Solar panels and battery - any real world reccomendations?

-Ad- said:
My only concern is they've not listed the G99 DNO application which needs to be done before anything is installed. As your DNO might not even approve export over 3.68kW, so this system might not even be viable until the G99 has been submitted with a decision given by the DNO for your export.
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I'm not 100% sure, but I think the Solis inverter will be G100 certified, so if required they can limit the export, if that is the case its not a problem.
 
Ron-ski said:
I'm not 100% sure, but I think the Solis inverter will be G100 certified, so if required they can limit the export, if that is the case its not a problem.
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Yeah totally, a G100 inverter would also work.

The one thing I'm not clued up on is can the full output of the PV array still be used elsewhere.

Say array is pumping out 6kW and limited to 3.68kW export by the G100 inverter setup, could it still export at 3.68kW and then say power the house/charge battery with the remaining 2.3kW (for example)?
 
-Ad- said:
Seems a bit spendy by £3k in my eyes.

Go play with teh calculator and planer on www.easy-pv.co.uk.

I just did a rough system plan for similar components and 9.6kWh of Pylontech batteries and it came to around 9.5k ex VAT and shipping. So you're component and material costs are not afully over, the installer will obviously have some markup for ordering, designing etc etv.

Install costs seem a spendy as ever, a sign of the times.

But they've partially broken the quote down, so it's better than most.

My only concern is they've not listed the G99 DNO application which needs to be done before anything is installed. As your DNO might not even approve export over 3.68kW, so this system might not even be viable until the G99 has been submitted with a decision given by the DNO for your export.
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It includes the DNO application. They sort all that and we'll aware of the process involved.

Getting the feedback it's expensive but a large system with well known products and support so not OTT.
 
LordVader said:
It includes the DNO application. They sort all that and we'll aware of the process involved.

Getting the feedback it's expensive but a large system with well known products and support so not OTT.
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As long as they put all the DNO info in writing. Make sure the G99 (and G100 if G99 fails) is all done before work starts or you give them a load of money.

I still think it's a bit rich, not truly awful. Try haggling a bit as say £3k for the install part (less scaff) is spendy. Material costs don't seem vastly off but try and haggle these down a bit as they have some nice margin in there also.

I'm always worried these days with rogue companies wanting to pump out instals and not following the correct process to allow them to start work. Just keep yourself protected and ensure they've got permission to get going and have stock ready to go.

It's a minefield out there.
 
When the GlowGreen salesperson said to me “don’t worry about the orientation of the panels, they work off ambient light” I started looking elsewhere!
 
SBo said:
When the GlowGreen salesperson said to me “don’t worry about the orientation of the panels, they work off ambient light” I started looking elsewhere!
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They are not entirely wrong though. Modern panels don't "need" direct sunlight. Some of the estimates I saw was that they were still 90% efficient in any orientation as long as they aren't actually under shade (i.e. trees).
 
ci_newman said:
They are not entirely wrong though. Modern panels don't "need" direct sunlight. Some of the estimates I saw was that they were still 90% efficient in any orientation as long as they aren't actually under shade (i.e. trees).
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My west facing string registers a few hundred watts on the inverter in the morning well before any direct sunlight is anywhere near it. Could potentially be bounceback from the neighbours wall or maybe just works a little under daylight conditions even without the direct sunlight.
 
East and west arrays can be great, panels are getting so good that in certain circumstances perhaps you might even get away with a north facing array, but you would be a fool to do that if you had a south facing roof available. To not consider "worry about" orientation in design is poor.
 
Cant wait to see what my strings get in a regular overcast day to see the base power provision. Obviously on a cracking day the panels are going to be smashing out the watts, as they say sunny day scenario! :)
 
gpuerrilla said:
Cant wait to see what my strings get in a regular overcast day to see the base power provision. Obviously on a cracking day the panels are going to be smashing out the watts, as they say sunny day scenario! :)
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So it was chucking it down when I set off for work and each of my arrays (6 panels 340w each one SW one SE) where producing around 75w each. Then it stoped raining but still overcast then it jumped to 300w each. Easily enough to run the house.
 
crazyDAJT said:
So it was chucking it down when I set off for work and each of my arrays (6 panels 340w each one SW one SE) where producing around 75w each. Then it stoped raining but still overcast then it jumped to 300w each. Easily enough to run the house.
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That's great to hear! I take it you have 12 in total? That is about the same as what Im getting. On the poor weather it was outputting circa 900w for the house, that would be awesome as I work from home and can spread out the tasks/chores/habits to make the most of it.
 
SBo said:
East and west arrays can be great, panels are getting so good that in certain circumstances perhaps you might even get away with a north facing array, but you would be a fool to do that if you had a south facing roof available. To not consider "worry about" orientation in design is poor.
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That's what I've gone for on two flat roof areas, it maximises the usable area (12 instead of 9, and 6 instead of 3) and gives a wider potential span of usable energy, rather than massive peaks midday. Difference in energy production is around 15% reduction for the same amount of panels as South facing, but the increase in panels improves this considerably.
 
This is what my installer recommended and after researching post quotes there is evidence to back it up. You can also get more production over area by not staggering south facing arrays where you need space for shadow, a back to back E+W is better (unless angle is not needed).
 
gpuerrilla said:
This is what my installer recommended and after researching post quotes there is evidence to back it up. You can also get more production over area by not staggering south facing arrays where you need space for shadow, a back to back E+W is better (unless angle is not needed).
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Back to back is the system I'm having on the flat roof areas, Renusol FS10 E-W. Fortunately, one roof ( garage) is exactly east/west, and the other (garden room gym) is 90 degrees to that one, so this system should work nicely.
 
The tech is really interesting. I thought I would be able to do it much sooner during my house build but funds ran out. However with the insane energy increase on price it just makes sense to install it if you can particularly as we wont be moving from here.

I can add a battery or off-grid later on my other roof. What would really kick this into overdrive is if the government or industry allow for residential microgeneration to claim or credit exports. I cant believe nobody has kicked off where your selling to the grid for 5p yet a neighbour is then paying a supplier 30p for that same unit.
 
gpuerrilla said:
This is what my installer recommended and after researching post quotes there is evidence to back it up. You can also get more production over area by not staggering south facing arrays where you need space for shadow, a back to back E+W is better (unless angle is not needed).
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Out of all the quotes I've got recently, only one picked up on this (I'm waiting on their quote) . Our garage is 6 x 6 meters, and if you put them east west they fit better with more panels than south facing.
 
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Our latest quote, waiting to hear back from the two before we book

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