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Pioneering Microgeneration in the Region

  Greenshop Solar is fully accredited under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to install solar thermal panels, solar photovoltaic panels (PV panels) and wind turbine systems. We also install systems to maximise your use of the generated energy, such as the Immersun immersion heating system and Self Use and Backup inverter battery storage systems.

This means that all solar thermal, solar photovoltaic and wind generator systems that we design, supply and install, fully comply with a stringent industry standard.

Systems installed comply with the Feed in Tariff (FiT) and the coming Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) requirements.  

Greenshop Solar also distribute solar collectors and accessories other to installers.  

Generating Heat and Power Using Solar Energy

Greenshop Solar sells and installs renewable energy systems. We are specialists in solar thermal systems providing hot water and optional assistance to space heating using Consolar thermal stores, as well as photovoltaic energy generation systems. We install in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Bristol from our base on the Cotswolds at Bisley, Stroud.

We are also UK distributors for Consolar state of the art thermal stores and solar collectors. The solar panels available can be evacuated tube or flat plate collectors. The flat plate collectors can be installed "in roof" or 'on roof" as required. The Tubo evacuated tube collectors are neat and slim without the unsightly bulky manifold, a characteristic of so many glass tube collectors. 

Thermal stores allow heat from solar and/or wood boilers to be saved for later use. eg. the solar energy harvested during the day can deliver heat in the evening and the following morning, negating the need to use the main heating system. This is ideal for low temperature heating systems like under floor heating. The systems are especially suitable for low energy buildings giving control over heat energy supply as required.

PV - Photovoltaic Solar Panels

The Future for PV is looking even better now the cost of the panels is lower, the cost has been dropping steadily over the recent years. The Feed in Tariff (FiT) started in 2009 at 41p/kwhr and with a 4kw peak system costing around £19,000 the return in investment was between 8% and 10%. Four years on and the price has dropped by 75%, the FiT has dropped the same and the return is still as good, despite the roller coaster ride that installers and customers have had during this period.

PV is still a good investment, from the FiT alone, with a 4kw peak system costing between £5,000 and £8,000, with 15.44p/kwhr payment a return on investment of 6-10% can be achieved. In addition to this if you use the power whilst the system is generating it saves importing energy, save money and carbon emissions. The large price range difference for an installation is because of the wide difference in price of the panels, the cheaper end of the price range tends to be panels with a manufacturer that is new to the market, or a less efficient panel, Greenshop Solar only uses panels from the more credible companies and at the higher end of the efficiency range. Greenshop Solar are approved installers for SunPower, the most efficient PV panel on the market and Panasonic another very efficient panel, we also commonly install Hyundai and LG.

The UK achieved over 1Gigawatt peak of generating capacity in January 2012, and this is rising fast. It is now within the reach of most people to contribute to their one energy use.

If the building has a PV system already installed additional panels can be added if space is available, these extra panels will attract the FiT rate applicable at the time of installation, not the rate of the original system.

If your concern is maximising your use of the solar energy you can install a different inverter with batteries that will store the solar energy harvested in the day and supply it for use during the darker hours.

If shading has proved to be a problem we now have a range of inverters from Solar Edge that optimises the output from each panel, this minimises the effects that shading one panel has on the whole system. If you have shading issues on your existing PV installation we can install panel optimisers that maximise the output from each panel and negate the output reducing effect from the shaded panels. This can be worth thousands of pounds over the life of the system.

Another issue is energy security, when the grid electricity supply fails the PV system shuts down, an alternative is a different type of inverter and batteries that act as a backup supply. The length of time the backup supply will last is dependent on the number and size of the batteries. It is important to secure a supply for the heating controls, the fridge/freezer and lights. If these continue in times of power cuts life is not to difficult.

One new hurdle that owners of new systems now have to achieve is that the building that is connected to the system must be reasonably energy efficient, it must achieve a “Energy Performance Certificate” (EPC) level “D” or above. This can already be met by about half of the homes in the UK, those that can’t will be required to upgrade before they register for the FiT to get the full tariff or accept a lower payment level. The PV will help towards that EPC rating.

Systems installed on commercial buildings have a particularly good payback because if the energy is used at the time of generation it saves importing energy, saving a further 10-18p/kwhr (depending on your tariff), so if you have a high daytime use the return is good - and will only get better in the future. 

As the government continues to bring the Feed in Tariff down to a realistic payback and return on investment, the future is looking far more stable, and the returns, being linked more to the energy and less to the financial investment, are looking less outrageous.

A 4kwp system post 1st September will cost about £6000-8000 (with major brand name panels) and will give a return on investment of around 8%, this takes into account the increase in payment for the exported energy – from 3.2p/kwhr to 4.5p/kwhr. These days anything better than a 5% return is excellent. What is especially good is that the investment is now much more related to the energy produced and used than a straight financial investment. 

What a PV system gives to the customer is the satisfaction that they are producing some of their own energy and they can also, now or in the future, upgrade to a self-use, or backup system giving a degree of energy security and control over their supply. What ever system you install you will be lowering your carbon footprint.  

As well as domestic systems of all sizes, we also install larger systems up to 50kwp. Any of these systems can be building mounted on the roof, ground mounted fixed or tracking. A tracker, whilst being more expensive, will produce about 30% more energy by tracking the sun across the sky, it is always seeking the highest energy output. 

With the current Feed in Tariff payment rate of 15.44p/kwhr at the 4kwp and under rate, and with the cost to buy in electricity currently more, typically 18p/kwhr, it now no longer makes sense to limit your system size to 4kwp to maximise your return, if you have room for more panels. The difference in payment rates between the sub 4kwp rate and the 4kwp-10kwp rate is now less than 1.5p, if you are using the electricity you are generating it is saving you 18p/kwhr so the 1.5p difference becomes insignificant.

Wind Power 

Rural and commercial sites, houses, farms and businesses, if they have a good wind resource can benefit from the power a wind turbine can produce, saving them money on energy bills and helping to reduce their carbon footprint. To ensure that the turbine will be a good investment we suggest monitoring the prospective site before making the major investment in the turbine. We can do this as the first stage of the process using a "Power Predictor", from the results we can predict the return on investment. Installing a wind generator can also contribute to energy security by combining with PV and Backup systems. We install wind turbines up to 20kw 

In Cheltenham, Stroud, Gloucester and Cirencester, plus throughout the Cotswolds - Gloucestershire's leading installer