Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?

Journey said:
So get them to commit to the prices in advance for you, they will honour the pricing normally if you are just waiting for SMETS2 install. Just e-mail them or call them and get them to put a note on your file, stating you want to be on Agile V2 (or whatever it is called now) and will then ensure you are put on the 55ppkWh cap version once the install is complete.
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I'll give them a bell on Monday and ask.
 
DampCat said:
Any thoughts appreciated. This thread has been amazing but I get lost as soon as people start doing maths.
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As already said, ignore the shape of your roof.

Your instruction to any installer for a quotation is as follows: Please size up for as many panels as possible, and we can remove any sub-optimal locations once the design is complete, or leave them all if the array size is not as big in kWp as envisaged. Please include a G99 application if above 3.68kWp, and ensure the inverter is suitably sized to match this. (It is sensible to oversize these days not undersize if having a G99 done anyhow.)

Other than that, get them to quote for the system with and without a battery, and if not going with a battery to cost/lead times ensure they quote for a hybrid inverter than can have one added easily at a later date. As for a detailed breakdown of the costs and components, e.g. scaffolding, paperwork fees, labour, and parts.

Also don't forget there is zero VAT on home solar installs aright now, so check your quote as I seen one recently where they added 20%!
 
Journey said:
As already said, ignore the shape of your roof.

Your instruction to any installer for a quotation is as follows: Please size up for as many panels as possible, and we can remove any sub-optimal locations once the design is complete, or leave them all if the array size is not as big in kWp as envisaged. Please include a G99 application if above 3.68kWp, and ensure the inverter is suitably sized to match this. (It is sensible to oversize these days not undersize if having a G99 done anyhow.)

Other than that, get them to quote for the system with and without a battery, and if not going with a battery to cost/lead times ensure they quote for a hybrid inverter than can have one added easily at a later date. As for a detailed breakdown of the costs and components, e.g. scaffolding, paperwork fees, labour, and parts.

Also don't forget there is zero VAT on home solar installs aright now, so check your quote as I seen one recently where they added 20%!
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Amazing. Thank you.
 
Big day on Monday for me - super excited!

Finally getting inverter, eddi and batteries hooked up to my 18 panels who have been sitting laughing at me doing nothing through all the recent heatwaves!

That aside should have:
- 18 x 410W panels
- 2 x 9.5KW Givenergy Batteries
- 1 x Givenergy 5KW Gen 2 Inverter
- 1 x Eddi
- install, bird protection etc
£14,100 all included.

Question:
I'm moving to Octopus Go which will let me charge my batteries for 7.5p per kw for four hours in the night.

I've got 19 kwh of batteries (and use about 35kwh per day), so if I set this to charge the batteries will this set up mean I can have:

- 19Kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw to max the battery)
- 14.4kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw but limited to 3.6kw per hour due to the inverter)
or AN Other!

If one of the latter, then would getting another inverter installed allow me to double this?

Am figuring that especially through the winter, the more I can get for 7.5p, the better!
 
katie279 said:
Big day on Monday for me - super excited!

Finally getting inverter, eddi and batteries hooked up to my 18 panels who have been sitting laughing at me doing nothing through all the recent heatwaves!

That aside should have:
- 18 x 410W panels
- 2 x 9.5KW Givenergy Batteries
- 1 x Givenergy 5KW Gen 2 Inverter
- 1 x Eddi
- install, bird protection etc
£14,100 all included.

Question:
I'm moving to Octopus Go which will let me charge my batteries for 7.5p per kw for four hours in the night.

I've got 19 kwh of batteries (and use about 35kwh per day), so if I set this to charge the batteries will this set up mean I can have:

- 19Kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw to max the battery)
- 14.4kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw but limited to 3.6kw per hour due to the inverter)
or AN Other!

If one of the latter, then would getting another inverter installed allow me to double this?

Am figuring that especially through the winter, the more I can get for 7.5p, the better!
Click to expand...
Supposed to be for me as well - the delivery of equipment didn't arrive on Friday, no notification from installer, wasted weekend and bank holiday and Tuesday, as I don't think anyone will turn up on Monday - to say everything was confirmed on Wednesday by email the lack of communication is shocking and looking at some of their reviews this seems to be acceptable to them.
 
I think in theory you should be able to charge at 5kwh so you should just fill the batteries in 4 hours.
The inverters seem to quote a few numbers with some allowing short over and I think you can get sustained being slightly below the rated, but its going to be nigh on spot on with 19kw of storage and a 5kwh charging cap.
 
katie279 said:
I've got 19 kwh of batteries (and use about 35kwh per day), so if I set this to charge the batteries will this set up mean I can have:

- 19Kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw to max the battery)
- 14.4kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw but limited to 3.6kw per hour due to the inverter)
or AN Other!

