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Solar PV + storage advise

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Hello, wishing to tap into the solar gurus knowledge.

I've been looking around various installers to get solar pv, but almost all of them seem aware of the agile tariff but don't seem too experienced with it or are just middlemen to the actual installers who cant answer technical questions.

I am in West Yorkshire and have a perfect south facing roof. Ideally I want quite a large system (7kwp+) but I get the feeling I am paying large ticket item % margins when we get into systems that size.  

I am more than happy to add storage to an existing system myself, I am also aware that companies can and will go pop before warranties finish.

I am leaning towards a Jinko tiger + Growatt Inverter + Pylontech batteries unless anybody else tells me different (leaning on sheer quantity rather than perfect quality). I don't get a good feeling from givenergy with the "beta" features that don't seem to have matured over time.

Can anyone recommend a stroage inverter ? I plan on just adding pylontechs myself as required - as an experiment. 

I use around 7000kwh a year, with a base load of about 600w 24/7. Also have a 250L hot water tank and presumably EV in the near future with heat pump in the far future.

Comments

  • Verdigris
    Verdigris Posts: 1,725 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Third Anniversary Name Dropper
    Basic PV price should be around £1/Wp from 4 kWp arrays, upward, assuming rail mounted. A bit more for in-roof installations.

    I seem to remember some criticism of Growatt inverters, which look good on paper, but the reponse is rather slow, so you can lose a lot of generation in a changeable climate like Blighty.

    Remember the VAT on batteries. If it is part of the PV installation it will be 5%, otherwise 20%. I appreciate it is difficult to predict how much storage will be optimal but putting in a base amount and then adding later, if necessary, might be a better approach.
  • I would recommend talking to Leeds Solar. (not to be confused with a business of a similar name in Kent!).  I found Gavin (and actually all the team) very helpful.  They retro-installed my battery a couple of years ago. They've been going strong for a good while (certainly ever since I started looking into PV). 
    Install 28th Nov 15, 3.3kW, (11x300LG), SolarEdge, SW. W Yorks.
    Install 2: Sept 19, 600W SSE
    Solax 6.3kWh battery
  • Martyn1981
    Martyn1981 Posts: 15,391 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I would recommend talking to Leeds Solar. (not to be confused with a business of a similar name in Kent!).  I found Gavin (and actually all the team) very helpful.  They retro-installed my battery a couple of years ago. They've been going strong for a good while (certainly ever since I started looking into PV). 
    I can't comment on the business as I haven't had any experience of them, but I'll second the comments about Gavin. I used to ask him loads of questions about PV going back to the first half of the 2010's, on another forum. I also asked him for advice, on behalf of many MSE posts, and he always provided a tonne of help, advice and support that I was able to pass on (with acknowledgment to him), and helped me to gain a basic level of PV understanding.
    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.
  • My experience with the growatt inverter was ill never buy a growatt, id definitely pick another make for inverter.

    For storage inverter, the lux tends to be the best around just now, a few of us on the forum have them.

    You could combine the two and get a lux hybrid inverter, again there are a couple who have them also
    West central Scotland
    4kw sse since 2014 and 6.6kw wsw / ene split since 2019
    24kwh leaf, 75Kwh Tesla and Lux 3600 with 60Kwh storage
  • Spies
    Spies Posts: 2,267 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    My experience with the growatt inverter was ill never buy a growatt, id definitely pick another make for inverter.

    For storage inverter, the lux tends to be the best around just now, a few of us on the forum have them.

    You could combine the two and get a lux hybrid inverter, again there are a couple who have them also
    Regarding growatt, are you specifically referring to hybrid vs a standard inverter? 
    4.29kWp Solar system, 45/55 South/West split in cloudy rainy Cumbria. 
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