Ballpark prices for solar panels.

Screwdriva

I'm curious about your rationale for adding panels to a Northern aspect? Given the suboptimal return, I didn't think there was a case for it. 

Boffinboy24

Screwdriva said:

I'm curious about your rationale for adding panels to a Northern aspect? Given the suboptimal return, I didn't think there was a case for it. 

Very fair question! It doesn’t make logical sense if looking at financials only, especially in current interest rate environment. But I am interested because 1) I quite fancy the satisfaction of having a broadened solar day, 2) it has some eco benefit, and 3) as a high user (even before having an electric car or A2W - though I do have A2A I use for some heating in parts of the house) the return is not “terrible” when considered part of an overall portfolio. If tariffs like Flux stay around, that improves things too.

To be clear, I am also looking at East orientation and a couple of other options, but the suboptimal roof would give the most space and solar at a time my current array does not ie later in afternoon. If pricing is too onerous I will probably abandon it / my partner will talk sense to me….

Screwdriva

Boffinboy24 said:

To be clear, I am also looking at East orientation and a couple of other options, but the suboptimal roof would give the most space and solar at a time my current array does not ie later in afternoon. If pricing is too onerous I will probably abandon it / my partner will talk sense to me….

Not to side with your partner but have you considered investing some of that £ into Ripple Energy? Their Solar project is far more optimal and should deliver a superior result (vs. a North facing panel installation)...

[Deleted User]

Screwdriva said:

I'm curious about your rationale for adding panels to a Northern aspect? Given the suboptimal return, I didn't think there was a case for it. 

I am looking at quotes for 6.35kWp array on my rear roof facing 320degrees. The predicted output is 4.27MW. On Octopus Flux, I would be looking at a payback period of c.8 years; however,……

With my existing solar and a PW2, I already have 10kW worth of export potential. Fortunately, I have the luxury of an 11kVA site limit which the DNO may not choose to increase. So how would 15kW of potential export work if I fitted an additional array? Having gone around in circles for the past month discussing this with installers, their system understanding is less than mine.

The answer was staring me in the face. Each Tesla battery inverter can be set to a site export limit. In the unlikely event that the PW2 decides to export when there is 10kW of solar export, then the PW’s output will be throttled back to 1 kW. Clearly, if the DNO agrees to a 16kW export limit then I have no concerns.

I feel for those whose DNO has a very low site export limit.

Boffinboy24

Screwdriva said:

Boffinboy24 said:

To be clear, I am also looking at East orientation and a couple of other options, but the suboptimal roof would give the most space and solar at a time my current array does not ie later in afternoon. If pricing is too onerous I will probably abandon it / my partner will talk sense to me….

Not to side with your partner but have you considered investing some of that £ into Ripple Energy? Their Solar project is far more optimal and should deliver a superior result (vs. a North facing panel installation)...

I have indeed. I am in a fortunate enough position that means Ripple would be taxed which makes it pretty terrible, plus it holds other risks. I would have considered if the current project was wind, as the timescales looked shorter, but even then the tax status is problematic.

Even if Ripple was tax free, in my modelling with a conservative electricity price and a conservative self-usage, the NW facing panels would work out better. If Flux stays around for a while in its current form then that improves things significantly, but I am not banking on that. Of course, keeping the funds in a savings account or S&S would be better, but that’s not what I am solving for - even though in the end it may well be what I do.

Part of the problem I am having with installers is they similarly don’t “get” what I am doing, so hard to work with them on the best option and going through rigmarole of establishing if DNO will accept the site limit etc.