Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

How to save energy and money in North Cyprus: Solar Panels, Wind Turbines - find out all you need to know about renewable energy.

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Catlover
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Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by Catlover »

I recently took the plunge after dithering for years and had solar panels installed for cheaper electricity.
Prompted by a very high bill this summer and then when I worked it out I was paying approximately £2000 per year on electricity bills, I contacted Comfortable Life Systems Ltd in Alasancak to explain it all to me.
The very kind lady, Elena, in their office, arranged for someone to come to the house the next day to check what could be installed and to work out the costs for me.
The following week I had the report and made my decision to go ahead with the installation.
Within 2 days of signing the contract and paying the initial instalment, the team were at the house and the system was in and working the same day.
This was also a Bayram.
Although I had to wait until Kibtek had approved the system and officially changed my connection so that I am credited with the energy I put into their system, I was able to use my solar electricity immediately.
The team advised me to do all my washing and high energy usage during the day to ensure I used as much of my solar electricity as possible.
Now, 2 months later, I have my Kibtek approval and all their certificates.
My electric bill showed an immediate drop as soon as the panels were installed and has been decreasing ever since.
I am now looking forward to my first bill from Kibtek showing what I am feeding back into the grid.

Comfortable Life Systems Ltd have a super team.
Not only very efficient but exceptionally helpful and understanding.
All I can say is I wish I had managed to get this done sooner and would highly recommend both the company and the installation of solar panels.
I will probably recoup the cost within 4-5 years maximum.

Comfortable Life Systems Ltd are based in Alsancak in the parade of shops opposite Ya Beles.
They are next to the Pizza Restaurant.
Çetinay Plaza,
Karaoğlanoğlu Cd. 210E,
Alsancak, Girne, Mersin 10, Turkey, 99350

Tel: 0533 888 95 97 / 0548 888 95 97
http://www.clsltd.com.tr

kibsolar1999
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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by kibsolar1999 »

Hello,
as we expalined many times.. the immediate (eg, after 2 days a contract was signed) installation and connection of a PV system to the grid is not permitted.
first you have to apply and get a "permission to install", then you can connect and wait for final approval from kibtek.

as a PV system can produce, say, 1600 to 1650 kWh per kWp in the first year, this reperesents , say, ( from kibtkek tariff say, averaged 0,6 TL + VAT = 0,66 TL = 14 eurocents, x 1600 kWh = ) 225 euos a year savings.
with 4 - 5 years maximum payback, "all in" investment, (solar system, electric plans, kibtek fees and VAT) would be 900 to 1125 euros per installed kWp.
(pls multiply with the installed kWp, eg, 5 kWp = 4500 to 5625 euros (or 3980 to 5000 STG) )

these prices we can not achieve, using reliable, usually european made modules and inverters, incl aluminium mounting systems.

so, iam asking.. is there anything wrong in your calculation? and
what did you get for your money? eg, which panels and which inverter? (eg manufacturer, model, and how it was mouonted?

thanks in advance
kibsolar1999

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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by Catlover »

I have the "Permission to install" certificate plus Kibtek have been to check the system so it has been done by the rules.
Kibtek have approved everything and now have reduced my bills based on the renewable energy being fed back to Kibtek.

My bill for last month was just over 100TL which is approximately 300TL less than the same time last year so there is clearly a huge saving.

I am sorry but I do not understand your posting, as you seem to be implying my system cannot produce the renewable energy capable of paying back the costs within 4-5 years.

Maybe you are more interested in putting negative feedback so that people will contact you for your system?

All I am doing is stating the facts as I see them and explaining that I am exceptionally happy with the service I have received from Comfortable Life Systems.

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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by Deniz1 »

my electric bill last month was 175tl using all the normal domestic appliances 2 air cpn units for heating and an immersion for hot water also a hairdryer every day. Think I will stick to that thanks

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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by frontalman »

Catlover, dare we ask how much you paid for this new system?

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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by CatalkoyChris »

Can probably work it out roughly.

100 TL a month which is 300 TL less than this time last year so that would indicate a monthly electricity bill of ~400 TL.
Lets say this is average-ish so 400 TL times 12 is 4800 TL per year.

If it is paid off in 4 to 5 years this is ~24000 TL at the higher level, divide by current exchange rate of approx. 5 = roughly £5 grand.

Seems about right for a fairly comprehensive system...

I welcome any feedback on my fag packet calculations
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Post by Laura B »

Well Chris he does say in his first post that his electricity was costing him £2000 per year.

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Post by Catlover »

Chris my low bills were between 280 - 450 TL per month. However in June last year my bill was 930TL and July was 780TL.
It will be interesting to see how they reduce given that there are more hours of sunlight then so I am hoping the panels will help to bring that down a lot.

Frontalman - I paid about 5700 Euro by the time Kibtek connection fee had been paid.

Deniz1 - if my bill was only 175TL per month I would agree with you.

