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I'd go for option 1
Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?
- Thread starter GinG
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Soldato
Yep I don't usually get near the top but it seems being in the south is relatively consistent, considering the fact my roof shades itself and that I get shading from taller properties near to me, generation across the year as a whole was good and wasn't far off 1 mWh per 1 kW of panels.
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I'm really hurt by my 3kw inverter, such a shame they never fitted a bigger one. I think it was cowboys ripping off the old lady I bought the house from.
Soldato
Sounds about right, though it's not that common to get above 3kw gen anyway unless your system is well above that.
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Yeah, 2.9 peak today.....but yesterday had a solid 2 hours flatline at 3.
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Reply to my own comment as its now almost working. The issue appears to be at Givenergys end and the battery needs firmware update even though I can see it completed 4 hours ago. Installer left saying Givenergy will sort it at there end.
However, in the app my battery is still showing idle and 0 Watts. This does not appear correct?
Soldato
So an interesting turn of events.
As I put a week or so ago my installer seemed to have given up.
I had an outstanding query logged with Solax, who came back and gave 1st level support of looks fine if you take a short amount of generation and extrapolate.
I threw a bit of a wobbly on twitter and copied in Solax. They came back to me this morning asking if I would remove the post and they would supply a complete new set of batteries!
Now this threw me, and I wasnt and am still not convinced that this will fix it, but it opened up a new channel.
Luckily today I was planning to charge batts between 2-4pm anyway as it was one of them free energy sessions so I was already low by 8am.
I drained the batts and started 2pm at 10% (minimum SOC). Charging via mains and solar I was charging at 5.15kw and it took 1hr 50 mins roughly. The very end was declining current however.
Thing is thats max 9.5kWh vs a supposed usable of 11kWh. Sent them the data.
The guy I was talking to actually said he had discussed with the guy who designed the batteries. I didnt quite get the point but he said abut SOC and 90%. Think he was saying to charge the full 90%.
Which is what I was doing anyway.
They got me to turn the battery heating on. They were at 21 degrees but they wanted higher. With it turned on it hit 23C before the session started and during charging 33C
Guy was claiming under 25 is too low. Now this would be interesting for UK conditions!
However it didnt seem to fix the issue.
I got sent a screen shot of a chunk of the cells. Unfortunately it was in chinese and he converted to western. But that showed all cells at 3.26v.
Not sure if this was at 100% SOC, I think it was.
So they can see every cell via a special app only they have.
Be interesting to see what they come up with tomorrow.
As I put a week or so ago my installer seemed to have given up.
I had an outstanding query logged with Solax, who came back and gave 1st level support of looks fine if you take a short amount of generation and extrapolate.
I threw a bit of a wobbly on twitter and copied in Solax. They came back to me this morning asking if I would remove the post and they would supply a complete new set of batteries!
Now this threw me, and I wasnt and am still not convinced that this will fix it, but it opened up a new channel.
Luckily today I was planning to charge batts between 2-4pm anyway as it was one of them free energy sessions so I was already low by 8am.
I drained the batts and started 2pm at 10% (minimum SOC). Charging via mains and solar I was charging at 5.15kw and it took 1hr 50 mins roughly. The very end was declining current however.
Thing is thats max 9.5kWh vs a supposed usable of 11kWh. Sent them the data.
The guy I was talking to actually said he had discussed with the guy who designed the batteries. I didnt quite get the point but he said abut SOC and 90%. Think he was saying to charge the full 90%.
Which is what I was doing anyway.
They got me to turn the battery heating on. They were at 21 degrees but they wanted higher. With it turned on it hit 23C before the session started and during charging 33C
Guy was claiming under 25 is too low. Now this would be interesting for UK conditions!
However it didnt seem to fix the issue.
I got sent a screen shot of a chunk of the cells. Unfortunately it was in chinese and he converted to western. But that showed all cells at 3.26v.
Not sure if this was at 100% SOC, I think it was.
So they can see every cell via a special app only they have.
Be interesting to see what they come up with tomorrow.
Good progress, I guess.
