Sorry I meant if I get the pannels installed, how easy is it to add the batteries retrospectively? Tbf questions should save for the old man (retired spark!)
Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?
- Thread starter GinG
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Sorry I meant if I get the pannels installed, how easy is it to add the batteries retrospectively? Tbf questions should save for the old man (retired spark!)
Soldato
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If you have the right type of inverter, yes.
Soldato
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If your based in east anglia send me a message
I got a quote (since accepted) for 11.6 battery, 5.6 panels, iboost, bird protection of £13k a month ago.
Cheers for offer but more Yorkshire way! Guessing they don't cover that far
You either need to make sure you have a hybrid inverter installed with the solar, or if not when you put the battery in get an AC coupled one with it's own inverter/charge controller.
Soldato
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Nah they dont
Worth looking through here someone more your must have had a system installed
I have a PV system already that was installed in 2010 so on the original under 4kw FIT contract which pays very well for another 12+ years yet. Can I add a battery retrospectively without messing with the current setup (3.96kw panels and Sunnyboy SB3300) and risk losing the remaining FIT? I know a new system with more panels and a hybrid inverter would increase solar gain but it's never going to top the 62p per kw I now get on my old contract.
Any suggestions regarding a battery I can add to the already installed system to eliminate evening import over the summer months, I'm aware in dead of winter when there's about 2kw or less coming down there's not going to be any useable spare generation
I have a PV system already that was installed in 2010 so on the original under 4kw FIT contract which pays very well for another 12+ years yet. Can I add a battery retrospectively without messing with the current setup (3.96kw panels and Sunnyboy SB3300) and risk losing the remaining FIT? I know a new system with more panels and a hybrid inverter would increase solar gain but it's never going to top the 62p per kw I now get on my old contract.
Any suggestions regarding a battery I can add to the already installed system to eliminate evening import over the summer months, I'm aware in dead of winter when there's about 2kw or less coming down there's not going to be any useable spare generation
Start with these guys - https://lr-renewables.co.uk/
They do fully installed AC coupled batteries, best give then a call and tell them what you want, however they have 6.5kW battery and inverter/charge controller for £4.6k all-in. Probably take you a good while to recoup that amount though.
My install came online just before 1600 and I generated 2.5kwh on day1, go me!
Now to start watching the monitoring app like a hawk and see what it can do, it was novel seeing the smart meter IHD showing ~30w.
Now I need them to get rid of the scaffolding ASAP as its casting some shadows at the moment.
Now to start watching the monitoring app like a hawk and see what it can do, it was novel seeing the smart meter IHD showing ~30w.
Now I need them to get rid of the scaffolding ASAP as its casting some shadows at the moment.
Soldato
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I think they're collecting my scaffolding tomorrow, which will be nice because not sure if scaffold is hurting my figures or not. Once gone will see.
I abandoned the IHD for now, you'll see it jump about far too much to be useful, especially if you have a battery. Changes constantly depending on generation, storage, grid etc.
Do all my checking on stats via the Givenergy dash now instead, as the inverter controls the flow of the data!
I abandoned the IHD for now, you'll see it jump about far too much to be useful, especially if you have a battery. Changes constantly depending on generation, storage, grid etc.
Do all my checking on stats via the Givenergy dash now instead, as the inverter controls the flow of the data!
Soldato
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I do have a battery, which is now down to 10% as we used what it came with cooking dinner and a bit of AC
Hopefully itll get a decent charge tomorrow although looking at the weather I'm not hopeful.
I think most if not all the batteries come part charged and do a discharge then full charge as part of the commissioning routine so you may find once empty it charges itself fully from the grid
Soldato
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Yes that is what mine did. Full discharge, full charge.
Hi all,
Slightly connected request.
I have bought a house with solar panels and keen to maximise their use during the day, as we don't have a battery. We have a Watsonn monitor, which seems to be a bit basic and often needs rebooting. It glows green when we are generating energy, and red when we are not. I was hoping to pick up a newer model of this monitor so that we can tell when we should put on the washing machine etc. Do you have any advice on what models exist? Any more tech solutions out there?
Many thanks
Emma
Slightly connected request.
I have bought a house with solar panels and keen to maximise their use during the day, as we don't have a battery. We have a Watsonn monitor, which seems to be a bit basic and often needs rebooting. It glows green when we are generating energy, and red when we are not. I was hoping to pick up a newer model of this monitor so that we can tell when we should put on the washing machine etc. Do you have any advice on what models exist? Any more tech solutions out there?
Many thanks
Emma
Soldato
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If you have a smart meter, the IHD should tell you I think, the current usage figure goes negative when exporting to grid.
Not really sure what a Watsonn meter is.
Wattson is just a clamp meter such as your provider may have offered in times past. Goes on the incomer but is pretty useless with panels as it's unable to differentiate import from export.
Soldato
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30.83kws today - new record (although only over five days...)
13 and a bit for me, which wasn't far off the estimate from Solcast thing.
I mentioned above though keen to see if removal of scaffold makes any difference.
Today was a mixed bag on weather, rained in the morning, brightened up a bit in the afternoon.
Soldato
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Not thinking hugely tbh, but will have to see, could be shading the panels, it's very hard to tell as the scaffold gets in the way of my own visibility. The scaffold does have poles that go above the roof line though.
Generation for today: