Panasonic HIT panels and Solaredge power optimizers.

tunnel

Lei_Chat wrote: »

I may have been brainwashed by the marketing but I've convinced myself that certain brands of panels are worth paying more for.

That's just it, they're not!!..(unless you are pushed for space(higher Wp panels))
Certain brands may be more well known from other fields of electronics but when it comes to solar I believe they're all pretty much equal.
I'd rather recommend a panel that has been around a few years to a panel that is from a well known brand from an electronics background.


Most panels these days come with some sort of 20 year guarantee...is that guarantee worth the paper its printed on, probably not, there's a good chance that even well known electronic brands may eventually leave the solar industry thus rendering their guarantees pretty much worthless.


Luckily there's no moving parts in solar panels so there shouldn't be too much to worry about anyway...just a thought.

Lei_Chat

We'd only fit twelve standard 250w panels on our roof which is why we're considering the thinner Panasonic panels or the higher output LG panels. Surely we're not going to get an insurance backed guaranteed system with these panels, SMA inverter, iBoost, Geo, etc. from one of the fleabay installers for sub £6k?!

EXCELLENT QUALITY, INDEPENDENTLY TESTED
You can rely on LG. We test our products with double the intensity specifi ed in the IEC standard. This quality is valued by installers across Europe, which is why they have awarded our LG solar modules the Top Brand PV stamp of quality for highest recommendation rates.

In 2013, LG won the Plus X Award, one of the top innovation awards for technology, sport and lifestyle. Moreover, in 2013 the MonoX™ NeON high-performance module also won the Intersolar AWARD, one of the top solar awards.

Panasonic VBHN245SJ25_PEWEU_EN
Our HIT® is made of a thin monocrystalline silicon wafer surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. This product offers the industry's leading performance and value, using state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. The development of the HIT® was supported in part by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Panasonic is truly committed to quality since it began developing and manufacturing solar PV technology in 1975. Our long track record is supported by our claim-rate of only 0.0038% among all modules sold in Europe (as of August 2014).

40 years isn't bad.

tunnel

Well someone's been doing their homework !!


At least giving you doubt has given you the push to do your own research.


As for ebay installers...well yes, I found my WNW installer on there, who went on to install my parents, who went on to install my friends and have installed on several members of the forum(that I know of). Please don't cast anything off without doing your research(of which you seem very good at)

Lei_Chat

I'm not going to mention the package prices as you probably still won't approve but I'd appreciate your thoughts on the following panel options please?
Pairing one of the following panel options with an SMA inverter, Geo Solo II and Solar iBoost.

12 x 300w LG
12 x 305w LG + £75
12 x 327w BenQ + £540
12 x 330w BenQ + £620

tunnel

It's a hard one to call to be honest. I'm assuming your package deal is over £5k and whoever has quoted has increased the price as a percentage to kWp of the lowest quote.
Which is best for you?. Only you can make that decision, they're all comparable to each other. What I will say is the higher kWp systems will produce more power and will produce more FiT(over 20 years)...all comes down to whether you want to pay that extra up front.


My personal choice would be the 327's


HTH

Lei_Chat

Thank you.

The three price increases are the additional cost over the 300w LG system.
The 327w BenQ option seemed the most sensible to me but not being as familiar with the brand, the LG panel warranty being backed by LG Electronics was reassuring.

All three suppliers quoted similar prices for the various panel options. The supplier I'm 99% likely to place an order with has offered a four year installation warranty over and above the panel/inverter warranties and Solar PV is also just one of the renewable energy products they offer. (not part of their sales pitch)

EDIT: I've just noticed the thread is now way off the subject's topic but hopefully it's still of use to others. An off the record comment I had from one supplier was that the Panasonic panels are no longer particularly competitively priced, they're still a good output for their slim size but there are now lots of higher output panels for the same square meter install.

Lei_Chat

ed110220 wrote: »

Yeah £5995 for 12x 330W BenQ panels.
Ed

Do package prices vary across the country as drastically as house prices?
I've had three suppliers quote for 12x 330W BenQ panels, SMA inverter, Geo II, iBoost, installation including bird proofing and the lowest price was just under £7k rather than just under £6k.

pw22

Prices should be roughly the same throughout the UK. Adding an i-boost and bird proofing etc will add some additional cost but not £1000.

theboylard

Sorry, whats bird proofing?

I'm getting an air rifle to sort my pigeon problem, but thats only about £80?!

Lei_Chat

If you upcycle them to pie then it's still green/ethical money saving right? :P