I guess my take on this would be, if you are spending over 300TL per month on electric currently, then it is worth considering.
At the end of the day, I will be making huge savings within a few years, added to that I am reducing my dependency on Kibtek.
Their bills will increase as the cost of diesel increases.

If anyone is interested in using solar panels for general electric and not just hot water then this company is very good at explaining all your options.
They don't do a hard sell, and they are prepared to give you various costings and advice.
If I had to say I had any regrets - it would be that I didn't do this sooner. Better late than never

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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by kibsolar1999 »

Catlover,
No, Iam not interested in putting negative feedback. How you come to this conclusion, given that your calculations are correct and we state that “these prices we can not achieve” ??
again. Either your (or from others given ) calculations are wrong or CLS did this job for a price we, kibsolar, would not offer. And that (higher) price is related with the high quality of the equipment we use.
It would have been much easier for all of us when you simply state what you got for your money, here 5700 euros, eg, 3,4 or 5 kWp or whatever, plus, also important, panel and inverter manufacturer, this kind.
Pls be so kind and give us above info, plus, in which direction your panels are installed (eg, south??) and on which approx degree, then we can tell you somewhat to the kWh what your yearly output in kWh will be = the yearly savings you can expect from your solar PV system. And your payback.
and you avoid that others do “fag packet calculations” instead. which must be, due to lack of data, somewhat incorrect.
Of course we support your saying that the installation of a PV solar system is worth considering and of course we are open to make offers to anyone interested.
Kibsolar (since) 1999

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Re: Solar Panels for Cheaper Electric Bills - recommendation

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Post by smudger7 »

Kibsolar,
I have sent emails last week and tried calling the numbers on your web site for the past 4 days to no avail.

Can you please make urgent contact if you want to look at new projects.

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Post by kibsolar1999 »

smudger,
sorry, iam currently in germany.

[email protected] works much better. do you use whats up? 00905338664243

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Post by RAZR63 »

All this talk about private solar panels. Surely the TRNC / Kibtek should be providing it wholesale. I am sure it has been mentioned many times in the past that there is plenty of scope to build a Solar Farm in the TRNC but due to short sightedness, funding and corruption this has not happened. With new technology the cost of panels have been decreasing, they have become more efficient and cost effective.

Perhaps Kibsolar may want to build one??

https://futurism.com/china-built-huge-f ... coal-mine/

https://news.energysage.com/solar-farms-start-one/

https://www.economist.com/news/science- ... s-new-type

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Post by kibsolar1999 »

Hi Razr63
we all had a discussion about how “grid parallel” or “on grid” solar installations would benefit the TRNC and the people in the TRNC for many years, say, starting around 2007-9 till the first draft-law in 2011 and the first regulations finalisied in 2014.
Of course KIBTEK had a word In this discussion, both technical and financially, and also “social factors” have been taken in consideration.
Technically: North Cyprus (and all of Cyprus) is an “off grid “ power producer. We are not interconnected to Turkey or eg, Egypt to “buffer” energy consumption and overproduction. Due to winter-summer, good wheather-bad wheather, clouds and so on, we only can install a limited amount of solar power in the TRNC (and the whole of Cyprus). Plus, our grid network still is “weak”, especially the “local distribution” in the towns and villages. The new SCADA system eases the situation, but not all is good. And, there IS a solar farm (1,2 MWp), financed by the European Union and connected to the KIBTEK grid as a “trial installation”, in Serhatköy, Güzelyurt area. The experiences are “mixed” , as sometimes surges (also from the solar power station) “hit” the network and the farm does not run optimal.
Financially: big solar farms would mean big investors from abroad (even for bigger Cypriot companies it is not easy) come and install, say 10 or 20 bigger or middle sized solar power plants (and that was it then, because: see above= only limited solar is possible, especially in big plants). They get a revenue for each kWh produced (and they did ask for compensation in the cases of power cuts as well), which must be payed by KIBTEK. But KIBTEK has no money because they basically make no profit. So, KIBTEK did ask the government “who pays for it??” and –or “who compensates us” for the loss of customers = less produced kWh, but still must “keep up the service” to supply power whenever needed and also to make the solar power stations run (no or “bad” power = no solar production from PV). For that you have to also know that the “production costs” (without distribution = staff, technical support, accounting and so on) from “oil” are lower as the power from solar produced), and of course the investors want to calculate their investments. It would have meant that a “solar penny” must be introduced, ( as in Europe, eg in germany we talk at the moment 6 eurocent per kWh just for “Renewable energy production compensation” = total cost of one kWh stands , incl VAT ,at approx 29 eurocents!!! TRNC: 13 to 20 in high tariff ) to be payed by all KIBTEK connected homes (= higher electricity costs) , or by the taxpayer.
Both was not favoured by the to be elected parties (the poor pay for the investors) nor the government ( = higher taxes).
There are more aspects, but finally it was decided ( to combine technical, financial and social aspects) that KIBTEK has to be reformed (eg, less staff and technically updated, eg new electric meters), the government waive good parts of the VAT both for the solar installation and the supplied- produced kWh from Kibtek - solar systems and to introduce a system in which “the consumer” or “the people” (incl the local businesses) will get a fair chance to benefit from solar installations and not big investors alone: so, a “net metering system” was introduced which means many many “small systems” on many many homes , which do stabilize the local distribution network (lapta, girne, wherever) as well and KIBTEK can see how the more and more solar installations will affect the grid… and their accounting .
Imho, that was a very good decision and otherwise this “forum” (renewable energy) would not exist, because all “solar” would be in the hands of investors and your energy bill would be a bit or much higher.
Kibsolar1999

