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could do with a banana for scale tbh
Is that a wood burning flu literally right next to the panels?!!
If so, yes I can see why you'd want to clean the panels - that's a pretty niche setup!!
#shocked emoji
Rather frustratingly as I’ve only just learned this. It seems I may need to clean my solar thermal regularly….it’s standard glass. FML
These panels must produce almost nothing!
Is that a wood burning flu literally right next to the panels?!!
If so, yes I can see why you’d want to clean the panels – that’s a pretty niche setup!!
#shocked emoji
The Exit is 2m from the panels at the closest point in accordance with building regs. We only light the fire ~5 times a year and only burn VERY dry wood which has been stored inside the house. I've never seen any significant soot on the panels. Dirt? Yes.
We see about an 8% jump when they're freshly cleaned, now whether this is just due to light getting to the panel or the ability of the panel to reject heat, I couldn't say and it's very difficult to tell how long that clean effect lasts due to variations in incidence, weather etc through the day.
Desert solar panels are regularly cleaned using either vibration, static or water.
Update on my install:
Battery in the loft isn’t allowed in new install because MCS cartel.
Survey has occurred and its going in the loft...
Installer then wanted a double pole isolator installed, 3rd party came out to do this, said it was an easy job due to outside meter box with lots of space, 10mins later aborted...turns out the fuse is 100amp ,but the meter tails to the SMETS2 Smart meter installed 2 years ago are 16mm which is a no no now, and should have been changed when meters installed, but the engineer went to change the meter tails and snapped the screw in the fuse carrier/cut out hence the abort for the DNO, but the DNO aren't out till late Feb, so install date has gone from early Jan to early March now...very annoying!
Question to help me, current system to be installed is 10 panels with a 5 and 5 split on a east/west split and a 5kw inverter installed, inverter start up voltage is 125v, I wanna check 5 panels generates enough voltage to wake up the inverter each morning, but on the data sheet for the Tiger Neo N-type 54HL4R-B I can see Maximum Power Voltage (mVP) and Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) with values of STC and NOCT with ranges from 30v to 39v, is this the right voltage data to be checking? so 5 x panels x the voltage value I find needs to be 125v?
I have some extra cash and was contemplating either adding maybe 6 more panels, so a 8 and 8 east/west split or a second battery and the inverter wake up is being a headache for this!
add the panels, its a couple of hundred per panel, scaffolding is a couple of times that
it's an absolute no brainer, as you know it will wake up earlier, have more power output over all, carry on generating later
iv'e got 9, south facing 3.9kw, it's only just enough for me and my lad i would say
Update on my install:
Battery in the loft isn’t allowed in new install because MCS cartel.
Survey has occurred and its going in the loft...
Installer then wanted a double pole isolator installed, 3rd party came out to do this, said it was an easy job due to outside meter box with lots of space, 10mins later aborted...turns out the fuse is 100amp ,but the meter tails to the SMETS2 Smart meter installed 2 years ago are 16mm which is a no no now, and should have been changed when meters installed, but the engineer went to change the meter tails and snapped the screw in the fuse carrier/cut out hence the abort for the DNO, but the DNO aren't out till late Feb, so install date has gone from early Jan to early March now...very annoying!
Question to help me, current system to be installed is 10 panels with a 5 and 5 split on a east/west split and a 5kw inverter installed, inverter start up voltage is 125v, I wanna check 5 panels generates enough voltage to wake up the inverter each morning, but on the data sheet for the Tiger Neo N-type 54HL4R-B I can see Maximum Power Voltage (mVP) and Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) with values of STC and NOCT with ranges from 30v to 39v, is this the right voltage data to be checking? so 5 x panels x the voltage value I find needs to be 125v?
I have some extra cash and was contemplating either adding maybe 6 more panels, so a 8 and 8 east/west split or a second battery and the inverter wake up is being a headache for this!
If you're having a battery installed, why would the inverter need to wake up? It'll always be on.
