So now I have a solar PV system how do I make the most of it???

Kernel_Sanders

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

Just to be pedantic (and accurate) that should be 58.5 kWh not Kw

That is no more pedantic than correcting someone for stating that the distance between London and Brighton is 50mph.

EricMears

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

With the sun rising in the NE and setting in the NW at that time, surely your pitch will be better suited than mine?

A shallow pitch would certainly be better for first & last hours of daylight at any time of year. However, the real money-spinner is at noon (which doesn't of course mean 12:00 unless you live on the Greenwich Meridian and aren't using BST !) when the ideal inclination would be same as your latitude on Equinox days or that corrected for latitude at which Sun is perpendicular on any other day. Assuming latitude of 53 deg N, that would be 53deg on 21st of March & Sept, 76deg on 21st Dec or 30deg on 21st June. For that reason, a 'steerable array' would always be better than roof mounted panels but (a) they look horrible, (b) it's really hard work mowing around them and (c) they're an invitation to the light-fingered.

Generation at 8am today (& yesterday) was only about 100w and it had dropped back to that by 4:30pm. No amount of 'panel optimisation' would increase that to 200w never mind a useful figure.

Kernel_Sanders

EricMears wrote: »

A shallow pitch would certainly be better for first & last hours of daylight at any time of year. .

Bit of a blunder there!

EricMears

Originally Posted by EricMears
A shallow pitch would certainly be better for first & last hours of daylight at any time of year.

No blunder in that sentence ! There really are times of day when the Sun is (very slightly) to the North of the East-West line through your roof and whilst that condition is true the flatter your panels are, the more sunlight they'll collect. This of course only happens for a very short period around dawn or dusk when there isn't much to collect anyway.

jimjames

sly_dog_jonah wrote: »

Finally a couple of good days of generation again this weekend in cider country! 14.7kWh and 15.0kWh on Sat/Sun respectively, and yet both days had cloudy intervals (as I can tell from SoloPV output graphs).

This has put us back on course to make [PVGIS estimate+25%] (200kWh) for February all being well. Just another 18.9kWh needed by Weds evening. Time for a sun dance. :j:cool:

Feb for us is looking at being 30% over the higher PVGIS estimates despite having both the first day of zero output as well as the lowest non-zero day. So far we are over 170kWh from a 3kWp system with 3 days to go.

Kernel_Sanders

EricMears wrote: »

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No blunder in that sentence ! There really are times of day when the Sun is (very slightly) to the North of the East-West line through your roof...

But not in early winter, surely.

sly_dog_jonah

jimjames wrote: »

Feb for us is looking at being 30% over the higher PVGIS estimates despite having both the first day of zero output as well as the lowest non-zero day. So far we are over 170kWh from a 3kWp system with 3 days to go.

We're a 3.7kWp system but SE facing or thereabouts, but February has been an interesting month for generation. Some stunning blue sky days but far more below-par days.

The mean generation so far this month has been 6.96kWh, but only 10 days have exceeded that, whereas 16 have been below. Of the 10 above average days, 8 have got into double figures and 6 have been >13kWh. By contrast 13 days have generated <5kWh.

If anything, this should serve as a warning to those with new installations that you can't really judge whether it is working 'as expected' until you have got several weeks of data as a bare minimum.

Golauhaul

Rosemary_Jane wrote: »

I know. I'm really cross, actually. I applied to SSE after recommendations by my installer and what I saw online. Nowhere in the documentation was there any figure of the time taken to pay out.

I haven't had a payment yet. First reading submitted 4 July, as requested. I'm now told it's 65 working days!!! I wonder if they wait that long for their creditors?!!

RJ

SSE are awful.
Panels installed early July 2011 and SSE acknowledged payments to be made from date of installation. First meter reading submitted 30 September as requested. Nothing. Enquiries met with the 65 days response.
Second meter reading submitted 31 December 2011. Nothing.

Last week invoked formal complaints procedure. That produced an immediate reaction. Told a predictable story about problems caused by their migration from one database system to another etc etc, but promised a cheque for both meter readings. (They argued that they couldn't pay electronically because allegedly I have no direct debit with them - notwithstanding that my quarterly bills have been paid by direct debit from time immemorial!). Just chased the cheque - apparently posted last week.

From that experience, and the time taken for their microgeneration unit to answer the phone, I guess they are chronically under resourced.

EricMears

Golauhaul wrote: »

SSE are awful.

But ScottishPower (no relation !) are brilliant.

Reported my figures by email last week, received an auto-acknowledgement immediately followed within a few mins by a 'proper' reply promising payment within 28 days. No had that yet of course but they certainly lived up to the (same) promise three months ago by paying out in 18 days.

EricMears

Golauhaul wrote: »

notwithstanding that my quarterly bills have been paid by direct debit from time immemorial

Even without the dreadful service, it's high time you looked at changing suppliers. Most of them offer some inducement to new customers; sign up via 'Quidco' and you get an even better deal.