PV Quote - So Energy

louey

We recently had a quote from So Energy and would appreciate any feedback on whether it is a reasonable quote and also the battery size.

24 panels (estimated to generate 7,852 kWh per year) for £10,231 (no vat)
With 5kWh battery = £14,299
With 10kWh battery = £16,309

The brochure says the panels are Eurener Zebra 375W

I'm not sure whether we are better off with the small or large battery. We have a large house (5 bed). Someone is home most of the week during the daytime. 

Are there any additional things we need to ask about? There is no mention of pigeon protection. Thank you!

ABrass

Mediocre, not great, not terrible. It's a large system which is good but that means you should be able to get better £/kWh than that.

Things to check: inverter size and are the batteries easily available for you to buy later if you did decide to go for the smaller one.

rew81

I'm not an expert but from what I've researched, just starting this road myself, you prices are not the "best" from what you are getting. Lots of variables: what inverter, what battery etc..
You can see my quotations as examples. 

louey

ABrass said:

Mediocre, not great, not terrible. It's a large system which is good but that means you should be able to get better £/kWh than that.

Things to check: inverter size and are the batteries easily available for you to buy later if you did decide to go for the smaller one.

I can't see anything about inverter size (as far as I can see, the brochure doesn't even mention inverters!). Will check. Thank you

[Deleted User]

An array that size will need the prior approval of your DNO. Has this been discussed by SO Energy (or by its appointed installer)? 

Battery inverters are also treated as generators if they are located on the AC side of the inverter. If, for example, your battery is capable of 5kW and your array can output 7.2kW (ie; a total of 12.2kW), then the DNO might impose a site export limit. It does this if the local grid infrastructure cannot accept the export load. It might also propose that you agree to a 3-phase supply (the cost of this can be significant). If a site limit is imposed then the predicted annual output of 7852kWh/year may be massively over optimistic.

Clearly, a site export limit can impact on the time needed to recover your investment.

As far as battery size is concerned then, based on my experience, it is useful to have a battery twice the size of your daily output. Why - because daily output varies considerably. Today, so far, my 6.35kWp array has generated only 5.5kWh. In June, I have had daily outputs of 40kWh+ compared to 350Wh on one day last December.

Finally, if your installer doesn’t mention DNO approval (which can take 3 months) then walk away. Retrospective approval may result in the DNO asking you to shut your installation down.

https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/electricity/distribution-energy-resources/installing-large-scale-distributed-generation

Looking through my G99 application which ran to 20 pages (and cost £350), it contained detail such as this:

You will also need DNO sign off on your completed installation if you want to apply for export payments.

Screwdriva

louey said:

We recently had a quote from So Energy and would appreciate any feedback on whether it is a reasonable quote and also the battery size.

Where are you located? As others have shared, would be a good idea to learn what brand of inverter and battery has been proposed. 

I have heard reasonably positive things about the Spanish panel brand but will say that they cost ~£80 less than an equivalent 400W Sharp panel.

louey

Screwdriva said:

louey said:

We recently had a quote from So Energy and would appreciate any feedback on whether it is a reasonable quote and also the battery size.

Where are you located? As others have shared, would be a good idea to learn what brand of inverter and battery has been proposed. 

I have heard reasonably positive things about the Spanish panel brand but will say that they cost ~£80 less than an equivalent 400W Sharp panel.

We are in Herts. The battery is a So Battery (presumably rebranded). The brochure says:

"So Energy’s Battery Storage system is a fully-integrated AC battery system for residential use. It’s a British product and uses the safest and highest-performing lithium-ion-phosphate battery cells. It provides energy storage for your home and includes a time-based control system complete with So Energy’s own Battery Energy Management App."

The battery technology is LiFePo4 50V 100Ah for the 5kWH and 200Ah for the 10kWH. Which doesn't mean anything to me.

Can't find any info on the inverter at all. It's on my list of questions to ask. 

louey

[Deleted User] said:

An array that size will need the prior approval of your DNO. Has this been discussed by SO Energy (or by its appointed installer)? 

No! This is why I posted. I am a complete novice to this. However, the next step would be for them to come and do a site survey so possibly it would be picked up then? Obviously now I know, I will add it to the list of questions for them. 

We are not in a particular hurry, and are aware that there may be a delay in getting anything installed. We may also need to get planning permission - we are checking our covenants because I remembered that we have to get permission for any extension, even if it would normally fall under permitted development. 

louey

I've had a response from So Energy. They use the Growatt inverter - size depends on the system as they tend to downsize the inverter for efficiency. They use a pure drive battery. And they handle the DNO process.

Does that sound reasonable (in particular the info on the inverter)?

rew81

For comparison you can check my thread to see what quotations I have received. My opinion is to use the most up to date technology (according to your budget). The "new" standard panel power seems to be over 400w. Ask for a few quotes from different companies don settle just for 1 or 2. 
When do you use most of the electricity- morning, afternoon, evening or home all day?
Pointless to go for such a big system without an inverter and battery to cover your usage.
I will continue with primetimesolar.co.uk,  you can also ask them for a quotation, nothing to lose.