Done quite a lot of research on solar panels prior to making this decision. We are in a quite a shaded environment here, which was going to present a challenge to many solar systems. My background is an electrical engineer, so therefore I was pretty keen on researching it pretty thoroughly. The web was a major resource to learn more about solar systems and what sort of panels, inverters, et cetera existed, and I got a number of quotes. Not so much interested in the end price, I was more interested in the technology that they were going to use and be satisfied that it was the best way to go. The panels were an important part of the criteria. I wanted to use a panel from a company that was sufficiently large that their warranty was going to still work after many years, i.e. the company wasn't going to go broke. When I compared quotes, I was cognisant of the price difference between various types of panels, and I took that into account.

The key factors in choosing the solution really were a recognition that shade was going to be an issue. Shade is particularly challenging to more conventional solar design systems. So we had to choose a system which was going to perform well in shade. We needed a solar panel with a lot of efficiency because we needed the maximum performance, particularly with shade. Our roof space, despite being a large house, is rather limited in terms of what directions we could use, so we needed a really efficient panel. I wanted a panel with a long warranty both against workmanship and also performance. The pitfalls that I was worried about was the quality of installation, that was number one. I wanted to somehow get the best chance of getting a really good installer using really good products. The environmental factor's always an important one, and that's probably equally important as getting a return of investment on your money.