Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?

passingthrough said:
Thanks Tamzy and everyone else for helping me very much appreciated.
I'll look Spectra up. Awesome name us oldies would know
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I'd look at just whacking in a Sunsynk 8.8kW and be done with the worry, £1325 +VAT, no fear of clipping from panels, no worries about discharge rates, will run cooler when not hitting full load (heat kill inverters) - ask for a comparative quote with this as an option see how much it adds. Datasheet link HERE!
 
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Ron-ski said:
Anybody considering a Tesla system should verify whether its a Powerwall 2 or 3, seems to be a lot of changes in the Powerwall 3, bigger inverter 11.5kW, 6 built in MPPT's, that six PV strings up tp a max of 20kW of panels. The liquid cooling/heating seems to have gone though.

Being all combined it will certainly make for a very tidy install, albeit I'm sure expensive.

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Anything being quoted now will be powerwall 2 as 3 isn’t in the U.K. at the moment.

It looks very tasty though.
 
Hi, only just found this forum, but having pressed button on install in south London today I am a bit concerned I'm overpaying for a system that might not be best suited to my circumstances.

I can fit 16 panels east west on a flat roof outbuilding that has quite a bit of shading from trees (it's 35m from house consumer unit). I can fit another 8 panels on house roof that is east facing and also has some shading issues.

I use 5k KWh a year including charging our EV (does 4k miles a year). However, I want to overspec solar and battery so I can ditch gas and get heat pump later (when I have made house a bit more airtight).

Installer has shown a range of options but the following has best ROI:

24 x Aiko 450w panels (I can have any panels but these are completely black with busbar on back sheet so better to avoid neighbour problems) + 24 tigo optimisers

1 X 8.8kw sunsynk hybrid inverter for 16 panels + 5.32kwh sunsynk battery

1x 3.6kw sunsynk hybrid inverter for 8 panels.

Total price £15,650

Compared to some of the quotes on here this now looks high! Installer has 34 x 5* reviews on trust pilot.
 
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Don’t worry about the neighbours to start, it’s your house and presumably you are not in a conservation area?

450w panels are more expensive but you of course get more power from them.

Optimisers add a lot of cost, particularly when you need 24 and you’ll need them if there is shading issues.

If you have shading issues, solar edge may be worth it. It’s probably expensive again though.

The system looks suitable and maxing out the panels is the way to go if you are going to install them. The only exception is the battery, you’ll want at least 2 of those as a minimum.

It’s expensive but it sounds like a complex install. I expect you’ll be able to get the cost down by running ducts to the outbuilding yourself or at least digging the trench. You are probably paying them hundreds just to dig a hole. You are also in London, labor is expensive at the end of the day.
 
Seljon said:
5.32kwh sunsynk battery
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this isn't a great battery, it's a 80% DOD battery which means the effective discharge is only 4.2kwh
if staying with sunsynk, you're better off with the L5.1 (90% dod = 4.6kwh effective), or the 5.12 CATL (100% dod)

as @b0rn2sk8 says, you need more batteries...
the sunsynk ecco 8.8kwh can output 8.8kwh from the batteries
if i were you, i'd have at least two, if not three batteries hooked up to that 8.8kw inverter

Seljon said:
Compared to some of the quotes on here this now looks high! Installer has 34 x 5* reviews on trust pilot.
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actually not a bad price, esp when you have 24 optimisers and for london
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
Anything being quoted now will be powerwall 2 as 3 isn’t in the U.K. at the moment.

It looks very tasty though.
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That's a shame, it does look very interesting though, and could make for a very clean looking installation.

I wonder how having multiple Powerwall 3 systems will work, in most cases the extra inverting power and Mppt connections won't be required.
 
Good morning everyone and thanks for the help and advise so far.
Another question, I've been on the MCS website and my installer isn't registered with them.
Should this ring alarm bells, is it required?
 
passingthrough said:
Good morning everyone and thanks for the help and advise so far.
Another question, I've been on the MCS website and my installer isn't registered with them.
Should this ring alarm bells, is it required?
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depending on which energy supplier/SEG you go with
whilst octopus i don't think needs a MCS or flexi-orb certificate...the vast majority do
for peace of mind (ie when it comes to picking suppliers/SEG and/or selling your home in the future)... i would definitely only pick from installers that are MCS/flexi-orb approved
 
Thanks everyone for your quick and helpful responses. I doublechecked with Sunsynk and their website isn't up to date - they have now discontinued the CATL 5.12 and the new 5.32 is now 90% DoD.

