The Rhodes' Solar PV Story

According to the forecasters, we’re all set for a blistering summer. It’s a great time to harness the sun’s power and turn it into your own green electricity and John Rhodes in Bedfordshire is doing just that. Here, John tells us about installing his solar PV panels:

“I’ve had a solar thermal system on my roof for the past five years which takes care of about 75% of my annual hot water needs. I was one of the first to join Good Energy’s HotROCs scheme, and now earn about £86 a year from then for the heat I generate.

I’ve been so pleased with the performance of my solar thermals, so I decided to take the next step and and have had a 10-panel 1.8 kWp Solar PV system installed on my roof, so I can start generating electricity I can feed back into the grid.

We try and follow a green lifestyle. We do a lot of recycling and have a rainwater harvesting system for flushing toilets. I’ve always wanted solar PV, and when I saw it was available from the Good Energy Shop and Sundog for a good price, around £10,000, I decided to go ahead.

With interest rates at rock bottom, the attractions of solar PV are not only ecological but also financial. As a customer of Good Energy’s HomeGen scheme, I earn 15p per kWh generated, which is the highest rate in the market. We’re expecting a long hot summer, so we should get a good return. At the moment, it’s better to have your money on the roof than in the bank.

Our system has already generated 12 kWh in about 28 hours which looks very impressive. The Sundog team has been very professional and helpful throughout the process, especially Jason Fuller who fitted the system with his colleague Dave.”