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

antirobin

Has anyone else had problems getting Scottish Power to accept their application to add their panels to the System and actually get a little money back?

I've been trying since October and keep getting the run around, and now no one will answer my emails.
ANy advice?

keith_r59

antirobin wrote: »

Has anyone else had problems getting Scottish Power to accept their application to add their panels to the System and actually get a little money back?

I've been trying since October and keep getting the run around, and now no one will answer my emails.
ANy advice?

Cancel your application with Scottish Power and try applying to a different energy supplier. E.ON accepts applications from non customers.

http://www.eonenergy.com/At-Home/Products/Feed-in+Tariffs/How-to-apply-for-fit-payments.htm?WT.mc_id=How_to_Apply&WT.svl=8

teachergirl

I had no problems at all with Eon signing up for the FIT but I am a customer as well.
It was a relatively sunny day here today and I produced 11.36kWh today which is my second highest total.(Can I have a gold star now Cardew)
I put my dishwasher and the washing machine to come on during the day one after the other. I have been saving my washing for days now and was just about to give up and wash anyway. Shame the forcast is for rain at the weekend. I don't think I have ever paid quite as much attention to the weather forcast as I do now!

zeupater

teachergirl wrote: »

I had no problems at all with Eon signing up for the FIT but I am a customer as well.
It was a relatively sunny day here today and I produced 11.36kWh today which is my second highest total.(Can I have a gold star now Cardew)
I put my dishwasher and the washing machine to come on during the day one after the other. I have been saving my washing for days now and was just about to give up and wash anyway. Shame the forcast is for rain at the weekend. I don't think I have ever paid quite as much attention to the weather forcast as I do now!

Hi

In that case you will need to find your nearest Met station on the link below and add it to your favourites .......

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_latest_weather.html

HTH
Z

Note : You'll need to use the forecast view, not the historical view ....

free_juice?

It seems from reading this thread I must buy a monitor. At the moment to see what is going on I have to look at the meter and/or interrogate the inverter from my PC, which sort of spoils things running a circa 400w PC to see what the panels are producing.

I have read quite a bit about the Owl of which several models are available and which gets rather mixed reviews in terms of reliability and software stability. I don't think I need long term logging, the inverter is doing that for me on the generation side and I don't think I want consumption logged as well. So which Owl model would that lead me to?

Another device called the Onzo seem to be a better bit of kit at twice the price with the advantage of charging its battery by induction. Any comments on the Onzo?

Presumably, depending on where I clamp the monitor I can measure either everything going into the house (i.e. house side of roof supply) or monitor the 'two way traffic' between the roof supply and meter? Or have I missed some vital point?

Equaliser123

free_juice? wrote: »

It seems from reading this thread I must buy a monitor. At the moment to see what is going on I have to look at the meter and/or interrogate the inverter from my PC, which sort of spoils things running a circa 400w PC to see what the panels are producing.

I have read quite a bit about the Owl of which several models are available and which gets rather mixed reviews in terms of reliability and software stability. I don't think I need long term logging, the inverter is doing that for me on the generation side and I don't think I want consumption logged as well. So which Owl model would that lead me to?

Another device called the Onzo seem to be a better bit of kit at twice the price with the advantage of charging its battery by induction. Any comments on the Onzo?

Presumably, depending on where I clamp the monitor I can measure either everything going into the house (i.e. house side of roof supply) or monitor the 'two way traffic' between the roof supply and meter? Or have I missed some vital point?

I tried an Owl-type monitor but unfortunately it didn't work to calculate the actual production of the PV system. Apparently this is because the wires I tried connecting it to were live AND neutral and it only works when one is monitored.

The other monitor I have is connected by the electric meter. Trouble is that only shows the flow of electricity - in or out (if exporting).

I've just ordered a Sunny Beam monitor.

teachergirl

Thanks zeupater added to favourites:A

Depressing reading for the next few days though...cloud ,cloud and more cloud. Somehow despite the fact that I washed yesterday the wash bin is full again(How does that happen?????) So we either wait till Tuesday and have piles of smelly washing or I wash anyway...again. Roll on summer.

penrhyn

Are these solar PV systems hardened against the EM fields that will be created by increased solar activity?
Mind you if they wipe out the national grid as well we'll all be in trouble.

free_juice?

Equaliser123 wrote: »

I tried an Owl-type monitor but unfortunately it didn't work to calculate the actual production of the PV system. Apparently this is because the wires I tried connecting it to were live AND neutral and it only works when one is monitored.

The other monitor I have is connected by the electric meter. Trouble is that only shows the flow of electricity - in or out (if exporting).

I've just ordered a Sunny Beam monitor.

I don't see see the Owl and the Sunny Beam as interchangeable. The Beam seems to be a Sunny Webbox-lite but with the convenience of a graphical display. The webbox only monitors every facet of the inverter and panel performance - I already have one. It and I think the Beam do nothing with consumption or export statistics so I am still looking for info on the Onzo.

Equaliser123

free_juice? wrote: »

I don't see see the Owl and the Sunny Beam as interchangeable. The Beam seems to be a Sunny Webbox-lite but with the convenience of a graphical display. The webbox only monitors every facet of the inverter and panel performance - I already have one. It and I think the Beam do nothing with consumption or export statistics so I am still looking for info on the Onzo.

Yep, you are right. I think my problem was trying to use the Owl monitor as a cheap Sunny Beam and to monitor what the panels were producing.

What I really wanted was two monitors - one to monitor the PV output and the other to monitor the house consumption.

I can do the PV monitoring with the Beam but the house consumption is inaccurate because of the feed from the panels (e.g. if the house is taking 1500w and the panels are producing 500 or 2000w, the Owl reports 500w in each case!)