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

EricMears

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

.... (as predicted by Metcheck on Monday).....

I really like the Metcheck weather site. It always seems more 'local' than the others. It's the only one that gives you a forecast of %ge cloud cover and it also tries to predict the actual amount of rainfall - which I need to monitor as I collect rainwater for lavatory flushing so can at least have some idea of whether my tanks are liable to overflow.

Unfortunately, I only seem able to run the Metcheck page for a few hours before it displays an error message which I can only clear by shutting down IE, deleting old cookies, rebooting computer then trying Metcheck again.

don0301

EricMears wrote: »

Actually, a tracking array isn't all that expensive and of course by fitting your panels at ground level you would avoid the significant cost of scaffolding that H&S regulations oblige installers to use when fitting to a roof.

This is a photo of one such installation just a few hundred yards from my house :-


Fitted same month and using same type of panels as my roof-mounted ones. Forecast was that it would produce around 20% more output per year than mine

Actually, while panels have dropped a lot in price, tracking equipment has not. Also, you presume having an area of land available that doesnt have shading issues to make your argument about fitting at ground level , how many people have that?
Of course, your one photo, like many arguments on here, proves your case irrefutably...

Kernel_Sanders

EricMears wrote: »

I really like the Metcheck weather site. It always seems more 'local' than the others.

It may not be as local as you think; I find that the NG19 forecast is identical to the NG18 one.
That solution to the display problems didn't appear on my thread here, so why not pop it on https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3819463

Kernel_Sanders

don0301 wrote: »

Actually, while panels have dropped a lot in price, tracking equipment has not. Also, you presume having an area of land available that doesnt have shading issues to make your argument about fitting at ground level , how many people have that?
Of course, your one photo, like many arguments on here, proves your case irrefutably...

But he isn't making any argument (despite the obvious provocation!) You were the one who asked how panels could be altered in pitch biannually, and he has provided theoretical scenarios in which this could be accomplished. He hasn't claimed they are economic or indeed viable in most circumstances.
I've only been on this thread since page 80 but I have noted a couple of dodgy comments from Eric in his exchanges. However, as far as this particular exchange has progressed, I've found his suggestions to be both interesting and constructive.

don0301

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

But he isn't making any argument (despite the obvious provocation!) You were the one who asked how panels could be altered in pitch biannually, and he has provided theoretical scenarios in which this could be accomplished. He hasn't claimed they are economic or indeed viable in most circumstances.
I've only been on this thread since page 80 but I have noted a couple of dodgy comments from Eric in his exchanges. However, as far as this particular exchange has progressed, I've found his suggestions to be both interesting and constructive.

actually, he has not

but you crack on

don0301

EricMears wrote: »

That of course is the total distance from surface of roof to 'front' of panel. Unless you've got a radically new design of panel, they'll have a finite thickness and will have an air gap between roof surface and 'back' of panel so most of us would have nowhere near 200mm of adjustment before needing planning permission; indeed, my original 100mm is probably a considerable over-estimate.

If you move one end of a panel (assumed mounted in landscape mode and approx 800mm wide) by 100mm it would move through an angle of approx 7 degrees - which isn't going to be a great deal of help to anyone. That drops to around 3 degrees for an individual panel mounted in portrait mode or less than one degree for a block of four such panels.

Yes, which is what you referred to originally...not what you are trying to say above in your second post...

EricMears wrote: »

For absolute maximum performance, you need panels mounted on a steerable array where the thing points Eastward (or thereabouts) at dawn & slews round to Westward at dusk. Panel inclination also changes from steep at dawn to shallower at noon & back to steep at dusk and of course the inclination at noon would be around 75deg in Dec and 30deg in June (depending on exact latitude of course). One such array would be a 'permitted development' but the multiple ones you'd want for a full 4kwp would require planning permission.

It sounds an attractive idea to jack up the top of your roof mounted array in the winter and lower it in summer. However, the permitted development rules only apply to panels fitted a small distance (off the top of my head I think its 100mm) above the existing roof surface and anything else would require planning permission. Two other snags are that having panels at an angle to the roof surface would increase wind resistance so you'd very likely lose them in a winter gale and if you tried to minimise that effect by tilting panels individually they'd probably shade each other.

EricMears

don0301 wrote: »

Actually, while panels have dropped a lot in price, tracking equipment has not.

I've never actually sought a quotation for a tracking array - let alone done so several times at intervals. However, I do know somebody who has one and certainly wouldn't describe him as 'super-rich'. His array seems to have been well within his means and it fulfils his need very well since he has a reasonably sized front garden but a severely shaded south-facing roof. I know of several other people who have done the sums and decided that the ROI of a tracking system justifies the expense.

I have a rather larger area of unshaded land but prefer to keep it as a garden. Luckily, my roof is accurately aligned Southward with plenty of room for 16 x 250w panels. The rather shallow slope is something of an issue hence I thoroughly researched the possibilities of mounting panels at a steeper angle than the roof tiles before I ordered the system I did. If you don't want to hear the pros & cons of trying to do that then don't bother posting questions about the topic.

I can tell you (indeed have) that it would be a relatively simple matter to attach panels to a roof in such a way that you could make them steeper in winter and shallower in summer. Note however that 'relatively simple' is not the same as 'relatively cheap' ! You would need to move one end of the bank of panels by at least a metre to make any significant difference and you could not do that without applying for planning permission. You'd need to arrange access to your roof offering a safe working environment every time you made an adjustment. Hiring scaffolding twice a year would almost certainly cost more than any benefit you might receive from enhanced FIT payments or leaving the scaffolding (or equivalent access arrangement) permanently in place would also require planning permission.

The one photo was a response to someone else who showed a photo of a completely different type of tracking array. I don't really see that another dozen photos would help anybody.

EricMears

don0301 wrote: »

Yes, which is what you referred to originally...not what you are trying to say above in your second post...

I'm afraid all that proves is that you didn't understand the point the first time round and still don't.

I am of course well aware of the 200mm overall limit having read the relevant planning advice before commissioning my own installation. But that doesn't mean you're allowed to increase the height of your panels by 200mm. I couldn't possibly estimate by how much you are entitled to move your panels without knowing the details of your panel thickness and type of brackets and made it quite clear that the 100mm was an approximation.

teachergirl

Sitting in bed listening to the weather forecast.......maybe snow in Essex today:eek:

Overall March has not started well in Essex...just in case you think the sun always shines here. However we do really really need some rainfall. Good job I got most of the weekends washing done when we did have some sun.


Boys can we try to be nice to each other on here. We don't all have to agree with each other but snide comments and asides discourage newbies from posting

GaryMo_2

I've only been here a short while and like most forums have already identified the people who are willing to argue their point to any length for nothing more than an ego boost. It's pointless guys, it really is. Surely we're all here for one common reason?