Yes, its worth asking with your local network operator for any limitations.
Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?
- Thread starter GinG
- Start date
Yes, its worth asking with your local network operator for any limitations.
Fair point, just had a look at mine and it looks like it's 2400W max
. Not worth changing much just for the extra 400w unless I do a full inverter change
I’m currently going through quote stage with installers for a GivEnergy battery and inverter.
Seems they are very popular and lead times on their kit is quite long.
They are releasing a new 10 kWh battery end of May, so hoping to get a deposit down and join the queue.
Soldato
You need to have DNO approval for any system larger than 3.68kW, and obviously the maximum you can go to on a single phase is also limited by your main fuse, and what the DNO will allow you to connect back to the grid based on their current capacity available. For the most part is just a paperwork exercise, but there are occasions where things can't be done for technical reasons and they'll advise you what can be done and what the limits are. These are obviously for grid tied systems, where you'll export excess energy that you don't consume, and get paid for it.
Associate
Can you buy a Givenergy setup directly from etc - https://www.itstechnologies.shop/co...id-or-solar-with-2-x-5-2kwh-battery-2-303-vat or https://midsummerwholesale.co.uk/buy/giv-energy/giv-ac-3-5200-bundle and then get your own electrician to connect it all up? Or do you need to go through Givenergy directly approved installers to get everything set up ok and connected?
Soldato
For the warranty you need to have an approved installer, but they actually hold a free course every week/other week on Zoom or similar to allow installers to become approved once they have taken part, and supplied them with their business details and proofs of competence/certification etc. I bought my kit (solar and batteries) and then had it all installed as I wanted what I wanted, and it cost me less as well.
Do you already have a solar install, or are you just looking at a battery standalone?
Associate
Morning guys,
Looking for some guidance on costs for this as some places just aren’t getting back to me at the moment.
How does this look compared to what people who have had solar installed recently?
32 x 380w (12.16kW) JA Premium Solar Panel inc Half Cell Technology & PERC
6kW HV Sofar Hybrid Inverter
2 x 5.1kWh (10.2kWh) Sofar Amass HV Battery*
5kW Discharge / Charge
Installed/certified etc for 17k is the best I’ve had quoted so far. Decent or would you suggest shopping around more?
Looking for some guidance on costs for this as some places just aren’t getting back to me at the moment.
How does this look compared to what people who have had solar installed recently?
32 x 380w (12.16kW) JA Premium Solar Panel inc Half Cell Technology & PERC
6kW HV Sofar Hybrid Inverter
2 x 5.1kWh (10.2kWh) Sofar Amass HV Battery*
5kW Discharge / Charge
Installed/certified etc for 17k is the best I’ve had quoted so far. Decent or would you suggest shopping around more?
Soldato
12kW of PV with a single 6kW inverter? Or is that meant to have an x2 next to it?
Associate
So I questioned that and the rationale behind it (from what I’m told) is that as my roof is east/west facing, the panels won’t all be used at the same time, so would only likely get up to around 6 or just over sometimes during midday sun for example. Not sure if that’s accurate or not though!
Soldato
Well pricing up that system, but with 2x inverters using both strings on each, so two strings of 8 panels, for a total of 16 panels per inverter, then adding 2x of the Sofar Amass GTX5000 4.6kWh batteries, and 32x of the JA panels, you can buy the lot for £8,548.xx + VAT. So I'd say they are having your pants down with one inverter as that makes almost a £8k install cost, plus the cost of the cabling and mounting hardware which is a few hundred quid, and then a couple of meters and some other odds and ends, but even if you call that £1k, then they are still charging waaaay too much.
For reference the panels are £121 each, the hybrid inverters are £850, and the batteries are £1.45k all + VAT.
Associate
That's awesome, thanks very much for the sanity check on that, makes perfect sense!
Any recommendations from anyone on reputable companies who I could reach out to?
Any recommendations from anyone on reputable companies who I could reach out to?
