This is a tool developed in Python3 to aid with calculating the number of years it will take to breakeven.
| Option name | Description | Default Value |
|---|---|---|
--pv-capacity |
The solar panel system energy generation capacity | 4kW |
--gen-kwh |
The maximum energy generated per 1kW solar panel system. This will largely depend on the orientation of the PV panels and the location of the property. For example, a SSW-facing roof in South West England will do better than a North-facing roof in Wales. | 1000 kW/h |
--gen-percent |
The percentage of how much will actually be generated out of the maximum generated over the year. We default to 50% as we assume if we average out the electricity generation for the whole year, we only generate half of the maximum capacity. | 50% |
--cost-rate |
The energy charge rate from energy companies. We use the October 2022 value in London. | 51.4 p/kWh |
--seg-rate |
The SEG (Smart Export Guarantee) rate from energy companies. | 5.5 p/kWh |
--inverter-cost |
The cost for inverters. | £470 |
--pv-cost |
The cost to install PV panels | £5000 |
--battery-cost |
The cost to install batteries | £7500 |
--ignore-battery |
Ignore batteries: this will ignore the cost of batteries, and assume that you will be exporting to the grid for any electricity generated. | false |
usage: calculate.py [-h] [-k PV_CAPACITY] [-g GEN_KWH] [-p GEN_PERCENT]
[-e COST_RATE] [-s SEG_RATE] [-i INVERTER_COST]
[-c PV_COST] [-b BATTERY_COST]
[--ignore-battery IGNORE_BATTERY]
Get solar panel breakeven cost
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-k PV_CAPACITY, --pv-capacity PV_CAPACITY
total capacity of solar panels in kilo watts
(default: 4)
-g GEN_KWH, --gen-kwh GEN_KWH
total energy generated per 1kwh PV (default: 1000)
-p GEN_PERCENT, --gen-percent GEN_PERCENT
the percentage of actual energy generation (default:
50)
-e COST_RATE, --cost-rate COST_RATE
charge rate from energy companies in pence per kWh
(default: 50)
-s SEG_RATE, --seg-rate SEG_RATE
the SEG rate from energy companies in pence per kWh
(default: 5.5)
-i INVERTER_COST, --inverter-cost INVERTER_COST
the cost of the inverter (default: 470)
-c PV_COST, --pv-cost PV_COST
the cost of the solar panels, including installation
(default: 5000)
-b BATTERY_COST, --battery-cost BATTERY_COST
the cost of the battery/batteries, including
installation (default: 7500)
--ignore-battery IGNORE_BATTERY
```usage: calculate.py [-h] [-k PV_CAPACITY] [-u USAGE] [-g GEN_KWH]
[-p GEN_PERCENT] [-e COST_RATE] [-s SEG_RATE]
[-i INVERTER_COST] [-c PV_COST] [-b BATTERY_COST]
[-l LOCATION] [--battery] [--no-battery]
Get solar panel breakeven cost
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-k PV_CAPACITY, --pv-capacity PV_CAPACITY
total capacity of solar panels in kilo watts (default:
4.8)
-u USAGE, --usage USAGE
total electric usage of solar panels in kilo watts per
annum (default: 3680)
-g GEN_KWH, --gen-kwh GEN_KWH
total energy generated per 1kwh PV (default: 1000)
-p GEN_PERCENT, --gen-percent GEN_PERCENT
the percentage of actual energy generation (default:
90)
-e COST_RATE, --cost-rate COST_RATE
charge rate from energy companies in pence per kWh
(default: 36)
-s SEG_RATE, --seg-rate SEG_RATE
the SEG rate from energy companies in pence per kWh
(default: 5.5)
-i INVERTER_COST, --inverter-cost INVERTER_COST
the cost of the inverter (default: 470)
-c PV_COST, --pv-cost PV_COST
the cost of the solar panels, including installation
(default: 7500)
-b BATTERY_COST, --battery-cost BATTERY_COST
the cost of the battery/batteries, including
installation (default: 5500)
-l LOCATION, --location LOCATION
the location where PV system will be installed
(default: London)
--battery
--no-battery