Regardless - install the extra panels.
oh, I didn't realise the battery would keep the inverter awake!
After being passed from pillar to post between Solis and LG, I finally managed to find the advanced setting in the inverter that's been hobbling my batteries to a max charge and discharge rate of 70A rather than their allowed 100A. Even so, everytime I changed it, it went back to 70A. Quick call to Solis and they place a modified firmware onto the inverter and last night it charged at 95A. MAX Power - well. almost I didn't set it to full and the batteries can do 120A for a number of seconds, but 100A is the sustained max.
I installed the second battery and the splitter/bridge/joint BMS myself, so there was always that nagging doubt that I'd done something wrong. Happy days.
Just got a quote in for a 3kWp system and 5.8kWh battery for just under £7.7k installed. Panels are AIKO, inverter and battery are SolaX. Are these brands reputable/decent? Will hopefully add a bit more generation once they come and measure up as likely to be able to fit more panels on an east aspect part of the roof.
Sound reasonable? Installation in North Cumbria, if anyone has any recommendations for suppliers to get further quotes from. Cheers!
I used UPS Solar and my experience was good and they have been generally responsive and helpful with the small number of issues I have had. I have an 8.7kW Foxess battery and 5kW inverter. We went for an array size of 5.7kW. Worth contacting them for a quote, Scaffolding installed before and taken down about 10 days after install, installation done in a day and the guys were very good. Installed an ASHP last summer and (as was expected) could do with a larger battery....
@TomB - If they're the newer generation panels - they're very good. 23.6% efficiency, which doesn't sound great, but it is. They're almost 10% better than mine. I don't know SolaX.
If you have space for it. I'd be going for more panels. the panels are a small cost in the install, but make SUCH a big difference.
Agreed. Asd many panels as possible! The are only costing about £55 each retail at the mo. If you have batteries and use for the electric then a no brainer. You may be limited to 3.5 KwH export but so waht. You will very rarely be exporting that amount anyway if you are recharging batteries to use over night. And in the case you are produces more than that with nowhere for it to go then the inverter should be able to limit export so all that happens is the panels won't be opporating at full power. Better for that to happen a few days in summer and have much more panel area in winter.
then a no brainer.
+1. You may have some limitations on how many you can have but add the max. Scaffolding is expensive so put them up while its on site.
2024 figures were in 44kwh down on 2023 on whole year figures - so basically 1. 5 days less full sun.
Januarys figures are currently above previous seen max January for me. and +41% on 2024 figures.
my solar thermals preheating my tank to 30c almost every day so far this year.
yer 3kw isn't great, can you push the boat out and get two strings installed east and west?
You may be limited to 3.5 KwH export but so waht. You will very rarely be exporting that amount anyway if you are recharging batteries to use over night.
inverter dependant - i can be charging at full 3.6kwh on the batteries (DC) & exporting +/-2kwh (AC) - MY 4kw array produces nearly 6kw peak (DC) through my 3.6kw limited inverter in the right conditions.
what IS frustrating is i cant USE that excess beyond 3.6 on the AC side once the batteries are full as there is no recognition between export and use - the inverter sees it all the same. as its a very basic 3.6AC limitation.
2024 figures were in 44kwh down on 2023 on whole year figures – so basically 1. 5 days less full sun.
Januarys figures are currently above previous seen max January for me. and +41% on 2024 figures.
my solar thermals preheating my tank to 30c almost every day so far this year.
Quite substantially different to ours - we're almost 400kWh down on the 2023 yield. 5770 (2023) > 5310 (2024) which is a BIG difference, but I think almost all of that is due to the weather we had in May/June of 2023 where we generate over 800kWh in each month. December was (amazingly) slightly better than the last two years, but sill a dismal 90kWh.