That looks like they kind of info I got when connected the console to the batteries. Although, with mine it's looked like while the BMS is much fancier that what's found in, for example, an E-Bike battery I found no real historical logs for the cell info.
Their connection to the inverter are just basic serial; mine do not know anything about the internet AFAIK and they inverter certainly doesn't act as a router for rs485, I think!
But with yours it seems they are able to connect to them remotely. Well, unless they send a stock screenshot of a battery at 100% as a get lost message to people!
Twitter you say? Pytes never did respond to me at all, not even an acknowledgement. Hadn't though of trying to publicly shaming then, but it seems to work for some companies.
EDIT: 25⁰C would make them totally unsuitable for huge areas of the world, so no wonder they fit a heater.
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I've been beavering away and adding to my original installation - now gone from 18 to 34 panels, just looking where I can shoehorn in my final two to make it 14.58kW......not all optimal so not expecting huge gains, but hopefully some improvement for poorer months.
Scottish Power - I am currently on EDF and applied to SP at the end of July with my meter reading and other standard evidence (MCS cert etc) plus a schematic showing my hybrid inverter and battery. Just under a month later I got an e-mail saying that they had found my export MPAN and would be sending me details to sign up on their billing system. A week later I hadn’t received that so I chased, two days later they sent me the portal details (MINFO) and to submit my readings there on a six monthly basis for automatic payment, the first having been the reading I gave when I applied.
So I’ve been on 12p kWh for export since late July and am only paying 7.5p kWh for import on Octopus.
No obvious issues on setup. I’m not sure that EDF are aware that I have left for export. Seems to be honesty based that I don’t battery charge from the grid and discharge from my battery as grey power is not permitted under SP’s T&Cs.
I now need to stop plugging the car in during the day.
Very pleased with the new pricing for export.
So I’ve been on 12p kWh for export since late July and am only paying 7.5p kWh for import on Octopus.
No obvious issues on setup. I’m not sure that EDF are aware that I have left for export. Seems to be honesty based that I don’t battery charge from the grid and discharge from my battery as grey power is not permitted under SP’s T&Cs.
I now need to stop plugging the car in during the day.
Very pleased with the new pricing for export.
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My GivEnergy inverter is stuck on idle and its a bright sunny day outside. I don't understand why its idle
Any ideas or anything I can do to wake it up
Any ideas or anything I can do to wake it up
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no clue im afraid, I am currently having issues with my GE system but its more the battery going from 65% SOC to 4% reserve flat, been happening all month.
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It appears to have woken itself up! No idea what was going on though!
As for my issue with the non working battery and the installer washing their hands and passing it to GivEnergy to sort. The battle continues! What a disgrace
My installer is even worse!
They simply denied there was any problem even when presented with logs AND got their buddies in the useless self-regulator to agree with that. Cowboy industry!
Soldato
How many panels you got, and where have you managed to fit them all?Just realised, on completion of my final two panels, I'll have just over 70m2 of PV!
Garage: 12 No. 420W panels E-W 10 degrees equally split.
Garden Gym: 6 No. 420W panels E-W 10 degrees equally split.
Garden Room: 8 No. 390W panels South 30 degrees and flat equally split.
Shed: 2 No 390W 30 degrees East
Garage Wall: 6 No. 390W South
Garden Room Wall: 2 No 390W West.
They obviously aren't all optimum but surprisingly generation is good so far, time will tell as sun becomes lower and shading on some will occur. All with optimisers.
None on the main house though....
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Its a disgrace. Would you mind PM'ing me the name of your installer.
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Added some more panels today.
12 x 370w. 6 east and 6 west with a 13th to be added on the south facing roof.
This gives me 16 x 250w into a 3kw inverter on a decent FIT. The new 13 have solaredge power optimisers and i'll stick them into a 3.68kw solaredge inverter.
I got my tape measure out. With some slight movement we can get 7 x E and 7 X W + 1 x S. That gives me 15 so 5.5kw. I also have scope for 6 x S once an extension happens so the plan with for a 6 or maybe even 8kw SolarEdge inverter....pending successful DNO.
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Lovely. What's your annual production look like? Do you have much battery storage?