Solar Power in Chiclana
Mar 12th 2006, 8:02 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 31
Solar Power in Chiclana
When we built our houses in Chiclana (which are off the grid) we knew it could be a while before power was available so we installed a mail order solar system
The system came with superb set of self install instructions, making it a very easy job.
We also bought a 'Remote Power Series' Kit, which came with litterally everything needed to install, including fuses, cables, structures, even a tube of Silicon. The staff there were also very helpful in helping out when we needed them.
I am led to believe that many prople in the area are worried about been cut off from the grid as there meters may not be legal -
We have been really pleased with the results and actually feel a sense of pride that we are doing our bit for the environment (not withstanding the fact that we have FREE electricity for ever AND credits when the pylons do eventually go in!!!)
if anyone would like advice please contact me at <<email address removed for privacy - Please PM member for contact details>>and I will pass on their contact details to you
The system came with superb set of self install instructions, making it a very easy job.
We also bought a 'Remote Power Series' Kit, which came with litterally everything needed to install, including fuses, cables, structures, even a tube of Silicon. The staff there were also very helpful in helping out when we needed them.
I am led to believe that many prople in the area are worried about been cut off from the grid as there meters may not be legal -
We have been really pleased with the results and actually feel a sense of pride that we are doing our bit for the environment (not withstanding the fact that we have FREE electricity for ever AND credits when the pylons do eventually go in!!!)
if anyone would like advice please contact me at <<email address removed for privacy - Please PM member for contact details>>and I will pass on their contact details to you
Last edited by Sue; Mar 13th 2006 at 1:50 pm. Reason: Email address removed
Mar 12th 2006, 12:36 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 166
Re: Solar Power in Chiclana
Originally Posted by CharlieBangor
When we built our houses in Chiclana (which are off the grid) we knew it could be a while before power was available so we installed a mail order solar system
The system came with superb set of self install instructions, making it a very easy job.
We also bought a 'Remote Power Series' Kit, which came with litterally everything needed to install, including fuses, cables, structures, even a tube of Silicon. The staff there were also very helpful in helping out when we needed them.
I am led to believe that many prople in the area are worried about been cut off from the grid as there meters may not be legal -
We have been really pleased with the results and actually feel a sense of pride that we are doing our bit for the environment (not withstanding the fact that we have FREE electricity for ever AND credits when the pylons do eventually go in!!!)
if anyone would like advice please contact me at and I will pass on their contact details to you
The system came with superb set of self install instructions, making it a very easy job.
We also bought a 'Remote Power Series' Kit, which came with litterally everything needed to install, including fuses, cables, structures, even a tube of Silicon. The staff there were also very helpful in helping out when we needed them.
I am led to believe that many prople in the area are worried about been cut off from the grid as there meters may not be legal -
We have been really pleased with the results and actually feel a sense of pride that we are doing our bit for the environment (not withstanding the fact that we have FREE electricity for ever AND credits when the pylons do eventually go in!!!)
if anyone would like advice please contact me at and I will pass on their contact details to you
cheers steve
Mar 12th 2006, 2:17 pm
#3
Rizlared
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Anhui, China
Posts: 237
Re: Solar Power in Chiclana
I looked into solar energy, thinking it could power air conditioning 
, but have been advised that other than basic lighting we still don't have the technology (Via solar energy) to power a complete house, do let us know how you get on.
regards
Kevray
, but have been advised that other than basic lighting we still don't have the technology (Via solar energy) to power a complete house, do let us know how you get on.regards
Kevray
Mar 12th 2006, 4:42 pm
#4
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 31
Re: Solar Power in Chiclana
Mar 12th 2006, 8:12 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 31
Re: Solar Power in Chiclana
As I have had tons of emails from people regarding my post, I thought it would be a good idea to write up a bit of a case study on our project in Chiclana.
When we purchased our plots (about 3 years ago) we were under no illusions as to the fact that we would have to investigate alternative power sources for our properties. What follows is a synopsis of our story in Chiclana!
The first thing we did was scour the net typing in every variation of keyword imaginable! There are loads of really good info sites to read up on, just type something like "solar power" into google and see!
