Solar panels are more profitable on clear spring days: average savings of €9.13 per day | MyGuide

To see what your solar panels could produce on a day with a clear blue sky from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., we must of course look at what an average photovoltaic installation looks like. It is important to note that the installation of single solar panels does not exist: the number of panels varies from house to house, the orientation and inclination of the roof is different, sometimes parts of the roof can be in the shade, the quality and maintenance of the roof. Solar panels play a role, and so forth.

Plants also affect the yield: Read here why a green roof can increase the efficiency of your solar panels

Contrary to popular belief, solar panels do not achieve their highest efficiency in the summer, but rather in the spring months of April, May and June. The ideal weather for a solar panel is a sunny but cool day. Solar cells conduct electricity better when the temperature is not too high. On a fresh but sunny day in spring, your solar panels produce more than one hot summer day in July. According to ENGIE’s figures for 2020, a typical solar panel installation produces an average of 20.5 kWh of energy per day during the spring. On really sunny days, that return will be higher. In addition, variable energy prices fluctuate throughout the year.

advice: Compare current prices of various energy suppliers here

How much does that earn in your wallet with the reversal counter? To do this, we need to take current energy prices by hand. The latest numbers on this date are from April 2022 and come from the Federal Energy Regulatory Authority (CREG). Anyone entering into a contract now pays an average of €44.55 cents per kilowatt-hour. The average 20.5 kWh of energy generated by the solar panels per day during the spring, means an average saving of €9.13 per day, or €0.91 per panel. Needless to say, every spring day is different. On really sunny days, that return will be higher. In addition, variable energy prices fluctuate throughout the year.

In Wallonia, the annual price of electricity was 47.37 euro cents per kilowatt-hour in April. The same 20.5 kWh of electricity generated will save you 9.71 euros every day.

A sunny day makes your PV installation generate a lot of energy, which you as a consumer can’t use very often at that time. Anyone with a digital meter can no longer rely on a return meter and sell their excess power to their power supply. In this case, the supplier offers the injection fee.

Injection rates vary greatly. In June, the lowest injection rate in Flanders was 9.6 euro cents per kilowatt-hour. If you don’t use any power at all when you generate it, you’ll receive €1.97 on an average spring day. The highest injection rate in Flanders is 20.2 euro cents per kilowatt-hour in June, which is a good amount for a total amount of 4.14 euros. So this return is much less than the return counter.

advice: Compare different injection rates here

For completeness: Anyone who doesn’t have a digital meter, but does have a reverse meter, pays the consumer price for the energy they buy: a fixed compensation for using your power distribution network. The exact amount depends on your network operator. The consumer rate in Wallonia also applies.

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