The Solar Thread

Was quoted 9700 fitted for 10kwh dc coupled with a new hybrid inverter inc 20% vat (not a generating install)

Or 9500 for 2x5kwh ac coupled system using my existing inverter.

Last week.

8 weeks eta from placing of order.

UPS wiring separate – possibly 900-1200 extra. The system isn’t g99 compliant so needs extra bits to bring it to regs.

those of you with batterys installed – what tarrifs are you on ….. what do you pay.

The retailer mentioned having to fight for economy 7 and have dual meters to make it worth while ? – is that still a thing if your on a smets 2 smart meter i thought that was the whole point to allow variable rate billing ?

Been chatting with wife tonight.

We are going ahead with puredrive 10kwh battery system c~10k hedging our energy while we can.

Can’t decide on ac or DC.

Both have their merits.

*Full disclosure I already have a 4.14kwh array on the roof via. Solis 3.6 5g inverter.
*

25 years is a long time….. I expect I’ll be upgrading /adding more solar over time.

An AC system is standalone. And just does it’s thing….I can run many strings /inverters/ etc and the battery continues doing it’s thing.

A DC system with a 3.6 solis inverter means I’m changing my inverter – at three times the cost of the stand alone solar inverter…..should I want to upgrade my array at all. (Happy to be corrected on this as obviously if I do this I have. Spare Solis 5g inverter….

Currently I think I want to apply for a DNO next year and take advantage of my unobstructed rear aspect and fit another 4kwh array over there and have a split north/south array. To extend input.

Hive mind thoughts?

Hive mind thoughts?

Do you get a FIT payment for your existing array? If so, would a DC battery affect it? If you added extra panels you would lose the FIT, but I don’t know if it’s a problem otherwise.

Do you want to use the battery for backup power if the mains goes off? That means you need a contactor to disconnect the house from the mains.

I’m interested in your mention of a North/South array – I assume that means some panels not facing in the optimum direction. I have panels facing SE, but the NW side of the roof does get oblique sun in the afternoons and I’ve thought about extra panels there.

No fit

Do you want to use the battery for backup power if the mains goes off? That means you need a contactor to disconnect the house from the mains.

Puredrive Battery’s not g99 compliant.

About 900 quids worth of extra wiring and a contactor as you say to fit a ups style back up system for lighting circuits and a circuit ring.

Currently I have a directly south facing array

I would like to add extra panels to either catch the morning sun (due east) or evening sun north west ish to extend the solar day.

Need to play with the simulator though to work out which is best….

I don’t need more peak power but a longer duration would be beneficial.

@trail_rat I’m in a similar situation here with 4.65kw on a south west facing roof, and looking to take advantage of the morning sun by adding a couple of 385W panels on the north east facing slope. At this time of year I reckon there’s a minimum of 3 hours where they will produce energy, although come October tailing off to near 0. What is this simulator you speak of?
Given my export stats I really can’t justify the extra expense of a battery*, so I’m interested as to how much energy you estimate will be stored?
*I think we both use iboost style function for hw tank & the odd rad, which is akin to energy storage.

Also, given the north/south panels aren’t producing energy at the same time and the standard Solis inverter is limited to 3.65 anyway, why bother with DNO application at all? Averaging load during the day is surely the best/cheapest possible solution.

Whilst I don’t want to sound negative re batteries, I just don’t think the cost/benefit is quite there yet (for us). I don’t think it’ll be too long before EV technologies enables all vehicles to act as overnight storage. I’m also assuming/hoping the relative cost of EV’s reduces over time.

Whilst I don’t want to sound negative re batteries, I just don’t think the cost/benefit is quite there yet (for us)

Have you done the hard maths over the life span ?

For me based on the last year’s generation …… Moving from 30% utilisation to an 80-85% utilisation gives me a break even of 10 years at current prices on the battery alone.

The panels worked out at 6 years and that was pre price rise….

I have a solic yes plumbed into heaters but if I had a battery that would only operate when the battery was maxxed and I was exporting due to where the CT clip is. Bang for buck i should fit a water tank and an immersion but it means replacing a perfectly good boiler as well which seems madness for a one trick pony.

As for using cars as over night storage….that only works if your car is there during the day to charge from the solar.

You can only over supply your inverter to a certain %age. Firing 100% of my front panels.onto the back of the house wouldn’t land within that.

Google pvgis. It’s pretty much pap on exact for generation month on month for my location.

Need to play with the simulator …. Google pvgis

Thanks, that’s useful. Just checked and it reflects my existing installation very accurately.

