Solar panels and battery - any real world recommendations?

Diagro said:
I'd rather save the £600 using the 390w panels.
Which is why I'm using 390w on my garage. Then again, I'll move in 3 odd years
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Even if it was £600 difference (which it isn't), that extra 840Wh will generate roughly an additional 4.5kWh/day for 9 months of the year. That's £180/yr, give or take - so over the 25 year life of the panels you're £3900 better off by choosing to spend the extra now. Even on your short-termist view (and why bother with solar at all for ~3 years?) you'd have got your money back most likely.
 
Always max out on as many panels as you can at as high a wattage as you can. You'll never meet anyone who wished they got fewer!

I can't see the logic on 390w panels either. You can get 430w-450w panels very cheap now. Barely worth the saving if any.
 
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Weeeeee.

6x S650Bs for the second string, now on the hunt for panels and PV Ultra then brackets. Removed the old satellite dish that would be in the way of the new array yesterday. It's all coming together on the sourcing front.

My installer for the initial setup is being less than forthcoming, I've mailed them about 2 different issues and they haven't replied. I guess my next course of action is to take ownership of the SolarEdge and see if I can find an installer willing to commission the second string...?
 
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Ron-ski said:
Search for "Adjustable Angle Solar Panel Tilt Mount Brackets Solar Panel Mounting Brackets"
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I'm just considering options for how to mount these panels on the wall. I'm likely going for to go a 3x2 grid in landscape and that's got me thinking about brackets.

1. Mount the panels individually? i.e 6 sets of brackets.

2. Join the panels (3 lots of 2) i.e 3 brackets with a centre join on each pair of panels

3. Join all the panels together with the appropriate bracing? (3 bracket sets along the top and bottom of the 6 panel block)


Option 3 seems preferable from an adjustment perspective, 1 seems best from a sensible weight load per bracket perspective and 2 seems to be a happy compromise.

Or does it really not matter?
 
Anyone having issues with their power at the moment?

Our grid voltage is anywhere between 256-264v since about 10am and it's playing havoc.

Our solis inverter is constantly restarting itself and our induction hob wont go above 5 setting.

Very weird stuff.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Call your DNO, the issue will be specific to the transformer serving your property.
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Yup already on it, being a bank holiday I don't hold out much hope, but did speak to someone they said they would call back.

It's right buggered up my solar equipment, hopefully not done any lasting damage but grid is still showing 259v.
 
randal said:
I'm just considering options for how to mount these panels on the wall. I'm likely going for to go a 3x2 grid in landscape and that's got me thinking about brackets.

1. Mount the panels individually? i.e 6 sets of brackets.

2. Join the panels (3 lots of 2) i.e 3 brackets with a centre join on each pair of panels

3. Join all the panels together with the appropriate bracing? (3 bracket sets along the top and bottom of the 6 panel block)


Option 3 seems preferable from an adjustment perspective, 1 seems best from a sensible weight load per bracket perspective and 2 seems to be a happy compromise.

Or does it really not matter?
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Number one is what I went with, easier to adjust them, easier to mount one at a time, and stronger overall mounting. I made a jig for drilling the mounting holes to space the brackets correctly.

I had thought about cross bracing with perhaps solar PV rail (this would push the panels further away from the wall) or a length of aluminium angle, and also make it more difficult to adjust them due to the weight.

Cross bracing would likely be more expensive than an extra set of adjustable brackets, and if you used one adjustable mount between two panels you'd need something to mount both to the bracket, sort of back to a cross brace.
 
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I’ve got a 3 storey Victorian house along with a flat roof extension. Can solar panels be mounted on the flat roof, or does it have to be on the roof of the house? We get sun in the garden for most of the day. Getting panels on the roof would mean maintenance is likely to mean scaffolding everytime.
 
Yes there are various systems for mounting on a flat roof, the installer will need to do some sort of survey to make sure the weight is not too much for the roof. The frame work or buckets are normally weighted down with ballast to stop them blowing away.
 
Guy from UK power network turned up.

He was a bit off lol, hes terminology - "you live in the wind and solar generating back end of nowhere, you people are your own demise"

haha

Apparently it's not just us, some other properties locally are having issues.

The solar inverter is back up though, the AC battery inverter isn't though, it's just giving some bogus data, I tried restarting it, I'll probably leave it until the morning and see what its looking like.

I cant get my induction hob to work properly either I reckon that might be toast, but I need to check it when the voltage is at a more reasonable level.

high-voltage.png
 
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