Just got a quote in for a 3kWp system and 5.8kWh battery for just under £7.7k installed. Panels are AIKO, inverter and battery are SolaX. Are these brands reputable/decent? Will hopefully add a bit more generation once they come and measure up as likely to be able to fit more panels on an east aspect part of the roof.
Sound reasonable? Installation in North Cumbria, if anyone has any recommendations for suppliers to get further quotes from. Cheers!
Finally being fitted next month on my East/West roof is 4.4kwp (10 Tier Neo panels), 1 x 5kw Sunsynk Inverter and 5.32kwh Sunsynk Battery for £7.2, thats scaffolding and fitted including some optimisers for the Eastside (I declined bird proofing). Thats from Contract Solar who I went to via my Energy Supplier to get a tariff from them with a low price of 12p kwh, standard price of 21p kwh and a peak of 31p kwh and an export rate of 19p kwh.
The equipment isn't like for like, but may be worth shopping the quote, I used BOXT via their website to get another quote, it was super simple via mobile and uploaded some pictures, helped me save some pennies.
For economics - we used ~7000kWh last year (car charging was high and my son has developed a PS5 addiction) and generated around 5300kWh. Due to being able to charge the batteries off peak, participate in the occasional savings session and export at rates which paralleled or exceeded our import rate, our total cost for electricity supply (including the sodding SC) was £291 for the year. Over £175 of that is the SC. To import that power at the SW average price of ~25p/kWh would've cost £1750 and another £185 for the SC. So the array saved us around £1650. This year should be even better with the batteries now able to charge and discharge at full rates.
Additionally, we've now had our array running for 30 months and our battery health is still at 99% - which is identical to when supplied.
February on the whole has been crap. down from 250kwh 2024 to 130kwh up to yesterday - YoY looking at 2023 - was 200kwh and 2022 was 260. Even with today and tomorrow being great solar days i cant see us getting to much more than 180 for 2025.
BUUUUUT yesterday the solar thermal stood on its own two feet and heated 250l from 9c to a usable 50c.
all of january the panels only saw 38c max. now we are seeing 55c max which means we can actually pull a good heat into the tank - and thats only going to rise.
Used 2 bars less Oil to this point in the year - not using our combi to heat water on demand. - Priot to install i worked out that the Combi was using approximately 500 quid of my oil a year to heat water - Based on what we would use just for water over summer when the heating was turned off.
additionally - for those of us on flux.
do we see costs rising significantly when the pricecap rises - it usually follows suit.....
Anyone jumping to a fix and Standard outgoing at 15p ?
last flux pricing changed bumped the peak export rate up more than the other rates, if they maintain that import/export ratio for us with batteries, it shouldn't make a real world difference IMHO
Yep if you've got batteries then Flux would still make sense.
Interesting YTD picture too trail_rat, ours is the opposite where Jan was about - 30kWh on last year but Feb looks like being 10-15kWh up depending on how actual generation compares to Solcast's numbers.
Doube post
looking in detail - seems january was consistently around 5-6kwh produced daily- which is sustainable against import
February was almost exclusively 1-2 with three days in double figures (this week).
Total number for feb is currently the same as Jan but far less sustainable and needs alot more import.
Its finally been fitted, 12 panels (6 East - 6 West), 2 x 5.32kwh batteries and 1 5kw inverter. Scaffold going up was a slight pain on rear as I have a conservatory and needed to get into neighbours garden for the legs, but actual install went fine and was done in 6 hours-ish!
Batteries are in the loft with a fire alarm, but are freestanding which caught me, apparently its fine and the system works.
Now the wait for the export MPAN and EDF Empower tariff, hurts as current output since then has exceeded daily forecast and I'm not being paid for it!
yer they put my batteries in freestanding... i kinda wished they had put the wall mounting brackets up, personally id ask them if it were possible (if they came with them) then the batteries aren't being supported by wood.. above your head
Good to hear someone else has some freestanding!
