hahahaha...i not so geng can come out with numbers

all the numbers are from SenQ...
they estimate monthly revenue (total tariff obtained & sold) of RM563 or RM6754 per year
monthly repayment (based on 100% loan of RM40,800 & 10yrs repayment) is RM448 or RM5375 per year
hence, nett 'profit' of RM1378 per year...surely these are their high-side estimate..based on what i've read (in this forum) can expect average of 400kwh per month?

like u pointed out, i need to know whether the panels are from China or 3rd grade type...of course based on the published price, RM40800 vs other RM50-60k i can expect it to be grade A...

most i worried about is if the bloody unit breaks down totally after 10yrs then i'm well and soundly screwed

well...there's no quota available now till 2016 anyways....

Fit quota may be sooner than expected.

I'm guessing that when the Minister of Energy approves TNB electricity price increase of 10% +, he will slip in 1% to 2% for fit quota...... Lets see....

hehe..ur close, 15% increase of electricity bill for Peninsular announced!!!!but no talk about FIT quota?

read the small prints; 0.6% approved. previously was 1.0%

SEDA and Solar Installers going to be happy.

To be fair, whether China made panels or 3rd grade type panels should nt be the 1st concern. The main thing in solar panel should be things like:

1. How much roof space is available

2. How the panels are installed in terms of panel's facing direction, angle of panel to sunlight (this is crucial to maximize solar energy conversion)

3. How the panels are designed, certain solar panels are build for high humidity environment, some are not. Example: Humidity can cause heat to trap within the solar panels and this has effect to solar energy generation.

As for the lifespan, most solar systems are quoted for lifespan of 15, 16 - 21 years.

4. This is highly dependent on how the whole systems are installed and whether it is built in a easy maintenance way. Generally Solar panel are not that hard to maintain if it is installed properly in the first place.

*It is always interesting to see the ROI, bare in mind that this is part of the investment plan advertising. One should be aware of the more important part which are the system design and installation as well as maintenance because without these, ROI as advertised would be a total rubbish.

My advice is, do not judge based on quoted price, you need to make sure you have used the right expertise to install the system, otherwise your return of this 10 - 20 years investment will be an unknown.

Another one thing, whether with or without FIT, solar panel is a source of renewable energy, in another word, it will still benefit energy consumer in long term seeing the increasing electricity price.

Hope this helps those who are considering solar panel.

I think SunofaBeach is a pro. Totally agree with what he says.

SunofaBeach - can you share what type of panels are suitable for high humidity ?

i have had a look a degradation rates, and none i could find uses our climate (hot and humid - worst for electrical eqpt). So i'm concerned that the indicated degradation could be understated.

I have developed a strong interest in Renewable Energy and have been doing study and research in this field since a number of years ago. Recently being trained in Scotland in a few renewable energy areas such as wind, solar thermal (and Photovoltaic), biomass, ocean wave and tidal energy, as well as hydro and geothermal energy.

Still have lots to learn but I am always happy to share what I know.

Answer to your question:

To ensure solar panels work in harsh environment (high humidity, dirt for example), you need to have a layer of protection which protect the solar from humidity and still enable solar to reach the solar cells (the silicone based thing in solar panels).

*Wetness from humidity tend to attract dust (look at how dirty cars usually became after light rains), this will decrease the solar system power output, in another word, less efficient when the sunlight cannot efficiently reach the solar cells.

The metal parts of the system will also go rusted being exposed to wetness from humidity in long run.

There are two widely available technology in solar panel protection:

1. Good quality glass that is installed in outer layer of the system - there are a number of good solar panel glass maker outhere - Pilkington (Nippon Sheet Glass) is one leading manufacturer in making these glass for solar.

2. Laminate film - Some solar panel manufacturers offer solar panels with laminated film (a very thin glass layer coated directly on the solar panels). I am not so sure about pricing but these will often be more expensive than normal solar panels without laminate film because the coated glass is a sort of advanced materials at present technology.

As for degradation rate, solar panels differs in type of materials. Although solar panels are generally made of Silicon, there are many types of Silicon and composition in them will affect the energy conversion efficiency and lifespan hence there are expensive and cheaper solar panels.

If someone here can share the solar panels datasheet quoted by supplier in Malaysia, I might be able to look further what materials they are and what the data means to generating energy.

To really find out which material type solar is best/ has lowest degradation, that will require a series of experiments using power output monitoring in each installed system and experiments for a number of years ( 5 - 10 for example).

Perhaps best thing is those who has solar system in their house share their energy output/ experience using them here

At present, the major key is still on how you protect and maintain the solar panels once the solar system is properly designed and installed.

Bare in mind that certain areas is highly polluted : dust and haze for example tend to decrease solar system efficiency.

I've installed a 12kw bipv. Panasonic 250 or 255watts a piece. Waiting for commissioning from TNB. Inverter is of one of the german ones. Sma, i think.

Wondering how to improve the efficiency or yield. Can you suggest?

I wonder if we can install the glass post installation (obviously quite tricky as a lot of roof climbing). Maybe can look for somesort of ant-static spray? film?

Actually i was dreaming of a water sprinkler connected to a timer (ha! Ha!). Do you think that would work?

I heard that the preliminary data for the wind map for Malaysia has been submitted to SEDA. Not sure if they have done the analysis yet. Previously my understanding was that we need a constant 6/7m/sec of wind. Do you know if technology has allowed us a lower constant wind speed yet?

i checked. my system comprises;

Panasonic 245w Polycrystaline
Sunny Tripower 12000 TL

any suggestion to increase yield?

That could be an interesting experiments! But yes always remind yourself SAFETY FIRST !

You would need to have a monitoring system to observe your current solar panel power output, and the effect of any changes/ experiments to your solar system can be identified by the monitoring data.

Because you need real data to support your experiments of getting the optimum panel angle, direction to sun etc..

Ultimately, there is sun tracker which tilts your panels to optimum angle and direction according to sun movements. This will maximise the yield and efficiency. These often not feasible in small scale solar system because these technology can be costly (use of sensors and motorised solar panel framework on the roof), but something interesting to look at if you are prepare to dive in to do some experiments in your solar system or let me scratch the head with you when I get a chance to visit you

As for wind energy, at present, wind turbine technology seen in here (EU and UK) offers wind turbine that works at wind speed of 4.5m /sec. Not sure about what is available in Asia though.

Tracker susah lah. Already mounted. Thankfully facing south.

Maybe put mirrors all around and redirect rays to solar panel !!

Mind to share the installation cost ?

sorry, cannot share pricing....

Happy to discuss anything else.....

Just wondering, instead of sell back to TNB, can I setup solar just for my own use? Roughly how much to do the wiring/meter/etc (exclude the solar board)?

Self usage in industry terms is called net metering. Seda now proposing net metering (eg mount on shopping mall. What they generate, they can consume by themslves). Still some technical issues and regulation still to sort out with TNB etc, but its coming.

But you do realize that its more profitable to sell to TNB then to self use.

You can try DIY. Just read back this thread.

A friend offered to sell me a 240w solar panel. New.

Not sure where to get an inverter......or how to wire it up....

Just get it from your installer. I think they happy to guide you too.

They rather sell a 4 to 12kw system

I'm more of a diy experimenting with 240watt.....if they have no work, then the can entertain more nooby question. But many of them gearing up for the release of new FIT quota now..... Since got addn 0.6%....

240watt not high power, have you try buying from eBay?