I am based in the eastern Algarve and wish to explore ways to reduce our utility bills. A number of people mentioned solar power as an option, either to heat water or to generate electricity. I have even been told that it is possible to sell power back to the grid. Unfortunately, I have yet to find reliable information that presents the options clearly.

Could anyone point me in the right direction or has anyone had personal experience of solar energy? It would be great to get ballpark figures for installation and for the type of savings that might be expected.

Solar panels are in theory a good idea, they certainly work on sunny days from March -october to heat your water and should provide a family of 4 with more than sufficient.
Solar panels for electricity production is again in theory OK however your payback on the original investment is much longer than the salesman will tell you.
1) The rate you receive from the electricity companies is not guarenteed aand as many across europe have found can be cut substantially.
2) In Portugal your income from selling back the power to the grid is TAXABLE !!.

However if you can install a simple domestic system for your own use , reverting back to the mains in periods of high usuage this can be done for a much lower cost.

The first thing I would do is get quotes for solar panels for your water, you will see an immediate benefit and the cost of installation is much cheaper than any system to generate electricity. Most of the big DIY stores sell solar water systems.

Thanks for your help EMR.

Regarding solar water systems; would you recommend that I contact vendors/contractors, or is it possible to get a tradesman to intall a system bought at a DIY store?

Do you have any indication of price for this type of system or for the simple domestic system that you mentioned for generating electricity? I have heard a wide variety of prices from people that had no direct knowledge of these issues.

Many airconditioning companies also install solar, I would get a number of quotes. Usually they are installed on roof terraces or roofs ,south facing.
For domestic Solar PV systems if you post in Expats Portugal they have a number of members who have done this.

Without subsidies, the economics of solar electricity still doesn't match mains power. It's getting very close, but at this point it won't save you money, due to the high cost of buying the panels.

You would save much more by going extremely frugal on energy use; which is how most solar power users live.

This means LED bulbs, keep everything switched off whenever you don't really need it, highest energy efficiency appliances, and so on. Just get used to living in low light, and if you have a fridge, don't open it.

A solar "collector" [that's what the water heating ones are called] will definitely be worthwhile, but the installations are always set at 30 degrees, so they work great in summer, but not at all in winter.
For winter use, they need to be set at 60 degrees [closer vertical than horizontal]. That would still give you hot water only on sunny winter days.

I think a solar collector should be angle adjustable for winter / summer, which wouldn't be at all difficult; but I don't know if anyone would have the hardware available.

In Portugal, even solar home heating is possible, but it's a bit difficult and too expensive when done professionally.

The other thing many forget it to keep it clean and to keep the glycol topped up.
It is this that heats the water.

Hi we had a system installed which works all the year round in all weather has cut our bills right down and the outdoor panel is only 8 kg the company done a great job

Selling again Morgan?

I had the same thought as well!!

Peter I am not selling again its a system we had he installed a year ago so keep you nose out Peter as I am sure you think you know it all Peter

Then give us some technical details ( no advertising ) as it sounds far too good to be true.
Is it Solar Thermal ?
Ist it Photo voltaic ?
What is the panel size etc etc.

Please pm me I can send technical info read for your self I am retired and not here to earn money at my age

Why so nasty? This is a forum for people who want help and advice and also for people who want to give help and advice!

Peters response could be that when the benefits of solar have been discussed elsewhere identical or similar responses have been posted.

Morgan I do not need a full technical spec . please just post a general description of what you have and how it works, then if anyone is interested they can PM you for the full details.

If what you have works and is that good why not ???

Frequently asked questions:

Why is the panel black?

The panel is black for efficiency as black absorbs heat more than any
other color. The aim is to get the
panel to the highest temperature possible as this will in turn raise
the temperature of the refrigerant to a
higher temperature and make the system more efficient.

Will the compressor be running all the time?
No, the system will have a setting in place so that the system will
only be heating water when required.
Example: When the water in the tank reaches 60°C, the system will shut
itself off, it will then switch back on
when the water temperature in the tank drops below 55°C. Therefore the
amount of time the compressor will
be on for will depend on how much water is used during the day.

What is the energy consumption of the compressor?

The compressor runs on 390 watts, which is the equivalent of 4 light
bulbs. However we estimate that in an
ordinary household the compressor will only be running for between 3
and 5 hours a day, so the
consumption will be approximately the equivalent of 1 light bulb
running constantly. However if you require
2 panels your consumption will increase to 595 watts.

How much will my annual running costs be?

It is difficult to say as it depends on the amount of people living in
your home full time and the amount of
water they use but our results suggest that on average the price for
hot water for the year using our product is
approximately €30 per person.

Does this system need a back-up heating system for during the winter?

No, this is the only solar panel heating system that will provide you
with 100% of your hot water. Also our
cylinders come with a mini-emersion inside that can be turned on
manually if needed. However if you would
like to incorporate a back-up heating system there is a provision for a
secondary heating coil in most of the
systems we provide (call for specific information on tanks). If you
decided that you wanted the secondary
coil in the tank then we would advise you to put a manual leaver on the
system and only use it if necessary.

What is the difference between the Thermboil system and conventional
solar systems?

There are many differences such as our system has a smaller panel,
needs less panels, works on both sides,
panel is aluminum with no glass and frost does not affect our panel.
However the big difference is efficiency, our panel works day and
night, hail, rain, wind or shine, whereas
conventional panels only work during the day when the sun is shining.
For this reason our system can work as a stand alone system and whereas
conventional panels require back-up power when in high demand.