I cant decide on having panels on the flat root at the back. We are south facing with a flat roof extension. The installer has shown me some padded frames and said they will ballast the frame. I am concerned with leaks or problems with the bitumen felt roof later. The roof was done approx 5-7 years ago and is in a good state. Has anyone had something similar installed?

we are pricing up battery storage for when we get a solar system fitted. we are seriously looking at getting a E car with push pull technology instead of a battery system. For example, the VW Buzz ID comes with a 77Kwh battery! I understand the cost is a lot more but it seems better value for money than a stand alone battery.

Depends on if the car is actually there. Also, you’re putting extra cycles onto the cars battery. Additionally, you can’t run the house from the car like you can with a proper battery system. You are right however in that a home storage system is MUCH more expensive per kWh than a car is. I spoke to an installer about using a scrapped I3 battery pack, but he said that whilst he could install it, he wasn’t confident on regs and insurance due to its need for a 12v system for parts of the electronics. It’s also worth noting that most house batteries are a different chemical composition than car batteries which makes them safer to use. Our 13kWh pack is £7500. You could get 20kWh for £10600. which isn’t a m,illion miles away from the £8000 for a 24kWh BMW i3 replacement pack.

VW Buzz ID comes with a 77Kwh battery

VW say it isn’t currently possible to do bidirectional charging, but it will be available ‘in the future’ as a software upgrade on their 77kWh batteries, subject to having a compatible home charger. That means the existing hardware must be adequate, so I’m guessing it will be done on DC, with the inverter and control circuits in the wallbox.

I’ve just placed an order for a 4.5kw system with solar edge and a Powerwall onto a South facing roof. 8 week lead time on the panels but 8 months for the Powerwall

Can anyone recommend a solar pv installer in the County Durham area?

How many of you have panel optimsers installed?

How many of you have panel optimsers installed?

I have Solaredge optimisers on my 2 arrays. Should have an effect on my smaller array of 6 panels because one of these is shaded until about 2 pm but no idea if they are doing what they are supposed to as I’ve never bothered to check the output of each panel.

Does anyone know a solar panel installer in North Wales?

My parents are thinking of moving to solar for their electricity given the current cost of energy. They don’t even know where to start.

Does anyone know a solar panel installer in North Wales?

My solar array and Powerwall was supplied and fitted by Genfit who are based in Saltney just across the border from Chester. I’m very happy with my installation and whilst you could probably find cheaper out there their prices are competitive and they are very competent. Have a look at their YouTube channel which includes some nice video and drone footage of various installations including mine.

I am sourcing quotes for a 5kWr solar array, a 9+kwr battery and inverter and solar diverter as well as an EV charger.
The one quote I have received so far is from a small company less than 18 months old. They have examples of their work and the owner who I spoke to was very knowledgable and answered all of my questions convincingly (of which there were many!!) They have certification and can provide the equipment I specified plus they are a Givenergy installer so give it another week and will get them out for a survey.

thanks @uponthedowns

is this your place?

Before you say it I know the tennis court needs attention but I had all those solar panels to pay for 😂😂

Not quite but we’re having a good solar day today. Powerwall at 100%, washing machine and tumble drier on and EV charging.

You can see the effect of optimisers if you look at the top array of panels. The one on the extreme right is still in shade but the others in the circuit are near to full power so the shaded panel is not throttling the output of the others. I think thats what optimers are supposed to do.

I was supposed to have had a tech from an installation company call me yesterday to go through more of what they could offer, but they didn’t call, so I think we are back to square one. _Slightly_ annoyed.

On topic, but slightly different.
We have to change gas combo boiler (old). We have small south facing roof area that could only fit few panels.
So was thinking could add 2x Solar thermals, new boiler and new 2x coil tank?
This is all to help reduce gas for hot water only? (dunno if will even help much financially??) (3 bathrooms, 4 bed, 4 people house).
2nd thought, could I add several PVs, and use it to virtually direct drive electric immersion in tank? Or am I being plain daft????!! Thanks

As many pv panels as you could fit on the roof would be the better way, they’re fit and forget unlike solar thermal which can be troublesome.
Pv with something like an immersun diverter to drive the emersion heater.

Solar thermal is also a one trick pony as in will only heat your water, whereas pv will heat your water via emersion heater and provide electricity when the emersion is off.

After a long wait trying to get someone to actually call back, I finally have an order in for solar.

16 panels on the 10mx4m workshop roof and a 5kWh battery in the workshop. Parts, installation and paperwork included in the cost (165k SEK) with a predicted payback time of 11 years, or less depending on how high the price per kWh goes over here.

Site inspection/technical planning in about four weeks, but installation in March.

I get the impression solar thermal is obsolete now. PV panels are cheaper, easier to install and far less maintenance. They can power things other than hot water, and if you don’t need the power you get paid for it instead.

