Solar panels and battery - any real world recommendations?

Ended up going ahead with the installation of 2x PW3 Expansion packs. On a dull day my standalone PW3 would've been empty by 10am but now with the additional 27kWh the battery should last into the evening on those dull days. A 3rd Expansion pack would fully run the house over winter aswell as keeping sufficient reserves to provide backup power but I think that might be a job for another year. Absolutely loving the upgraded 10kW battery charge rate during the Octopus free energy sessions! The Netzero app is definitely earning it's keep by automatically charging the battery during this time.

How much did you pay for the expansion packs?

I'm thinking of getting one or two myself. I got this email from Heatable, but they are usually quite expensive:

[td]
[/td]
[td]
Want more storage? You need only ask.

For existing customers, and a limited time only - we’re reducing the price of Tesla Expansion Packs by £295

This offer isn’t available to the public online, so book in a call with the Heatable team here and claim your expansion discount.
[/td]
 
A friend of mine has a holiday home in Greece. It's cooled by 4 old AC units, that are very inefficient and can crank close to 450 euros of electricity bill a month in the summer. The house has 3 phase supply. I'm thinking it may be a good idea for him to buy a used inverter on eBay and contact a Greek installer to get a few panels. There's space for at least 20 panels on the house roof.

Can you recommend a good 3 phase hybrid inverter to buy on ebay cheaply? Down the line he can buy a 48V battery on AliExpress.

I noticed this one - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/177468158759 - GivEnergy 5kW Hybrid Inverter Gen 1. But I don't know if a single phase inverter will work with a 3 phase grid.
 
Last edited:
It only works on one phase (so you’d need 3 to cover all 3 phases or a proper 3 phase inverter. GivEnergy is a closed ecosystem so a none starter anyway.

Given the grid has very different approval requirements, buying a random U.K. market inverter will probably not be compliant in Greece.

Their aircon probably costs loads to run due to a combination of old units, poor insulation, air leakage (drafts) rather than just the AC itself.
 
Last edited:
It’s not a hybrid inverter so doesn’t support batteries. If you went down the single phase route you’d need 3 batteries, one for each phase. The same applies for the solar, your array will need to be split over the 3 inverters and you’ll need to make sure you are hitting the minimum start up voltage on each string/inverter.

It also looks old G98/99 came in during 2019, those say G83 compatible on them so you are looking at at least 6 years old.

It even states in the description that you can’t use them for a new installation in the U.K. - not that anyone installing one will bother doing a G99. You’d need to check what the relevant regs are in Greece before spending and money, they will be different.
 
Last edited:
Non-Fixed solar question...

I've been thinking of installing solar for a while now. Unfortunately we will be moving house in the next few years so an installation now wouldn't recoup the investment. We also have a three story house so just the scaffolding alone to get on the roof will be expensive. It's a shame because I have a very large south facing roof which is not overshadowed by any trees. But iit occurs to me that there must be more "portable" options which I could largely self install. Is there any reason not to look further into something like the following? It also means that I should be able to self-install most of it.

1. Batteries: A non-fixed power station such as the Bluetti AC500 with multiple B300 expansion packs (just examples, doesn't have to be these exact models). I could stack these in the garage. The Bluetti system can be expanded up to a maximum of 18kw of storage although expensive.
2. Panels: I think I could fit at least 8 large panels (2 panels on a small flat lead roof above the living room and 6 more panels on the pergola above the garden patio, right next to the garage).
3. Into The House: Run the panel cables into the batteries in the garage. Then run cabling into the house main consumer unit (yes, I'm aware I'll need an electrician to connect to the consumer unit so that's not self install). However these cables would have to run across the front driveway, up a wall and into the wall next to the consumer unit. Unfortunately I don't want to dig up my front driveway to bury them. Is that a problem?

This system could be 95% installed by me. I could easily remove it later and take it to the next house. So it's not wasted money. I won't need to get on the main roof three stories up. It's still all south facing. If I need more panels I could ground mount a couple in the garden or make a larger pergola.

Has anyone here done similar rather than a fixed installation? Or does it not make sense (and if not, why)?



Thank you.
 
I wonder if it's a good idea to buy 3x single phase inverters, e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134658048580 .
I know deja-vu when I see it! :cry:

I've noticed on eBay there are new Sunny Roo inverters on sale very cheap. 5kW under 200 quid and 3kW under 100 quid. Any idea why are they so cheap and if they are any good?

The seller is South West Renewables (Devon) Ltd.
Via Google AI:

Important Considerations for Sunny Roo Inverters:
Warranty: The manufacturer of Sunny Roo inverters, "Sunny Roo," went into liquidation several years ago, meaning any warranties may not be honored, and it's advisable to consider replacement units if experiencing issues.
Regulatory Compliance (UK): Some older models might have G83 type approval, which is now superseded by G98 in the UK. While these can be used for existing installations or DIY projects without affecting previous Feed-in Tariff (FIT) payments, new installations may require current G98-compliant equipment.

