Soldato
Is there an easy way to find out what the DNO will allow us to connect, we already have s 4kw array, would like to add more and a battery or two?
Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?
- Thread starter GinG
- Start date
Soldato
I'm hopinging I don't have the same issue when I enquire.
Currently have a 4.2kw setup through a solar edge inverter capped at 3.68kw. looking to add storage later this year so will need to speak to the dno and pray I'm not limited to a max of 3.68kw.
If I am limited my only option would be to replace my solar edge inverter with a newer one that would allow me to fit a solar edge battery as they're DC coupled. No charging off the cheap night rates though and expensive
Yes you could go 5kW inverter x 2 if you were thinking of more panels, but how long later, or add a third 3.6kW inverter at the time you need it?
Yes the 5kW gen2 inverters will charge the batteries, but no increase on speed over the 3.6kW versions.
Not sure on the last as I'm still awaiting my install, but someone here might be able to answer - this part doesn't worry me as I can't remember the last time I had a power cut.
Associate
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- 28 Mar 2004
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Currently got a quote sitting with me for 12 x 380 Q cell (4.6kwh), Solis Hybrid invertor and a 5kwh PureDrive PureStorage. £8,500. Is that a good deal in the current market?
Another company quoting 12 x 410w hyundai panels with Solis invertor and 5.2kwh fox ess battery for just over £9k. First quote said they wouldnt touch Fox batteries as the cycle count is so much lower but then they also said that they would only use Q Cell and their cheaper panels are Trina (which seem to be pretty good as well?) so many different choices!
Another company quoting 12 x 410w hyundai panels with Solis invertor and 5.2kwh fox ess battery for just over £9k. First quote said they wouldnt touch Fox batteries as the cycle count is so much lower but then they also said that they would only use Q Cell and their cheaper panels are Trina (which seem to be pretty good as well?) so many different choices!
Associate
Yes!! ... made it at last, 4 solar panels in the garden and a small battery setup(DIY)
Been trying to get my usage cost down below the standing charge@ 25p as an unreachable target.
Really feel for the people getting big bills but solar and a battery will help massively, even a small setup.
My months usage and cost,
So chuffed really with this.
Been trying to get my usage cost down below the standing charge@ 25p as an unreachable target.
Really feel for the people getting big bills but solar and a battery will help massively, even a small setup.
My months usage and cost,
So chuffed really with this.
Price seems very good to me. Care to share who would install?
We’re considering 14 405w Q Cell ML panels, 9 on an east facing roof and 5 on a west facing.
Solis 3.6kw hybrid inverter
PureDrive PureStorage 5kwh battery
Bird mesh, install for £10,500
Had a second quote which was very close but using 360w JA Solar panels and 7kwh of Pylontech batteries and the same Solis hybrid inverter.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2010
- Posts
- 2,501
Yes!! ... made it at last, 4 solar panels in the garden and a small battery setup(DIY)
Been trying to get my usage cost down below the standing charge@ 25p as an unreachable target.
Really feel for the people getting big bills but solar and a battery will help massively, even a small setup.
My months usage and cost,
So chuffed really with this.
Congrats. That’s a great looking bill. What did you generate over the month?
Associate
101Kw covering the same dates as the bill covers, just from 4 panels.
This little setup(South facing panels).....200 year plus cottage with 37 inch thick walls!(always cold)
Unorthodox. I love it.
What im looking to do, but I dont know if this setup would be possible or if the tech is available to ensure a max 8kw is exported to the grid. I know rate limiting can be done from the inverters but theyll be the wrong side of the battery.
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2010
- Posts
- 2,501
101Kw covering the same dates as the bill covers, just from 4 panels.
This little setup(South facing panels).....200 year plus cottage with 37 inch thick walls!(always cold)
Bravo sir. You’re a very low user at less than 200units a month.
Soldato
Best not show/tell anyone about that in any of the various energy or smart meter threads, they'll say you must be a millionaire to afford solar/storage, and that you are only able to achieve that as you live a weird lifestyle somehow.
Certainly well done though, that is a great achievement.
Associate
^^^ Cheers, Just need my cells to arrive...as is, I'm fully charged by 1PM daily. 
I just got quotes from ScottishPower, after a phone call. From the discussion, looks like they gauge the size of roof by viewing on Google maps.
Quoting £4347 for 8 fitted solar panels. Looks like they're 390w each, so 3.1kW altogether, which seems relatively low compared to what I've read on here.
Comes up to £7,800 if also having an Alpha B3 5.8kWh battery, or £9,069 with a Sonnen 5kWh battery. There's a data sheet for the former, but not the latter, so you have to guess what the difference is, and whether the more expensive battery is worth it.
They also don't given any illustration of possible returns from it, so I don't feel as informed as I could!
I'm surprised at the prices. I'd expected higher from a big energy supplier. But then I suspect iot's a competitive price but for a lower sized / quality product.
Is there any tool out there for measuring a roof and estimating what panels could fit? I don't remember enough trig from school for this! Using google maps myself, the south facing slope of our roof is a trapezium, with lower length 11.75m and upper length 3.06m. Distance from outer edge to ridge is 4.21m (although all of this doesn't take account of the roof being on a slope of course - and I don't know the slope angle!)
Quoting £4347 for 8 fitted solar panels. Looks like they're 390w each, so 3.1kW altogether, which seems relatively low compared to what I've read on here.
Comes up to £7,800 if also having an Alpha B3 5.8kWh battery, or £9,069 with a Sonnen 5kWh battery. There's a data sheet for the former, but not the latter, so you have to guess what the difference is, and whether the more expensive battery is worth it.
They also don't given any illustration of possible returns from it, so I don't feel as informed as I could!
I'm surprised at the prices. I'd expected higher from a big energy supplier. But then I suspect iot's a competitive price but for a lower sized / quality product.
Is there any tool out there for measuring a roof and estimating what panels could fit? I don't remember enough trig from school for this! Using google maps myself, the south facing slope of our roof is a trapezium, with lower length 11.75m and upper length 3.06m. Distance from outer edge to ridge is 4.21m (although all of this doesn't take account of the roof being on a slope of course - and I don't know the slope angle!)
Thank you! I couldn't find any way to use Google. But it did allow me to roughly create the rooftop and then place squares on panel size on it as a mock up.
Using that, I reckon it would be possible to fit 10 panels. A row of 5 with three above, all portrait, then 1 landscape on each end of the lower row.
What is odd about the Scottish Power quote is they asked me about my electricity usage, but then have given no illustrations on how much I could expect to generate, store, feed back, nothing.
Anyway, the next step is to find some local fitters for quotes. Anyone recommend a company in or near to Cheshire?
Using that, I reckon it would be possible to fit 10 panels. A row of 5 with three above, all portrait, then 1 landscape on each end of the lower row.
What is odd about the Scottish Power quote is they asked me about my electricity usage, but then have given no illustrations on how much I could expect to generate, store, feed back, nothing.
Anyway, the next step is to find some local fitters for quotes. Anyone recommend a company in or near to Cheshire?
Soldato
Interesting, just came up with this - bare in mind this is parts only, no installation, also no real idea of what's needed and what's not, or lengths of cables, and there's no fixing frame work included either.
Not sure if the optimisers are required although the roof does get some shading late afternoon, which will be worse in winter months.
This would be in addition to our existing 4kw solar array.
Although this is more palatable
When you create a new project put in your post code and it shows the image of your area, you zoom in on your roof there.
maybe it's because I've not registered, just did it as a 'trial project'.