy autonomy project to do your calculations well to anticipate all the costs of the operation and the profitability of your project.
How to be Energy self-sufficient ?
How to make a house energy independent?
To be energy independent you have 2 levers:
- energy supply - by producing your own energy, for example with solar panels
- energy demand - you can do work at home to make the home less energy-intensive and you can review your consumption habits to save energy
To reduce your consumption you can:
- better insulate your home and carry out energy renovation work
- use low consumption light bulbs
- unplug your chargers
- turn off electrical appliances when you no longer need them
- wash at a lower temperature and dry the clothes outside in the sun and not in the dryer
- stop the electricity during your more prolonged absences (during holidays for example)
Have you already done all of this and want to do one more thing for the planet and equip your home with energy sources? Let's take a look at what is possible with solar energy.
How to calculate your Solar self-consumption ?
If you want to take stock of your consumption to reduce it or if you want to install photovoltaic panels on your roof and you want to calculate the profitability of the project, you must in any case know what your electricity consumption is.
Your exact electricity consumption is available in your customer area from your current electricity supplier, and you can even find out what the total, maximum and average power you need in a year is. If you want to estimate it for a new home, the company that will install the solar panels for you and will be able to guide you to make an estimate of the electricity consumption, it necessarily depends on the surface of the home, the electrical appliances. , the number of inhabitants of the house and their electricity consumption habits.
The self-consumption rate is the share of electricity that you produce compared to your production.
Self-consumption rate = Electricity consumed / Electricity Produced
To be autonomous in consumption, your photovoltaic installation must cover your electricity consumption 100% at all times.
According to the government, there are two types of self-consumption:
- total self-consumption: you consume all of your production. This allows you to save on your electricity consumption bill from the grid.
- self-consumption with sale of surplus: you consume your production and you sell the surplus to an authorized organization. In this case, you benefit from a reduction in your electricity consumption bill from the network and you have income related to the sale of electricity.
The surplus sales facilities are eligible for an investment bonus. This premium is degressive and variable depending on the power of the installation. It is spread over the first 5 years of operation.
How To Generate Electricity Fromsolar energy ?
Used since the dawn of time, solar energy has always been used by humans for heating and producing electricity for several decades. You can in turn produce it if you wish. This is both an ecological approach (let's think of our children and the world we want to leave them), economical - if you live in an area with a lot of sunshine you can save on your electricity bill and even return it in a source of income and an entrepreneurial approach without much risk compared to an LLC type business.
How can we produce energy? How is solar energy formed?
To capture solar energy, we must install (often on the roof of our house) photovoltaic modules that will capture the energy and transform it into electricity. The panels are often made of silicon, the material from which sand is made (therefore a very common and inexpensive raw material) and have a blue color that will reflect the sun's rays.
What is the role of a panel PV ?
Once the light enters the panel, it will bring in energy in the form of photons. This energy will be transmitted to the silicon particles of which the panel is composed and this will create an electric charge. The panel is equipped with a system for capturing this electrical charge and will then transform it into electricity through an electrical conduit system. This is how quite simply you can have electricity from the sun's rays.
How to heat with solar energy - cost & efficiency?
We can heat ourselves with thermal solar panels, but generally the thermal energy produced in winter will not be sufficient to meet all your heating needs. Indeed, unlike the installation below 70m2, solar thermal installations are often limited to a few panels (less than 10 or 15 m²). Solar thermal can therefore only cover domestic hot water needs (up to 85% annually).
For this, it is very important to make a good balance sheet before installing the thermal panels. It is a hot water technology which is completely different from photovoltaic solar panels producing electricity. The best way to reduce your energy bills is to install thermal solar panels on the one hand and photovoltaic solar panels on the other. The 2 systems will be completely independent (except that they will be placed on the same roof). See the illustration below of a solar house composed of 70 m2 of thermal panels and 16 m2 of photovoltaic panels producing respectively 60 kW of heat and 2,9 kW of electricity.
Note that there are PVT hybrid solar panels, producing both electricity and heat, but their distribution always remains confidential. You will find more information on the solar PVT here
The great advantage of a grid-connected solar electric installation is that you can resell the excess electricity produced in summer, and if your installation does not cover the needs in winter, you will use the electricity from the grid and you will have cash from the sale of summer electricity to pay your winter bills. This is not possible with a solar thermal installation unless it is connected to an urban heating network (extremely rare and limited to very large solar installations)
What Type of Current does a Photovoltaic Panel produce?
If you use photovoltaic panels, electricity is produced in direct current at the solar panels. The voltage can go up to 1000V DC for large solar installations (around 30 panels in series). This current is transformed by an inverter into 230V alternating current. The other role of the inverter is to synchronize the current and protect the electrical installation. Solar electricity is therefore automatically adapted to your own consumption, provided you use an inverter. The electricity produced is continuous and your consumption is alternative, that's why you need this installation. The company that will install the panels for you will be able to guide you which inverter to choose from among the three available categories: centralized inverter, micro-inverter, inverter with optimizer.
How much does a solar panel installation cost?
