Solar PV Ordered!

pmpm

jerryd wrote: »

Just had my system installed as well. Paid £12k for a 3.92 kW system which was installed in a single day last Wednesday. First week has been a bit cloudy but it looks like I'll be back on target after a very sunny day today. Too early to say if the system will match my expectations however initial impressions are very good.

I applied for and got Building Regulation approval for my system. My council said I had to although some seem to take a more relaxed approach. I have a USB stick collecting data from my inverter which I'll publish on my blog at the end of the month.

Hi that seems like a good price. Which panels and inverter you got? did you use a local installer or a national company?

stoozey

pmpm wrote: »

how much you are paying for it if you don't mind me asking

Paid £11k. The panels are sharp and the inverter is SMA.

jackieblack

Pryderi wrote: »

Its early days yet but we are well on track to match or exceed the Solarguide April estimate of 331kWh and annual generation to reach our 3133kWh usage.

Highly optimistic.
Our system generated more kWh in March than it did in the 3 months mid-Oct to mid-Feb.

You do understand that however much your system generates you are never going to totally cover your usage and reduce your annual electic bill to zero? (unless you turn off everything electrical as soon as your inverter turns off in the pm and only turn them back on once the inverter kicks in the next am )

jerryd

I used a local contractor and I have sharp 245W panels with a Fronius 4.0 TL Inverter.

pmpm wrote: »

Hi that seems like a good price. Which panels and inverter you got? did you use a local installer or a national company?

jerryd

Unless your meter is going backwards which the old ones do !!!!!

jackieblack wrote: »

Highly optimistic.
Our system generated more kWh in March than it did in the 3 months mid-Oct to mid-Feb.

You do understand that however much your system generates you are never going to totally cover your usage and reduce your annual electic bill to zero? (unless you turn off everything electrical as soon as your inverter turns off in the pm and only turn them back on once the inverter kicks in the next am )

jackieblack

jerryd wrote: »

Unless your meter is going backwards which the old ones do !!!!!

Even if it does you won't cover all your electric use during the winter months and during the summer you can't let your meter reading be less than the previous reading, your electricity supplier will pick this up and be round replacing your old meter for a new one pretty sharpish!

zeupater

jerryd wrote: »

Unless your meter is going backwards which the old ones do !!!!!

Hi

I wouldn't depend on it going backwards even if it is an analogue meter, whatever an installer/surveyor tells you ..... when you look at the meter does it have a ratchet symbol printed on it ?

HTH
Z

jerryd

Some do go backwards.
I am sure they get replaced pretty smartish.

On a more serious note I am interested in virtual batteries. Today we generated twice our average daily usage. Real batteries aren't a proposition except for charging my electric bike during the day. An electric car would be better but not make much of a dent in today's peak 3 kW output.

Our hot water has always been heated by gas but I am considering adding immersion heaters for sunny days. I am just about to re-build our conservatory so I'll include electric underfloor heating, a thick concrete floor to store heat and lots of underfloor insulation. I've also considered electric storage heaters but don't think that's such a nice battery.

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

I wouldn't depend on it going backwards even if it is an analogue meter, whatever an installer/surveyor tells you ..... when you look at the meter does it have a ratchet symbol printed on it ?

HTH
Z

zeupater

jerryd wrote: »

Some do go backwards.
I am sure they get replaced pretty smartish.

On a more serious note I am interested in virtual batteries. Today we generated twice our average daily usage. Real batteries aren't a proposition except for charging my electric bike during the day. An electric car would be better but not make much of a dent in today's peak 3 kW output.

Our hot water has always been heated by gas but I am considering adding immersion heaters for sunny days. I am just about to re-build our conservatory so I'll include electric underfloor heating, a thick concrete floor to store heat and lots of underfloor insulation. I've also considered electric storage heaters but don't think that's such a nice battery.

Hi

Agree, some analogue units do run backwards. I seem to remember that there's an OFGEM report available which.details manufacturers' replies to a query on the effects of reverse flow through their meters.

The question should really be asked as to why you would need to use storage heaters or conservatory underfloor heating in the summer .... there'll definately not be enough pv generation to make much difference on these in the winter without importing power for a substantial amount of the time.

The immersion heater is a possibility on cloudless days like today, however a smaller than standard element would probably be better in order to extend the hours which it could be used without the need for importing power. What also needs to be considered is the need for a control system which measures household draw v generation, subtracts one from the other and, when there is the required excess generation capacity to use, switches the heater on/off. There is a unit on the market which can do this, however, it's about £1500 .... without it you'll be running up and down the stairs all day switching the immersion on & off as clouds pass over, assuming that you're at home all day ...

By the way, what was your total production for today ?

HTH
Z

Pryderi

20 kWh today from our 3.33kWp system.