We came across a couple of "specialist" companies in the Costa Del Sol area who also advertised that they can assist with grants etc. After a couple of phone calls I flew out to Puerto Banus and met with a 2 reps from 2 different companies.
The first thing they both did was a kind of "fact find" as to what appliances we would need and how often we would be using them - eg how many light sockets / TV / video / computer etc.
After we questioned them both they confirmed what we already knew that solar is not advisable for running any appliance that uses a heating element (ie electric cookers / fan heaters / hair dryers / kettles / irons etc) - this is a very very important thing to consider when thinking about solar!!! (I am led to believe that some less scrupulous companies fail to inform you of this and have to wonder if this would have been disclosed had we not asked!!!)
After we had our fact find thing done we were given a price, which equated to an "indexed" price approved by the Junta Andalucia (for grant purposes) This equated to 12.6 euros for Evey watt required, in our case we needed 2.6 kw to run 2 houses (the systems tend to come in 1, 2.6 and 5kw packages) so our installed price was 32760 euros + IVA
OK, now onto the grant. The Junta Andalucia approve schemes from a Madrid based government department called IDEA. They will grant you between 0 & 30% of the "indexed price" depending on your individual circumstances. The applications are done in "window periods" and there are no guarantees you will get anything! - In our circumstances, we were told that we should qualify for a 30% reduction as we were classed as "isolated".
However, here comes the catch! The IDEA scheme is in fact a cheap loan that has to be paid back over 7 or 8 years at EURIBOR + 1% (about 3.8% at the mo per annum) - you cant repay early and a charge is put on your property. So, if you assume that EURIBOR stays static for the next 8 years, you will pay 8 years at 3.85% (which is 30.8% in interest, which strangely enough is almost equal to the amount of the grant in the first place!!!
My impressions from the 2 companies that I saw implied that they were not interested in a cash purchase and wanted me to take the loan option. They also were un willing to move much on the 30 grand price!
As we didnt want to get involved in a finance agreement,all the paperwork that came with it and become residents we decided to pursue other methods.
After a fair bit of more web surfing, we then found a company in Valencia run by an English guy. He basically wholesales solar equipment in bulk and provides DIY kits. As we had a pretty good idea of what we needed, I asked him to work the price out for just the equipment - my word what a difference - almost HALF the price and that included delivery!
As I was a bit uneasy as to how to wire the equipment up, I did the non critical stuff (donkey work) my self and (after a bit of nagging and a couple of grand for his time!) flew him to the south to connect it all up and test it -
So far We have been really pleased with it - we are running 2 houses from a 2.6kw a day system - I have called the guy on many occasions with general queries and he has been very helpful
The guy that we got the stuff from is also really helpful in procuring hi-tech stuff from his supplier... for example an average house in Spain would need a water pump that pushes about 5 bar of pressure / needing approx 2kw of power. (This is because most houses pump from deep in a well underground)
We bought a specially designed solar pumping system from him that pumps about 2000 lites a day to storage tanks on ground level. He sorted us out a low wattage pump that uses only 500w (but still pushes 4 bar) which was a bit more expensive than the run of the mill pumps - and it works great. on 2 showers 2 basins and a sink in the kitchen!
The batteries can also be boosted by auxiliary charge if needed (so we keep our generator handy if need be!) We also run the washing machine solely from the generator and have no probs there
There are limitations with solar but you can make it work if you want!
Doing it this way saved us I reckon about 10000 euros!
Obviously, I wont publish the company in Valencia's web address on here as I know some people get a bit funny about promoting firms, but if you do want their details email me at <<email address removed for privacy - Please contact user via pm>> and I'll forward your details to him
Hope this is useful
Andy
When we purchased our plots (about 3 years ago) we were under no illusions as to the fact that we would have to investigate alternative power sources for our properties. What follows is a synopsis of our story in Chiclana!
The first thing we did was scour the net typing in every variation of keyword imaginable! There are loads of really good info sites to read up on, just type something like "solar power" into google and see!