Associate
- Joined
- 1 Feb 2009
- Posts
- 2,124
So I'm starting to seriously look at getting some pV for the house, but will be waiting to see what new grants may come out in the next few months, however, the garden is ideal for what I hope would be a small setup, along the back fence, as the fence doesnt get shaded at all for the full year. Reading previous comments I can get micro grid-tie inverters. The garden already has a armored 3 core cable as I was planning a summer house but this was put on hold due to the cost of timber, so my thinking is to reuse this cable but have it setup in a way that I can still use this cable should I get a summerhouse in the future.
Probably start off small with 2x250W panels if this would work?
Probably start off small with 2x250W panels if this would work?
Soldato
Honestly, not really. I'd just cast your net far and wide, and make sure you are getting detailed quotes, I've seen some people being quoted £500+ for DNO applications which are mostly free unless work needs doing, and only once the application has been accepted can they tell you how much that might be. Check for obvious padding in the quotes, ask them to break it down for you. Query the workmanship warranty, and scaffold costs are they included, or extra? Find out the lead times on the install, will they ensure they have all your kit set aside once the DNO application is accepted, you don't want to be waiting for your install if they have a deposit from you. If there is a delay on the batteries for example, will they do the rest of the work so you can be generating, while you wait for them to come back and fit the batteries.
Also, just keep reading, and investigating, you can never have too much knowledge, as I have said in this thread before treat this as seriously as building an extension or something that you'll have for a very long time possibly over two decades, how much research time would you spend on buying a house etc.
Fair point, just had a look at mine and it looks like it's 2400W max
So just an example of what this system is doing - welcome any comment.
This month generated 99kwh
Last month generated 66kwh (guess Feb had less light)
How does this look for a monthly output for a 2kW system? About right? held back by the fact it's only 2kW. Appreciate it's an open question but not sure how much information can be garnered from this basic info!
Associate
Ah ok, so you could get a normal electrician to sit through the course and then become approved? So did you buy your kit as I would like to from a direct supplier, then got an electrician who was approved to connect it all up?
I already have a 4kW solar PV install from about 5/6years ago so on a decent FiT rate. Because of that, I understand I'd need to get an AC coupled battery system so the original 4kW PV is left alone. I'd like to add another 2kW or so of PV, maybe 6 panels, and try to get at least 10kWh of battery storage if I can afford it. Also would really like the battery to be able to supply the house in case of power cuts. We've had 3 or 4 over the winter which is a real pain as I've got smart sockets etc/CCTV and various bits. Our house is all electric, with a GSHP and ASHP, so I think would really benefit from a battery and being able to capture and utilise all the solar we generate.
Very few of the available battery systems can power the whole house in the event of a power cut, I think the Tesla Powerwall is the only widely available system. Most of the battery systems that offer an "off grid" function usually just provide a couple of 13A sockets nearby, rather than feeding the whole house. The inverter has to support it too, as there is a power "cost" for running it.
Man of Honour
Just got our first quote: 11 JA 370w Mono Black Solar Panels with Huawei Smart Optimisers, a Huawei Hybrid Battery Ready Single-Phase Inverter and optional Huawei 5/10 kWh Battery at £5254, £8929 or £11029 (depending on the battery and size)
Two questions - huawei batteries and solar kit any good?
Secondly - can you generally control electric car charging, we don't own one now but will in the next 25 years.... I'm not sure how it'd fit in the hierarchy, over or under the battery, but assume I'd want to be able to control if it charges on excess solar or off peak depending on usage and battery level.
Two questions - huawei batteries and solar kit any good?
Secondly - can you generally control electric car charging, we don't own one now but will in the next 25 years.... I'm not sure how it'd fit in the hierarchy, over or under the battery, but assume I'd want to be able to control if it charges on excess solar or off peak depending on usage and battery level.
Think a number of the chargers have a level of intelligence so they only pull solar/off peak if you ask them to. re cost looks an ok quote, as stated before get as many panels as you can as this is the thing that most of the cost covers, ie the cable, scaffolding etc is all the same if you get 6 or 20 panels! So maximise this from the offset. Is this price inclusive of vat or not?
Man of Honour
Thats as many as our (garage) roof will fit, with Vat - they said they'd come in expensive as well but being single story might have helped.