FAQ
1. I have read your offer letter what is the catch?
None. We have worked closely with the public sector and we are aware that you are faced with legislative demands (stringent carbon reduction targets/ CSR/CRC compliance and emissions reporting and others) and an increase in future energy costs at a time when the public sector faces crippling budget cuts. Therefore our offer merely provides a creative financial solution to the demand for clean renewable energy.
2. What if we have a solar roof installed and then sell the building?
3. The lease and Energy sales contracts will be transferred with the property to the new occupant. Alternatively they may be terminated at an agreed fee. Your offer mentions electricity supply being sold at the current price. What price will it be for the next five years if I install a roof today?
We will agree a price based on your current provider and hold this for 5 yrs. The key driver here is to provide certainty of cost for budgetary purposes and to protect against inevitable increases in electricity prices and security of supply. Alternatively we will agree a price at a discount to your current electricity price.
4. We purchase supply through a procurement consortium at the moment. How will our micro generation from PV affect this arrangement?
Your current procurement arrangements can continue although you will of course be purchasing a lesser amount.
5. Your website/literature says you are a clean renewable energy company, what other renewables do you specialise in?
At the moment we are focusing on solar PV because the government Feed-in tariff (FIT) has dramatically improved the return on investment for solar. We will be developing other renewable energy opportunities such as solar thermal, heat pumps and biomass fuels in the near future.
6. Who will bear the cost of maintenance and insurance?
CREG will bear the total cost of the solar panels, theirinstallation,maintenance and the insurance costs.
7. What is a WATT?
A watt is a unit for measuring power. 1,000 watts is referred to as a kilowatt and is denoted by the letters kW. The lower case k is always used in order not to be confused with the upper case K that refers exclusively to degrees Kelvin. The upper case W is used in honour to James Watt for his contribution to science.
8. What is a MEGAWATT?
1,000 kilowatts is referred to as a Megawatt and is denoted by the letters MW. The upper case M is used exclusively for describing amounts in millions, e.g. 1,000,000 watts.
9. What is a WATT HOUR ?
Partly for commercial reasons, energy is expressed in watt-hours or, more commonly, in kilowatt-hours (kWh). The term is used to describe both power and energy usage.
10. What is PEAK POWER ?
Peak power, measured in watts, is the amount of power a solar cell or module will produce under standard test conditions (normally 1000 W/m2 at 25ºC temperature).
11. What is PERFORMANCE RATIO?
The ratio is used to describe the efficiency of solar cells when loss factors such as overheating, poor maintenance, shadow, mismatching of cells etc. have been discounted. The PR can be measured on a daily and/or weekly basis but is normally measured over longer periods.
12. What is PANEL DEGRADATION?
This is the rate at which solar cells lose efficiency over their working lives. Manufacturers’ warranties typically state of a minimum of 90% efficiency over the first ten years and a minimum 80% over the following fifteen years.
13. What are SOLAR CELLS?
Solar cells are made of light-absorbing materials that react to sunlight by forcing electrons into circuits and thereby creating electrical energy. For greater efficiency and protection, cells are packed and inter-connected in modules usually framed in aluminium and covered by glass. These can be made to varying sizes and mounted on structures that angle them perpendicularly to the sun’s rays.
14. What is an INVERTER?
Alternating current (AC) is the most efficient form of energy transmission. Electricity from solar cells is transmitted initially by direct current (DC) but is changed by inverters to (AC) so that it can be fed into the grid or power equipment.
15. What are TRANSFORMERS?
Transformers receive electrical energy and change its voltage to be more suitable for its ongoing journey – high voltage for efficient long distance transmission or low voltage ready to be used in electrical equipment.