ᐅ Photovoltaic Systems: Advantages, Disadvantages, Experiences, and Is It Worthwhile?

Tubifex schrieb:
IKEA is entering the photovoltaic market with interesting prices. This could really shake things up in the future!

If their offers are as attractive as those from energy suppliers, I really don’t believe that. Especially since the market doesn’t need to get going at all—it has been booming for years. Worldwide installation rates remain consistently high, new factories are opening, and module prices continue to fall steadily.

Do you know anything about their pricing?

Edit:
"A fully installed, turnkey photovoltaic system is said to cost 4730 euros including VAT" for 2.2 kWp with polycrystalline modules. That’s 1806 euros net per kWp. Anyone who buys that must be crazy.
However, it seems that larger systems are more competitively priced.

Alex85 schrieb:
If their quotes are as attractive as those from the energy providers, I definitely don’t believe it.
Especially since the market doesn’t need to pick up at all – it has been booming for years. Expansion rates worldwide remain consistently high, new plants are opening, and module prices are steadily falling.

Do you know anything about the pricing?

Edit:
“A fully installed, turnkey photovoltaic system is supposed to cost from 4730 euros including VAT” for 2.2 kWp with polycrystalline modules.
That’s 1806 euros net per kWp. Anyone who buys that must be crazy.
But it seems that larger systems are more cost-effective.

I signed an offer 6 months ago for an 8.82 kWp system, 1160 euros/kWp. IBC modules 315 W mono black, including installation.

After deducting discounts and net costs, it’s less than 9,9xx euros for the system. Anyone who signs with Ikea must be crazy.

seth0487 schrieb:
Last week, we had our photovoltaic system with 8kWp installed. Now we are just waiting for the utility company to install the meter, then we can start producing electricity!

Photovoltaics usually pay off! Even if you only feed electricity into the grid and have about 20% self-consumption, the system pays for itself within 10-14 years. After that, it generates profit. The modules come with a 25-year performance guarantee (87% of nominal capacity after 25 years), and the inverter has a 12-year warranty.

Since we heat with an air-to-water heat pump, I work from home a lot, and I have a large aquarium, I expect at least 30%-40% self-consumption. The system is set up so that the air-to-water heat pump can be controlled via an interface to use excess PV power, and the hot water tank or underfloor heating can be “overheated.” This means that if there is too much photovoltaic electricity, the hot water temperature is increased from 45°C (113°F) to 50°C (122°F). This allows the air-to-water heat pump to pause the hot water production longer when no PV electricity is available. It basically acts as an energy storage. The same applies to the underfloor heating, which can be heated somewhat more within a comfortable range to store photovoltaic electricity as heat.

It is almost the only retrofittable option in new builds and therefore not attractive at the start. Investing in something that only pays off after more than 10 years is at least courageous.

I view photovoltaics very critically.

Bookstar schrieb:
It is almost the only thing that can be retrofitted on a new build and therefore not attractive at the start. Investing in something that only pays off after more than 10 years is at least bold.

I view photovoltaics very critically.

Turn the argument around: “The photovoltaic system is the only part of the entire house that actually pays for itself!”

Also, retrofitting is generally more expensive because you have to bring in scaffolding, set it up, and take it down. You know how much that costs! If you decide on photovoltaics, from an installation cost perspective it always makes sense to do it at the beginning, right after roofing.

It’s fine to be critical of photovoltaics, since it is naturally an expensive add-on, and if something breaks, the ROI shifts. But your argument is not quite correct this way.

Bookstar schrieb:
It’s almost the only retrofit option in new builds and therefore not attractive initially. Investing in something that only pays off after more than 10 years is at least bold.

I’m very skeptical about photovoltaics.

Assuming the 10 years, we are talking about a 10% return. The feed-in tariff is guaranteed and fixed for 20 years. The insurance for the system is also inexpensive, and the warranties on the modules are 10 years or longer. The only thing that can go wrong is a faulty inverter.
Where else do you get such a high return with so little risk?

Alex85 schrieb:
Assuming 10 years, we are talking about a 10% return. The payment is guaranteed and fixed for 20 years. The insurance for the system is also inexpensive, with warranties on the modules of 10 years or more. The only thing that could go wrong is a faulty inverter.
Where else can you get such a high return with so little risk?

I can’t think of anywhere you get that much return with so little risk. I wish I had more roof space available.

You can even finance the cost of the photovoltaic system with a loan. Then the interest initially reduces your profit (and taxes), and after repaying the loan, you receive the full profit. So, you don’t even need to have your own cash available.