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

sly_dog_jonah

seagull09 wrote: »

Yes I see what you mean, based on a mid-month commissioning, and the increasing daylight, PVGIS estimates I should have produced about 43 kWH - my total as of now is 27.1, so about 65% of that. Not good at all, but I think the weather is all to blame and not the system.

Tomorrow had been forecast to have sunny intervals but now I see it's changed to 'Similar to Tuesday, with fairly extensive cloud cover, widespread hill fog and drizzle or light rain in the west.'. Aarghh...

Have rain panels been invented yet? :rotfl:

As I said in my post yesterday, you need a good few weeks of data as a minimum to verify if your system is working as expected, as short term weather trends will distort the figures compared to the estimates.

On good days we're now generating at a rate of over 2kW (55% of peak) before 9am. Being SSW oriented, you want to be doing sun dances from about 10am, whereas I have to get up earlier.

Forecast tomorrow is sunny intervals here so I live in hope, since today's only made 2.9kWh so far.

Martyn1981

Well I can vote for poor weather in S Wales too, that's pretty much covered all of it.

Actually I shouldn't complain, should close on 121 today, against 123 target. Not sure how to take tomorrow, but I'm gonna take it, no complaining.

So far since Aug, my targets have been tough, and I've 'won or lost' pretty much in line with sunshine level performance against average. Worst month (extrapolated as install mid month) was August, but sunshine was low against average, so no complaints.

The next week looks like a blinder in Cardiff, but sadly, it's all 12 to 6, with poor weather 6 to 12, and yes, of course, I've got an ESE system. Rats. Still, I've seen exactly the opposite before, so swings and roundabouts.

My 'summer' panels come alive next month, in fact March target is more than Jan and Feb combined. Good game, good game!

Mart.

John_Pierpoint

BBC Radio 4 mounted a spoof documentary today.

"Frugalia" where the inhabitants happened to speak with German accents, arranged for a bankrupt country to raise enough in traded bonds, via European Bank of Common Sense and Stability, to cover "The Great Squanderland Roof" where the natives just happen to speak Hiberno-English'.
The project is a failure because the Germans have failed to realise that Ireland cannot attain the European average level of PV generation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cjwtx

It sounds like Wales is not Sheffield, where the "average" figures for UK were devised.

Martyn1981

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

It sounds like Wales is not Sheffield, where the "average" figures for UK were devised.

Interesting point. Yep, S. Wales is basically the same as southern England, except for the S. West (bit).

http://www.1st-energy.co.uk/images/map.jpg

In fact Mid and even N Wales should match or beat Sheffield, where, as you say, the solar average is based.

Pretty sure that the whole of the western side of the UK has had a tough Feb compared to our compatriots in Essex. Still, 25 years should do to balance things out.

Mart.

EricMears

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Sheffield, where the "average" figures for UK were devised.

On a 'raw geographical basis' the 'average UK location' would be just South of Glasgow. I found that hard to believe too but if you work out latitude & longitude for Shetlands & Scillies then average them you'll arrive approx 30 mls SE of Glasgow.

If you weight that for population density, the 'average UK location' would move a fair way South. Far too complex for me to work out but Sheffield strikes me as a pretty reasonable guess.

Not quite sure how that relates to the general topic of making the most of your solar panels though

EricMears

Martyn1981 wrote: »

25 years should do to balance things out. Mart.

There's no such thing as a 'typical year' - every one is different and it's practically impossible to forecast which areas will be above or below average in any particular year.

You can however be reasonably confident that published tables of sunlight energy yield will probably give a good idea of the 25 year average.

Martyn1981

EricMears wrote: »

On a 'raw geographical basis' the 'average UK location' would be just South of Glasgow. I found that hard to believe too but if you work out latitude & longitude for Shetlands & Scillies then average them you'll arrive approx 30 mls SE of Glasgow.

If you weight that for population density, the 'average UK location' would move a fair way South. Far too complex for me to work out but Sheffield strikes me as a pretty reasonable guess.

Not quite sure how that relates to the general topic of making the most of your solar panels though

Might be wrong, but I think Sheffield gets mentioned a lot, because that is where a lot of solar and solar PV research is carried out in the UK. So they have a lot of data to calculate average annual yields (locally), and from that you can extrapolate across the rest of the UK using historic weather data comparisons.

Does that make any sense? Probably complete jibberish anyway.

Mart.

Kernel_Sanders

Martyn1981 wrote: »

I've got an ESE system. Rats. Still, I've seen exactly the opposite before, so swings and roundabouts.

Except that in your case, some of the 'roundabouts' in late spring and summer will be occurring in what (to me) are still the early hours, so difficult to utilise. Are you an early riser by any chance?

don0301

Lovely day here, how's everyone else doing?

EricMears

don0301 wrote: »

Lovely day here, how's everyone else doing?

100% cloud cover; not a glimmer of sun !

500w at the moment, a 'peak' about an hour ago of 750w.

Nearest I can get to reporting 'good news' is that the 500w just about covers current usage.