If one of the latter, then would getting another inverter installed allow me to double this?
Click to expand...

The max charge/discharge power per inverter is 3.6kW (3600w) so you can only put 3.6kWh in per hour, so in 4 hours that will be 14.4kWh in total, less losses, so ~14kWh. If you added a second unit in parallel this would allow a further 3.6kW and therefore 3.6kWh every hour per battery, probably not worth the expense though.
 
Ah great to know.

Given costs of electricity going ballistic, what do you think about an extra battery and an inverter? Even if this was just for the overnight charge, this would give me around 5,100kwh of energy @ 7.5p per kWh rather than the 50-60p bouncing around at the moment. Would this not pay back pretty quickly?
 
Ooh very interesting, completely losing track of all these octopus tariffs (agile, go, intelligent etc!)

Will check it out!

Update - dammit not ready for my car/charger yet it says?? Don't know if they're limiting it somehow to only allow charging cars or something? (Can't think why it'd matter what car and/or charger I have otherwise)
 
You need a compatible car or charger they can control, they turn it on and off depending on when the grid is cheapest and when you need the car charged by. They often turn the car on outside of the fixed 7.5p window and they sell you all your energy at 7.5p in that period as well which is handy.
 
Ah ok, so I could still charge my battery independently at 7.5p during those hours? (Ie I could control that)
 
I don't get why would you have a 5kwh inverter and have it capped to 3.6 unless your export is being capped at 3.6?

Did they apply for a G99 for your setup? @katie279

For example my inverter lists 21.7 amp for input and output. Although there is actually 3 variations (I am assuming the lowest version, no UPS) which then means the max could be 20, 21.7 or 23.9 no idea how to work out what is what, I think its some kind of certification thing
This will cap my battery as that lists 25amp recommended for charge/discharge with 35amp max on discharge
 
It lists the max rate on the data sheet here:
www.givenergy.co.uk

Smart, clean energy storage for your home or business | GivEnergy

Cut your costs with smart energy storage solutions. With GivEnergy technology, you can power your home or business cheaply and sustainably.
www.givenergy.co.uk www.givenergy.co.uk

My understanding is that the '5kw' is the AC output power, but the max charge/discharge rate for battery is different? (Welcome to be corrected though!)

Note this isn't about export at all, more about charging the battery - my goal is to have close to zero export if possible given the rates are so poor, so setup will be:

1) free electricity from solar
2) if generating more than I need, then charge battery
3) if battery full, then use Eddi to hear hot water
4) during night charge battery @ 7.5p/kw and use this
5) so basically only if all else fails, would I send anything back to grid!
 
katie279 said:
Big day on Monday for me - super excited!

Finally getting inverter, eddi and batteries hooked up to my 18 panels who have been sitting laughing at me doing nothing through all the recent heatwaves!

That aside should have:
- 18 x 410W panels
- 2 x 9.5KW Givenergy Batteries
- 1 x Givenergy 5KW Gen 2 Inverter
- 1 x Eddi
- install, bird protection etc
£14,100 all included.

Question:
I'm moving to Octopus Go which will let me charge my batteries for 7.5p per kw for four hours in the night.

I've got 19 kwh of batteries (and use about 35kwh per day), so if I set this to charge the batteries will this set up mean I can have:

- 19Kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw to max the battery)
- 14.4kwh of charge (ie 4hrs @ 7.5p/kw but limited to 3.6kw per hour due to the inverter)
or AN Other!

If one of the latter, then would getting another inverter installed allow me to double this?

Am figuring that especially through the winter, the more I can get for 7.5p, the better!
Click to expand...
Excellent set up and price. Who did you go with Katie? I am also waiting tentatively for my install “booked” for 12th September.
 
Journey said:
The max charge/discharge power per inverter is 3.6kW (3600w) so you can only put 3.6kWh in per hour, so in 4 hours that will be 14.4kWh in total, less losses, so ~14kWh. If you added a second unit in parallel this would allow a further 3.6kW and therefore 3.6kWh every hour per battery, probably not worth the expense though.
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Thinking on this some more, could you explain why you don't think this'd be worth the expense?

At a simple level I'm thinking it'd give me an extra 14kwh per day through the winter @ 7.5p/kw, rather than 60p+ p/kw which is where things are going (let alone April peak!).

Given we use around 14,000 kw per year, this would surely pay for itself in a few years? (I'm thinking another inverter and a third battery to take us to 28.5 kWh of storage?

Am I missing something?
 
Balwant said:
Excellent set up and price. Who did you go with Katie? I am also waiting tentatively for my install “booked” for 12th September.
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EVI Group in Dunfermline - as I said above, really nice bunch of guys, very straight and no nonsense. Have done everything they said they'd do absolutely spot on the time.
 
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