Solar panel decision help

matty2767

Hi guys

I have quotes for solar PV, but am struggling to decide which system to go for.

15x seraphim 265 + solis inverter £5k
16x solarworld 250 + sunny boy £5.5k

And a few in between. I am not constrained by space and the 16 panels will fit.

The summary data for the seraphim presents a more efficient long term panel but I don't know if my decision should be based purely on this.

there is the option to swap the solis invertor but I guess that would push the price up closer to the solarworld price.

Can anyone offer any pointers for me please?

Thank you

EricMears

matty2767 wrote: »

Hi guys

I have quotes for solar PV, but am struggling to decide which system to go for.

15x seraphim 265 + solis inverter £5k
16x solarworld 250 + sunny boy £5.5k

And a few in between. I am not constrained by space and the 16 panels will fit.

The summary data for the seraphim presents a more efficient long term panel but I don't know if my decision should be based purely on this.

there is the option to swap the solis invertor but I guess that would push the price up closer to the solarworld price.

Can anyone offer any pointers for me please?

Thank you

The 16 x 250W panels should give you 0.68% more generation (IF both sets of panels are truly equivalent !). Don't get sidetracked by quoted efficiencies though - more efficient in that context usually just means the panel is smaller.

What you really need is access to some results where a whole heap of panels have been exposed to light under identical conditions to see which of the two really produces more kWh per kWp (and confusingly, that can also sometimes be called efficiency !). Such results are available somewhere on the internet but afraid I don't remember where.

As a Sunnyboy owner myself, I'm almost bound to say that they're from a well respected manufacturer with a helpful user interface - but willing to concede that the others (of which I have no knowledge) might be even better.

On pure economic arguments, the 16 panels producing an extra 25 watts would earn me £250 extra over the lifetime of my FIT contract but there's considerably less difference than that for a new contract. And of course they'd be costing you £500 extra.

Afraid that's probably no help at all - sorry !


Your prices seem a whole heap better than the last few enquirers were assured (by salesmen !) were the best possible prices for their area. Perhaps you could help them out by giving us a rough idea of your location ?

matty2767

Hi Eric

This was all good info thanks. I think I will enquire as to the price of switching the invertor and then decide. I am in Derbyshire too although reading some previous posts I was thinking my quotes were more than was typical at the moment.

EricMears

matty2767 wrote: »

I am in Derbyshire too

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