I'd avoid tbh.
 
Non-Fixed solar question...

I've been thinking of installing solar for a while now. Unfortunately we will be moving house in the next few years so an installation now wouldn't recoup the investment. We also have a three story house so just the scaffolding alone to get on the roof will be expensive. It's a shame because I have a very large south facing roof which is not overshadowed by any trees. But iit occurs to me that there must be more "portable" options which I could largely self install. Is there any reason not to look further into something like the following? It also means that I should be able to self-install most of it.

1. Batteries: A non-fixed power station such as the Bluetti AC500 with multiple B300 expansion packs (just examples, doesn't have to be these exact models). I could stack these in the garage. The Bluetti system can be expanded up to a maximum of 18kw of storage although expensive.
2. Panels: I think I could fit at least 8 large panels (2 panels on a small flat lead roof above the living room and 6 more panels on the pergola above the garden patio, right next to the garage).
3. Into The House: Run the panel cables into the batteries in the garage. Then run cabling into the house main consumer unit (yes, I'm aware I'll need an electrician to connect to the consumer unit so that's not self install). However these cables would have to run across the front driveway, up a wall and into the wall next to the consumer unit. Unfortunately I don't want to dig up my front driveway to bury them. Is that a problem?

This system could be 95% installed by me. I could easily remove it later and take it to the next house. So it's not wasted money. I won't need to get on the main roof three stories up. It's still all south facing. If I need more panels I could ground mount a couple in the garden or make a larger pergola.

Has anyone here done similar rather than a fixed installation? Or does it not make sense (and if not, why)?



Thank you.

Too expensive, it will never be cost effective and pretty jank.

For example, you can get a 13kwh battery (usable) for the same price as that.


Pair it with an inverter for about £1k and you are covered on the battery storage. Take it with you when you leave but you’d still need an electrician to install it and a time of use tariff to make the most of it.

You could also go down the eco flow stream route, that is far more cost effective. £90 for a 800w micro inverter that can support 2 panels. In Germany you can plug these into a standard wall socket, in the U.K. you can’t.

The issue you have is a lot of the cost in installing solar panels is compliance related. You need to use an MCS installer if you want to export energy and you don’t really get the full benefit without being able to export when it’s sunny. You need to get permission from the DNO if you install an inverter >3.6kw and you need to notify them if it’s below that level.

You can go down the self install route but in order to get the kinds of benefits you’d expect from a solar set up, you basically have to install something a pro would install. Most people have self installed on here already had an MCS certificate from another install which they have ‘hidden’ behind and therefore benefit from export.

As a side note, a janky ‘temporary’ install is likely to put off perspective buyers, panels tend to need to be mounted to something solid as otherwise they’ll blow away. Trailing cables across the floor is a no-no and pretty dangerous, particularly DC cables.
 
Too expensive, it will never be cost effective and pretty jank.

For example, you can get a 13kwh battery (usable) for the same price as that.


Pair it with an inverter for about £1k and you are covered on the battery storage. Take it with you when you leave but you’d still need an electrician to install it and a time of use tariff to make the most of it.

You could also go down the eco flow stream route, that is far more cost effective. £90 for a 800w micro inverter that can support 2 panels. In Germany you can plug these into a standard wall socket, in the U.K. you can’t.

The issue you have is a lot of the cost in installing solar panels is compliance related. You need to use an MCS installer if you want to export energy and you don’t really get the full benefit without being able to export when it’s sunny. You need to get permission from the DNO if you install an inverter >3.6kw and you need to notify them if it’s below that level.

You can go down the self install route but in order to get the kinds of benefits you’d expect from a solar set up, you basically have to install something a pro would install. Most people have self installed on here already had an MCS certificate from another install which they have ‘hidden’ behind and therefore benefit from export.

As a side note, a janky ‘temporary’ install is likely to put off perspective buyers, panels tend to need to be mounted to something solid as otherwise they’ll blow away. Trailing cables across the floor is a no-no and pretty dangerous, particularly DC cables.
Thank you. I very much appreciate the feedback and will wait until I'm in the next property.
 
Last edited:
Thank you. I very much appreciate the feedback and will wait until I'm in the next property.

If you want to get into DIY solar with a small investment of both money and time have a look at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/317147865563 (currently £739) - it's a 2kWh battery that has 4x MPPTs. You can connect 4 solar panels to it. It can export 800W of power directly into your home's electrical grid through a standard wall socket connection, effectively reducing your electricity consumption from the grid. And it can supply 1,200W continuous power through its built-in AC outlets, allowing you to plug appliances directly into the device (e.g. a fridge and a router).

Order 4x solar panels - e.g. https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/p/dmegc-450w-all-black-solar-panel-2mm/p/120106 and if you have space to install them south facing you'll be getting sizeable amount of energy.