They will also heat water better at lower sun intensity; solar thermal is more efficient at high intensity, but at those levels you’ve probably got spare PV anyway so it doesn’t matter.

magic thanks for input, will go and properly measure and see how many PVs I can fit. Are they standard size?

i have solar PV – i have a battery being installed soon.

I’m engaging with some installers to get solar thermal installed.

different horse different tricks.

efficiency depends on if its flat plate or evacuated tubes though.

but id go solar PV all day if i had nothing.

(I also heat my water with oil currently which means my economy calc is very different to gas)

Has anyone got an Afore inverter and successfully connected it to the app to monitor? I’ve already got the system installed – came on a new build – and interested to see what I can view etc

Having a ‘mare trying to connect the inverter to the app

There’s a company called Naked Energy which claims to have vacuum tube technology which generates thermal input for hot water and electricity at the same time.

Cor, this tech is another world, isn’t it? Is therd a good place for a numpty to read up on it all? We’ve been quoted £11k for 9 x 410w panels, a 5.12kw battery and and a Solice inverter, is that any good?

It’s not a bad price. We’re paying £17k for a 5.5kw inset array with a 13kwh battery. I’d check the usable capacity of the battery as the small ones didn’t used to be great.

Is there a good place for a numpty to read up on it all?

You could start here https://tanjent-energy.com/blog/solar-made-simple-1-all-you-need-to-know-about-solar-panels/

We’ve been quoted £11k for 9 x 410w panels, a 5.12kw battery and and a Solice inverter, is that any good?

Sounds a little pricey but should save you almost £1000 per year if you can use all the solar generation. These days finding a competent installer that doesn;t have a months long waiting list is a challenge so if the installer giving you a quote has all the equipment in stock and can start in the near future I’d go for it.

Is there any way you could squeeze more panels onto your roof even if they will be East or West facing? Adding more panels won’t add much to the cost as the cost of scaffolding, installers, and other electrical materials will be the same whether you add 9 panels or 12.

Nothing wrong with east and west facing panels.
Overall production will be down a small amount compared to South facing panels, but on a spring/summer day you get more production in the morning and evening which is arguably when you want it!

Nothing wrong with east and west facing panels.

True. Half my array is west facing

Thanks both – it’s been oddly troublesome actually getting someone to come and quote, but it feels wrong to just go for the first company that van be arsed to turn up and look!

It’s not a bad price. We’re paying £17k for a 5.5kw inset array with a 13kwh battery. I’d check the usable capacity of the battery as the small ones didn’t used to be great.

Cheers, will do – “insert array”, is that, like, the total potential power of your panels? So ours would be, like, 3.6kw…?

Will ask about the battery – just the two of us, so not sure how big it needs to be? Just switched energy supplier, so rather guessing how much we actuslly use at the mo. 🙁

You could start here https://tanjent-energy.com/blog/solar-made-simple-1-all-you-need-to-know-about-solar-panels/

Great stuff,ta! 🙂

Sounds a little pricey but should save you almost £1000 per year if you can use all the solar generation. These days finding a competent installer that doesn;t have a months long waiting list is a challenge so if the installer giving you a quote has all the equipment in stock and can start in the near future I’d go for it.

Is there any way you could squeeze more panels onto your roof even if they will be East or West facing? Adding more panels won’t add much to the cost as the cost of scaffolding, installers, and other electrical materials will be the same whether you add 9 panels or 12.

Grand, thank you. Just looking at the schematic they’ve sent, if it’s to scale it looks like they could turn a couple to add another couple on, but the corners would be just sticking over the edge – is that a no-no in case of high winds? Can they be mounted on south-east facing walls or on a frame to angle south on agarage roof? I’ll be asking them these questions too!

Thanks both – it’s been oddly troublesome actually getting someone to come and quote, but it feels wrong to just go for the first company that van be arsed to turn up and look!

Surprising that you are having trouble getting quotes as the initial quote doesn’t require a visit and is usually done by them looking at your house on Google Earth but it could be all your local installers are chokka and don’t want to take on any more work at the moment.

Hiya Guys,

I’m thinking of Solar as many seem to be one note I do have is have people also considered wind power?
In England wind turbines are allowed as permitted development and where I live, just 200 metres from the Bristol channel, I’d get a fair return on the investment and the new ones are quite efficient and reasonably good at generation of power.

Planning permission for wind turbines

BR
Jerry

Wind turbines for domestic use are, historically, a waste of space, they don’t scale down well at all. Unless something revolutionary has happened in the last 12 months I can’t see that being any different.

Surprising that you are having trouble getting quotes as the initial quote doesn’t require a visit and is usually done by them looking at your house on Google Earth but it could be all your local installers are chokka and don’t want to take on any more work at the moment.

We’ve been looking, not particularly diligently, for years, but every company we’ve tried has either not returned calls or insisted on a visit and no-one’s ever turned up. 🙁