The cost of solar panels is expressed in euros for each watt created.
On average it takes 3 € / Watt installed in the case of an integrated installation, ie where the cover is removed. For an integrated installation of photovoltaic solar panels, it takes around 500 to 600 € / m². Half less for non-integrated panels. In 2020 we can find solar panels not installed at around 1 € / Watt. The cost of an installation varies depending on the total power of the solar panels.
Visit solar panel.com for more information on the cost of solar panels. The cost of solar panels is often tailor-made, depending on several factors:
- your location
- your sunshine
- the types of solar panels chosen
- state aid
What is the lifespan of a solar panel?
About 30 years old. As with electric batteries, solar panels are at their maximum efficiency at the start of their period of use. Manufacturers typically warrant the first 10 years of use and 20 years on performance.
The power is 90% of the initial capacity between 10 and 20 years. Between 20 and 30 years, the panels generally offer 80% of the original power. These figures are of course average estimates and are likely to change as new products appear on the market.
How to Recover VAT on a Photovoltaic Installation?
Any individual French tax resident can request a refund of VAT on the acquisition of the photovoltaic or wind power plant. You can request a refund of the VAT before the purchase, so as not to have to advance the amount during your purchase.
All State Aid for Energy Renovation
- Energy transition tax credit
- MyPrimeRenov
- Denormandie tax reduction
- Eco-loan at zero interest
- 5,5% VAT for energy quality improvement work
- Help "Live better serenity" from the National Housing Agency (Anah)
- Aid from energy supply companies (EEC)
- The 2018-2020 energy savings boost
- Energy check to help pay energy bills or renovations
- Exemption from property tax for energy saving work
- Housing Action aid
Complete Guide to Photovoltaics
Types of Panels:
The green energy industry is now well developed and producers offer several types of photovoltaic panels, depending on the technologies used:
- with amorphous silicon
- with copper / indium / selenium
- with copper / indium / gallium / selenium
- with crystalline silicon
Without going into the technical details, you will be accompanied in all cases by the company which will install the panels on the specifications of each and which is the most suited to your situation.
How to power a house with solar panels?
To power a house with solar panels you must make a purchase of solar panels or panel kits or simply call on a specialized company that will install it for you. Do not forget to do the energy balance, to define how much you want to invest in this project, what profitability you can expect, how much electricity you can produce and the costs and state aid.
How to install solar panels on a roof?
Do not worry and call on a company specialized in the field, they will be able to advise you, because they have the experience of installation and installation and know the problems most often encountered on this kind of project.
Is it Profitable to Install Photovoltaic Panels?
Of course. The profitability of each project depends on your installation and its quality, where you are in France, the rate of sunshine at home and of course the government aid. The cost of solar panel installations has fallen significantly over the past 10 years.
How many solar panels for a house?
To cover a standard house you need an average of 12 solar panels of standardized size of about 1,6 m2, or about 20 m2 in total. If you want to resell energy on top of what you need, you can install more solar panels than you need. To find out the maximum number of panels you can install, you need to divide the area of your roof where you want to lay the panels over the area of the panels. The company that will ask them will guide you in this process.
How to install solar panels?
- Loosen the roof if it is tiled
- Installation of abbreviations (lower and lateral)
- Installation of the under-roof screen or waterproofing system
- Installation of rails and panels
- Connecting the inverter to the grid
If you are a bit of a handyman, you can do it yourself (especially with tiles, less complicated than slates) but we recommend that you call on a specialized company that is used to this kind of work: it will be more simple for you and hassle-free and you will benefit from the insurance of the work done and a decennial insurance on the cover! Please note that roofs made of materials such as zinc, shingle, tar tiles, thatched roofs and green roofs.
Who can install photovoltaic panels?
Contrary to popular belief, the installation of photovoltaic panels is not reserved only for residents of the south of France. It is also possible to install solar panels in the north of France and have profitable energy balances on your installation. We advise you to install it on the western and southern part of your roof if you do not want to use your entire roof, ideally with an inclination of 30 to 35 degrees. All of its elements have a direct impact on the final cost of your installation and its performance.
What is the difference between a solar panel and a photovoltaic panel?
A solar panel converts solar energy into heat. It is used to have domestic hot water and for certain cases of domestic heating. A photovoltaic panel transforms sunlight into electricity
What are the most efficient solar panels?
You have to compare all the models offered by your supplier and choose the one that has the best ratio between the power offered and their price. Generally, the performance of solar panels on the market is currently very similar.
What are the advantages of installing solar?
Other than the cost much more interesting than in the past, photovoltaics has undeniable advantages over other green energies, such as wind power for example. You can use the roof of your house and not burden yourself with a wind turbine in the garden and all the noise and visual disturbances that come with it. And since no part is in motion, unlike wind turbines or tidal turbines, the maintenance of a photovoltaic solar installation is very low and the risks of breakage or breakdown are very low. However, over the 30 years of life of the panels, it will be likely to have to change the inverter.
This is why photovoltaic panels are the preferred solution for the majority of French individuals who want to switch to green energy.