We came across a couple of "specialist" companies in the Costa Del Sol area who also advertised that they can assist with grants etc. After a couple of phone calls I flew out to Puerto Banus and met with a 2 reps from 2 different companies.
The first thing they both did was a kind of "fact find" as to what appliances we would need and how often we would be using them - eg how many light sockets / TV / video / computer etc.
After we questioned them both they confirmed what we already knew that solar is not advisable for running any appliance that uses a heating element (ie electric cookers / fan heaters / hair dryers / kettles / irons etc) - this is a very very important thing to consider when thinking about solar!!! (I am led to believe that some less scrupulous companies fail to inform you of this and have to wonder if this would have been disclosed had we not asked!!!)
After we had our fact find thing done we were given a price, which equated to an "indexed" price approved by the Junta Andalucia (for grant purposes) This equated to 12.6 euros for Evey watt required, in our case we needed 2.6 kw to run 2 houses (the systems tend to come in 1, 2.6 and 5kw packages) so our installed price was 32760 euros + IVA
OK, now onto the grant. The Junta Andalucia approve schemes from a Madrid based government department called IDEA. They will grant you between 0 & 30% of the "indexed price" depending on your individual circumstances. The applications are done in "window periods" and there are no guarantees you will get anything! - In our circumstances, we were told that we should qualify for a 30% reduction as we were classed as "isolated".
However, here comes the catch! The IDEA scheme is in fact a cheap loan that has to be paid back over 7 or 8 years at EURIBOR + 1% (about 3.8% at the mo per annum) - you cant repay early and a charge is put on your property. So, if you assume that EURIBOR stays static for the next 8 years, you will pay 8 years at 3.85% (which is 30.8% in interest, which strangely enough is almost equal to the amount of the grant in the first place!!!
My impressions from the 2 companies that I saw implied that they were not interested in a cash purchase and wanted me to take the loan option. They also were un willing to move much on the 30 grand price!
As we didnt want to get involved in a finance agreement,all the paperwork that came with it and become residents we decided to pursue other methods.
After a fair bit of more web surfing, we then found a company in Valencia run by an English guy. He basically wholesales solar equipment in bulk and provides DIY kits. As we had a pretty good idea of what we needed, I asked him to work the price out for just the equipment - my word what a difference - almost HALF the price and that included delivery!
As I was a bit uneasy as to how to wire the equipment up, I did the non critical stuff (donkey work) my self and (after a bit of nagging and a couple of grand for his time!) flew him to the south to connect it all up and test it -
So far We have been really pleased with it - we are running 2 houses from a 2.6kw a day system - I have called the guy on many occasions with general queries and he has been very helpful
The guy that we got the stuff from is also really helpful in procuring hi-tech stuff from his supplier... for example an average house in Spain would need a water pump that pushes about 5 bar of pressure / needing approx 2kw of power. (This is because most houses pump from deep in a well underground)
We bought a specially designed solar pumping system from him that pumps about 2000 lites a day to storage tanks on ground level. He sorted us out a low wattage pump that uses only 500w (but still pushes 4 bar) which was a bit more expensive than the run of the mill pumps - and it works great. on 2 showers 2 basins and a sink in the kitchen!
The batteries can also be boosted by auxiliary charge if needed (so we keep our generator handy if need be!) We also run the washing machine solely from the generator and have no probs there
There are limitations with solar but you can make it work if you want!
Doing it this way saved us I reckon about 10000 euros!
Obviously, I wont publish the company in Valencia's web address on here as I know some people get a bit funny about promoting firms, but if you do want their details email me at <<email address removed for privacy - Please contact user via pm>> and I'll forward your details to him
Hope this is useful
Andy
Mar 13th 2006, 10:58 am
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 166
Re: Solar Power in Chiclana
Cheers Andy many thanks i was also looking into solar just in case i didnt get a meter (touch Wood). What sort of M2 area does your panels cover, i worked out it would need to be around 30M2 for around about figure of 4 to 5Kvs, was also off on a course dn to wales at the Eco centre to learn about basic PV systems,installations etc, on hold at the moment awaiting out come of electricity application saga again 
Last edited by steve in pago; Mar 13th 2006 at 11:05 am.
