Debate House Prices
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The Swanson Effect
Comments
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Martyn1981 wrote: »...Inverter lifetimes are hard to predict. ....
How much does an inverter cost for the typical consumer installation?0 -
I like this .http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32054802
Water source heat pumps ..All those house on the flood planes that no one wants ..suddenly become cheap as chips to dry out after each years winter baptism.0 -
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Thrugelmir wrote: »The idea of a cable to Iceland was also mooted a while back.
I am sure they sent it a few years ago.
It said
" Give us our money back "
But we never got a reply.0 -
Joe Swanson0
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How much does an inverter cost for the typical consumer installation?
Hiya. It will vary quite a bit depending on make.
Taking 'typical' to mean an install of around 3 to 4kWp, then a higher end make such as the German SMA range will be around £800. The opposite end, such as the Chinese manufacturer Samil, closer to £500.
There will also be lots of very cheap, and perhaps slightly dodgy models, but for a FiT (subsidy) eligible install* then only certified approved kit can be used. So I chose Samil as the lower end as they've quickly earned a pretty good reputation, and have efficiencies equal to or even better than the SMA's.
Apologies for labouring this point, but the SMA's have exceptionally good shade management software built in, so if a property has some 'hard shade' such as a chimney, next doors roof etc, then that would explain/justify the choice of a more expensive inverter.
*All installs, be they MCS/FiT or DIY have to be notified to the DNO (district network operator) so that they are aware of all SSEG's (small scale electricity generators) in their region. The notification has to be signed off by a suitably qualified electrician and the inverters (plus all other kit) certified for UK use.
Mart.Mart. Cardiff. 8.72 kWp PV systems (2.12 SSW 4.6 ESE & 2.0 WNW). 20kWh battery storage. Two A2A units for cleaner heating. Two BEV's for cleaner driving.
For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.0 -
How much does an inverter cost for the typical consumer installation?
You probably didn't want this much info, but since I mentioned one of my inverters having a 12yr warranty as standard, I should probably give a little info on that too.
That is a SolarEdge model, and is a relatively 'dumb' inverter, as the clever stuff is done by PO's (power optimisers) one on each panel. These systems are used in heavily shaded situations, so that the poor performance of one panel doesn't pull down the system as a whole, by acting as a brake. Each PO adds about £30 to the cost, but the inverter is a little cheaper than a top range model, so around £600. But this allows for maximum efficiency of each and every panel, and individual realtime monitoring of each panel. This system also means that panels don't have to match, so different orientations, pitches and panel types can all be run off the same inverter.
My heavily shaded WNW system is actually performing slightly better than predictions based on no shading.
Mart.Mart. Cardiff. 8.72 kWp PV systems (2.12 SSW 4.6 ESE & 2.0 WNW). 20kWh battery storage. Two A2A units for cleaner heating. Two BEV's for cleaner driving.
For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.0 -
Thrugelmir wrote: »The idea of a cable to Iceland was also mooted a while back.
I believe it is still being 'mooted'. I know that the National Grid have even gone to the trouble of registering 'Ice Link' as a trademark.0 -
Martyn1981 wrote: »You probably didn't want this much info, ..
No, that's fine. I was interested in getting some sense of the £s involved, as in about £600-£800 once every 12 years.0
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