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Post by StoryCharms »

It's very interesting to read about the solar farm and domestic solar power options. Thanks to everyone posting here.
As a newcomer I was wondering why I haven't seen solar panels in many places because this is such a sunny place with many obvious domestic applications such as water heating or lighting. Solar powered street lighting is another possibility for local authorities to consider, especially in remote areas, but I guess it all comes down to funding.

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Post by CatalkoyChris »

Don't forget you can start 'small' by using solar powered appliances or rigging up a solar charger for appliances.

I have a solar powered speaker, a solar powered radio and a 12v trickle charger attached to a usb socket outlet to charge my phone.

Obviously they don't save tonnes of money but, for example, I don't have a large music centre - just my speaker and a mobile phone full of tunes.

These are reasonably cheap and they work OK.

And the radio just keeps working and working.

What I would love to do is change all my bulbs to LEDs and maybe rig up a panel just to keep those charged...

I would also like to set up a rig just to charge sufficient batteries to run say my washing machine, or a TV.

But maybe these small systems are a complicated way of doing things, I'll stick to my small appliances for now...

Solar setups do seem to be becoming cheaper, better quality and more efficient. So it depends on when you decide to 'hop on the band wagon'...
"Two heads are better than one!" - Zaphod Beeblebrox

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Post by kibsolar1999 »

Dear Chris,
Sure, the use of small (better : micro) solar appliances can not save a lot of energy, the lifetime is doubtful, and even cheap Chinese made stuff is, when you compare produced energy and invested money, not cheap, eg, to charge my mobile phone from KIBTEK cost me approx 50 eurocents per YEAR.
On top , they are not very practical… eg, when the phone has to stay 10 hrs a day on charging and I have to carry the charger several times a day around the house for some sun.
Small- micro solar appliances are also not environment friendly at all, as usually additional equipment is needed , eg, (trickle) chargers, plugs, smaller or even bigger batteries and so on. Their production takes much more energy as you ever can produce.
I don’t know how many solar garden “dim lights” find their way into the dustbin after max 2 years, due to inefficient function and or failure.
To change bulbs (to LED), change the (maybe inefficient) fridge and others, is a good way to save energy and costs and has a much better payback as small-micro solar appliances.
The moment you would like to go “a bit bigger” as to run your fridge, washing machine or your LED lights only, you will see that technical limitations (eg, the needed power and needed battery storage for a washing machine/fridge or , eg, do you want to make changes to your wiring for all your home lights for 12V use?) will make those installations maybe a bit more expensive as you may planned.
It seems that you initiative is more driven by the attempt to achieve a small part of independency, which is appreciated, but has nothing to do with a “proper use of solar energy”.
“proper use” for “small systems” start, say, with a solar pool pumping system.
Yes, solar PV panels become more and more efficient, “better quality”… well, not that easy to find and then you have to pay for...
and, when you invest, say the here mentioned 5700 euros, it does not matter whether you can get a solar panel (of same power and quality) for, say 200 euros, instead of 230 euros 3 years later.. You need, eg, 20 panels, which would be 600 euros less, but this is usually (partly) wiped out by higher transport, labour, taxes and other expenses.
Even if you have a price advantage, does it matter whether you have a payback of, say 6 years instead of 6,2 years? No, as the point is: the earlier you invest, the earlier you have savings. To wait makes no sense, as during this time you have to continue to pay your bill.
The economical question is answered, PV solar systems are feasible.
The only questions are: does your budget allow an investment? Does it makes sense to go for a mid term investment in North Cyprus?
Two times “yes” = go solar, now….

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Post by OliveTim »

Would it make sense for a holiday home owner to have panels to run their pump pool.
ALL the electricity could be used without feeding any back to Kibtek, so a simpler install.
If viable, how much of an area would you need and how much roughly please for the system

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Post by Keithcaley »

There is a thread on this subject started by Kibsolar here which does contain useful information on 'payback' and links to other resources.

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Post by silverfox1 »

Kibsolar, can you detail the pay back on your systems now Kibtek have raised their prices by up to 30%.
Thanks.

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