Could anyone sanity-check my fag-packet solar ROI calculation?

Screwdriva

I'd go with Quote 2 but swap the Chinese inverter for a Solar Edge. 

itm2

Screwdriva said:

I'd go with Quote 2 but swap the Chinese inverter for a Solar Edge. 

Can Solar Edge inverters be used outside of a Solar Edge system? From what I've seen, the topology of Solar Edge systems is slightly different to others, and might need to be installed only with Solar Edge Smart Modules and Power Optimiser?

Screwdriva

itm2 said:

Screwdriva said:

I'd go with Quote 2 but swap the Chinese inverter for a Solar Edge. 

Can Solar Edge inverters be used outside of a Solar Edge system? From what I've seen, the topology of Solar Edge systems is slightly different to others, and might need to be installed only with Solar Edge Smart Modules and Power Optimiser?

They can be used with other branded panels (I went with LG) but you will need P505 optimizers. Optimizers would be advisable in the event that shade hits any of the panels - this prevents the output of the entire system dropping. 

itm2

Screwdriva said:

itm2 said:

Screwdriva said:

I'd go with Quote 2 but swap the Chinese inverter for a Solar Edge. 

Can Solar Edge inverters be used outside of a Solar Edge system? From what I've seen, the topology of Solar Edge systems is slightly different to others, and might need to be installed only with Solar Edge Smart Modules and Power Optimiser?

They can be used with other branded panels (I went with LG) but you will need P505 optimizers. Optimizers would be advisable in the event that shade hits any of the panels - this prevents the output of the entire system dropping. 

Ah OK thanks. I guess that would all push up the cost of the system significantly, which may not be worth it in my case as there are no shading issues around my house.
The provider of the 2nd quote has told me that he can provide a Growatt inverter (MIN 3600 TL-XE) instead of the Sofar inverter, at no additional cost.

Spies

itm2 said:

Screwdriva said:

itm2 said:

Screwdriva said:

I'd go with Quote 2 but swap the Chinese inverter for a Solar Edge. 

Can Solar Edge inverters be used outside of a Solar Edge system? From what I've seen, the topology of Solar Edge systems is slightly different to others, and might need to be installed only with Solar Edge Smart Modules and Power Optimiser?

They can be used with other branded panels (I went with LG) but you will need P505 optimizers. Optimizers would be advisable in the event that shade hits any of the panels - this prevents the output of the entire system dropping. 

Ah OK thanks. I guess that would all push up the cost of the system significantly, which may not be worth it in my case as there are no shading issues around my house.
The provider of the 2nd quote has told me that he can provide a Growatt inverter (MIN 3600 TL-XE) instead of the Sofar inverter, at no additional cost.

Eco renewables? 

Screwdriva

Ah OK thanks. I guess that would all push up the cost of the system significantly, which may not be worth it in my case as there are no shading issues around my house. The provider of the 2nd quote has told me that he can provide a Growatt inverter (MIN 3600 TL-XE) instead of the Sofar inverter, at no additional cost.

Optimizers cost < £70 each. That's £700 total for the 10 Hyundai panels in quote #2. Given the smart monitoring benefit as well, it was a no brainer for me.

Growatt = Shenzhen Growatt New Energy Technology Co., Ltd = Chinese. Another member recently shared less than shining feedback from his experiences with that company here. I've found this to be universal across all Chinese owned companies.

The inverter is the weakest link in any solar system which is why I focussed on a non-Chinese manufacturer with a 25 year warranty period. I also haven't seen economic sense in battery storage yet (even more so with the advent to vehicle-to-home storage on the horizon).

itm2

Screwdriva said:

Ah OK thanks. I guess that would all push up the cost of the system significantly, which may not be worth it in my case as there are no shading issues around my house. The provider of the 2nd quote has told me that he can provide a Growatt inverter (MIN 3600 TL-XE) instead of the Sofar inverter, at no additional cost.

Optimizers cost < £70 each. That's £700 total for the 10 Hyundai panels in quote #2. Given the smart monitoring benefit as well, it was a no brainer for me.

Growatt = Shenzhen Growatt New Energy Technology Co., Ltd = Chinese. Another member recently shared less than shining feedback from his experiences with that company here. I've found this to be universal across all Chinese owned companies.

The inverter is the weakest link in any solar system which is why I focussed on a non-Chinese manufacturer with a 25 year warranty period. I also haven't seen economic sense in battery storage yet (even more so with the advent to vehicle-to-home storage on the horizon).

I'm still mulling over the cost benefits of the smart monitoring offered by Solar Edge. The Growatt Shinelink app will provide basic information on power output, from which any reduced overall performance could be detected. I'm not sure how much use it would be for me to be able to isolate which individual panel(s) are causing problems, as either way I would need to pay a specialist to come in and sort out the problem (and they would presumably stick a meter across each of the panels anyway?).
The cost differential from the Solar Edge supplier was much more than the basic £70 cost per panel - it amounted to an additional £2,300.
Personally I have no problems with Chinese hardware (my home is already full of it). Growatt seems to be a very popular choice at the moment, and I haven't read about any significant issues with their current hardware. Support from the Chinese manufacturer may not be great, but TBH I'd be more concerned about the quality of support from the UK supplier, which is who I would be primarily dealing with.

Screwdriva

Sounds like you have some negotiating to do (with yourself and the SE supplier). Best of luck!

Spies

Growatt does allow you to see each strings voltage, so if a panel is down, you can make a good guess there's an issue (as well as reduced output obviously), recently the monitoring has been utter garbage, but since the server update last week, it has been better without any missing data.

itm2

Spies said:

itm2 said:

Screwdriva said:

itm2 said:

Screwdriva said:

I'd go with Quote 2 but swap the Chinese inverter for a Solar Edge. 

Can Solar Edge inverters be used outside of a Solar Edge system? From what I've seen, the topology of Solar Edge systems is slightly different to others, and might need to be installed only with Solar Edge Smart Modules and Power Optimiser?

They can be used with other branded panels (I went with LG) but you will need P505 optimizers. Optimizers would be advisable in the event that shade hits any of the panels - this prevents the output of the entire system dropping. 

Ah OK thanks. I guess that would all push up the cost of the system significantly, which may not be worth it in my case as there are no shading issues around my house.
The provider of the 2nd quote has told me that he can provide a Growatt inverter (MIN 3600 TL-XE) instead of the Sofar inverter, at no additional cost.

Eco renewables? 

Light Renewables