I will definitely need another battery but might wait to see how I get on before installing, particularly as no VAT penalty these days. Also, my Kona EV is now 5 years old so may change up to an EV with V2G which would enable me to power whole house - the Renault 5 or new Skoda Equip look good potential options.
 
tamzzy said:
depending on which energy supplier/SEG you go with
whilst octopus i don't think needs a MCS or flexi-orb certificate...the vast majority do
for peace of mind (ie when it comes to picking suppliers/SEG and/or selling your home in the future)... i would definitely only pick from installers that are MCS/flexi-orb approved
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Thanks need too start again
 
Seljon said:
I doublechecked with Sunsynk and their website isn't up to date - they have now discontinued the CATL 5.12 and the new 5.32 is now 90% DoD.
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oh shame that the catl 5.12 has been discontinued

i would suggest double checking with your installer which version they are planning to install...
the older 80%dod 5.32 (sun-batt) or the new 90% 5.32 G5.3
the G5.3 is new and i doubt many installers will be using that as they probably got a great deal for the EOL sun-batt

(and more importantly, i think you cannot mix battery types)
 
There no VAT penalty for installing later but you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a labor one. 4.8kwh will be fine for the summer but you’ll struggle to get to mid day in the winter, especially with a heat pump.
 
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Okay just clicked the Go button on the following after advise from you all.

9 Trina 440w black panel's giving 3.960 KW
Givenergy 3.6kw hybrid inverter
Givenergy 9.5 KW battery
Bird mesh
MCS and approved Givenergy installer for the 12 year warranty.

£7,400

Fitting couple of weeks hopefully. Childish but soooooo excited.

Ps no scaffolding as he will use his tower

This is for the south facing garage...... East West house next in a few years if the Mrs lets me.
 
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Starting to get somewhere with Scottish Power.

After going to the ombudsman just over a week ago we have an email from them now asking for an up to date meter reading and they are proposing £125 compensation as well.

With the export at 12p per kwh and the compensation that should be just shy of £300 in total.
 
I was on a coach for the last few days and the 79 year old bloke behind me was full of himself.
He ended up talking about his solar panels to another bloke and concluded that last month he paid £50 electric and £160 gas.
I wanted to ask why he doesn't change over to electric heating, cooker etc but I really couldn't be bothered with him.
The way I see it if he's still paying £50 electric then he isn't making enough KW to heat his house - AM I RIGHT?
 
OK so I've been flirting with more companies to see what their approach would be and price points.

One local company immediately sent a chap round to come and complete an assessment and really talk through my options. Including how to tackle the potential routes from centre of the house into the garage.

Big difference to all of the previous quotes is the 19 panel approach, squeezing in 7 panels on each roof orientation, as well as utilising the space on the rear of my garage.

A 19 x 435W All Black Longi Mono Panels - Manufacturers 25 Year Product & 25 Year Performance
B 1 x GivEnergy 13.5kW All In One - Manufacturers AC Charger 12 Year & 12 Year Battery Product Warranty
C 1 x GivEnergy Gateway Off Grid System - Manufacturers 12 Year Product Warranty
D 1 x Solis 5G 8kW String Inverter - Manufacturers 10 Year Product Warranty
E Grid Connected Battery Management System For Grid Charging
F 5 x Tigo Panel Optimisers - These are for the panels situation on the garage
G All Black Roof Mounting Kit
H All Black Bird Protection Mesh
I Generation Meter, Isolators and all Electrical Components + Cable for EV Charger
J G99 Application
K Access Equipment
L Design & Installation
M Testing, Commissioning & MCS Certificate
N 10 Year Insurance Backed Workmanship Warranty & Deposit Protection
TOTAL
£14,200.00

Definitely a better deal than the first quote I had.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
I was on a coach for the last few days and the 79 year old bloke behind me was full of himself.
He ended up talking about his solar panels to another bloke and concluded that last month he paid £50 electric and £160 gas.
I wanted to ask why he doesn't change over to electric heating, cooker etc but I really couldn't be bothered with him.
The way I see it if he's still paying £50 electric then he isn't making enough KW to heat his house - AM I RIGHT?
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In winter you wont generate enough to heat a house with a normal sized array.
 
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