I didn't have space on the wall for the batteries as the boiler is also up there, but they did leave my the brackets in case space does become available I guess!
the weight of these bad boys is quite something. my 5.2 batteries are 65kg each, and a quick google tells me that the the loft only has to be able to bear 100kg per square meter, granted that will be in the centre of a joist at worst. mine are on sheeting spreading over many joists, and right next to the wall
isn't it better to export to the grid then use gas to heat your hot water? Export tarrifs look around 10p/kwh, gas is around 6p/kwh. Gas is possibly marginally less efficient at heating your water than electricity, but its also a bunch less faff
Well in the middle of November I finally commissioned my micro-hydro turbine and it has been spinning merrily away ever since pushing out 29KwH a day which is slightly more than we (2 households) can use. Since the sun has come out and the days gotten a bit longer I now have to shut it down in the day time as my batteries are full and I have nowhere to store the electric. I saw almost 7kwh coming in from solar and hydro the other day!
@welshfarmer - can you share a link to the turbine? That sounds really cool.
Turbine sounds cool if you've got a handy river nearby. Loads of questions though! Is there much red tape involved or can you just fit one as long as you own the land? How does the install cost of the turbine compare to solar panels? How much flow do you need to drive it - ie will it still be as productive in summer when flow is lower. Any ongoing maintenance costs?
Short video showing the intake to the system.
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZDYpR7lB6pE?si=xkl5LkvNIFYFKG3H
same place during storm Darragh!!
https://youtube.com/shorts/RdA73MY4MTg?si=bQF4usdldH4TXfsA
The bottom end where the turbine sits
https://youtube.com/shorts/JQMZR6wGPUY?si=OtollPBjzBdzIt81
The same place during strom Darragh!!
https://youtube.com/shorts/Sk8XqETKk6A?si=1Yx-GHj0TW4mHhX5
Between the intake IBC and the turbine is about 400m of 110mm plastic pipe with a fall of 66 meters. The flow is set at 3.5 l/s (by the size of the jets) which is capable of generating a constant 1270W/h 24/7. This will gradually decrease towards summer when the stream usually runs dry for a few months. But I have plenty of solar for then.
The turbine is a Powerspout from New Zealand https://www.powerspout.com/collections/pelton-plt
The complete installation was done by me DIY for about £5K total installed price (though I had a lot of the hardware already from the solar). Payback will be in the order of 2-3 years. Maintenace is to keep on top of greasing (I use an auto greaser) and regularly bearing chages (every 18months or so). Otherwise you just need to keep and eye on it to make sure it is behaving properly. Definitely not a fit and forget thing, but also not too much trouble if you live and work on site.
Is there much red tape involved or can you just fit one as long as you own the land?
From what I've been told by one person getting the water wheel working again on the site of an old mill (they're a farm and they mill their own flour on a smallish scale) and by a friend who wanted to dig a lake fed by a small river* - the answer is yes there could be a huge amount of red tape.
Apparently the powers that be don't like people just doing stuff to rivers and streams 😬
* They are both within a mile of each other and the "river" is approx 10' across at most!
You water turbineists should have a look at Kris Harbour's stuff.
You water turbineists whould have a look at Kris Harbour's stuff
Yeah, I follow Kris
our solar system got installed last week and we have them coming around to do the app/wifi connectivity next week. We have 8x455w panels.
The original plan was to have them all on a south facing roof, but due to a space issue, 2 of them are on a west-facing roof instead. The schematic I have shows them in one "string".
Obviously the panels will produce peak power at different times to each other (although one panel should be fairly even across it - there's no shading) - is having them in a single string ok, or should they be connected to the inverter separately (the south facing vs the west facing) so they can be "inverted" correctly?
My guess is the panels will each be fitted with micro-inverters so it won't matter at all.
at the very least they will have bypass diodes so partial shading isn't the issue it was in 2005
Does anyone have any experience of E.On? Currently with octopus who have been good, but Eon tariffs have a longer and cheaper overnight low rate for car charging and 1p higher solar export