You don't need an export tariff with setup like this, because you can consume all the power from the solar yourself. Also you can charge the battery on cheap night rate and use it to cover your morning consumption.

System like this can easily pay off the investment in around 4 years. If you want to get better value for your money, but also spend more time researching and setting stuff up (and potentially need to hire an electrician) the Fogstar battery linked above is a great option.
 
Last edited:
If you want to get into DIY solar with a small investment of both money and time have a look at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/317147865563 (currently £739) - it's a 2kWh battery that has 4x MPPTs. You can connect 4 solar panels to it. It can export 800W of power directly into your home's electrical grid through a standard wall socket connection, effectively reducing your electricity consumption from the grid. And it can supply 1,200W continuous power through its built-in AC outlets, allowing you to plug appliances directly into the device (e.g. a fridge and a router).

Order 4x solar panels - e.g. https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/p/dmegc-450w-all-black-solar-panel-2mm/p/120106 and if you have space to install them south facing you'll be getting sizeable amount of energy.

You don't need an export tariff with setup like this, because you can consume all the power from the solar yourself. Also you can charge the battery on cheap night rate and use it to cover your morning consumption.

System like this can easily pay off the investment in around 4 years. If you want to get better value for your money, but also spend more time researching and setting stuff up (and potentially need to hire an electrician) the Fogstar battery linked above is a great option.
That looks very useful. Thank you. Definitely something for me to consider.
 
Another installer question - the scaffolding came down yesterday and the misalignment of the panels on the right hand side is apparent. It looks like one is tilted inwards (maybe the bracket is over-tightened). Is this a massive thing to fix? I think it looks a bit crap. I mentioned it to the installer and he said it's due to the roof and also not possible to fix once the scaffolding is down.

front-panel.png
 
I presume, as it seems so minor, that you mean the top of the 2nd and 3rd panels on the bottom row + the bottom edge of the furthest landscape panel on the middle row?

I think it looks fine and I really wouldn't worry about it, plus no roof is perfectly level and I'd rather have the panels tightened down than loser than necessary. (looks like a 1930/1940's era build?)
 
I presume, as it seems so minor, that you mean the top of the 2nd and 3rd panels on the bottom row + the bottom edge of the furthest landscape panel on the middle row?

I think it looks fine and I really wouldn't worry about it, plus no roof is perfectly level and I'd rather have the panels tightened down than loser than necessary. (looks like a 1930/1940's era build?)
OK thanks that's reassuring. I have just seen perfectly lined up panels on other houses in the neighbourhood - yes a 1930s build but with a brand new roof.
 
There is a fair amount of adjustment in the brackets.

What you have been told is code for ‘yeh we didn’t align them properly but we are not fixing it now the scaffolding is down because it’s too expensive so you’ll have to deal with it’.

As much as no roof is flat, that roof doesn’t look particularly on the wonk, if anything I’d say it looks pretty good at this distance and I’d expected them to be better than that. That one bracket is clearly far too low and should have been changed at the time of installing the panel.
 
There is a fair amount of adjustment in the brackets.

What you have been told is code for ‘yeh we didn’t align them properly but we are not fixing it now the scaffolding is down because it’s too expensive so you’ll have to deal with it’.

As much as no roof is flat, that roof doesn’t look particularly on the wonk, if anything I’d say it looks pretty good at this distance and I’d expected them to be better than that. That one bracket is clearly far too low and should have been changed at the time of installing the panel.
Hah - yes I got that code loud and clear!

I take it this isn't an adjustment they can do the the clamps holding the panels on so they aren't angled in? Would this need scaffolding to fix, really?
 
Hah - yes I got that code loud and clear!

I take it this isn't an adjustment they can do the the clamps holding the panels on so they aren't angled in? Would this need scaffolding to fix, really?
The panels would need to come off to adjust the bracket/roof hook which holds the rail up.

It would need a scaffold tower as a minimum and at least 2 panels would need to come off.

You’d have death wish doing that from a ladder.
 
The brackets which hold the rail to the roof hook are adjustable, as said above they should have adjusted the rail at the time of installing the panels.

Do you have bird netting, doesn't look like it in the pictures, without it you're likely to get pigeon's nesting under the panels, at that will drive you crazy.

PS A new roof doesn't mean it will be flat, as it would be highly unlikely they replaced the roof rafters.
 
Last edited:
The brackets which hold the rail to the roof hook are adjustable, as said above they should have adjusted the rail at the time of installing the panels.

Do you have bird netting, doesn't look like it in the pictures, without it you're likely to get pigeon's nesting under the panels, at that will drive you crazy.

PS A new roof doesn't mean it will be flat, as it would be highly unlikely they replaced the roof rafters.
There is bird netting - just hard to see.
They replaced the whole roof - ripped it right off and rebuilt. That was 5 years ago.
 
Back
Top Bottom