Heating and Cooling for the Next House - Solar - PV - Heat Pumps - AC

bhjm

Martyn1981 said:

bhjm said:

would it be a problem to combine 400/415/430w panels with lets say 500watt panels to optimise the utilisation of the roof?

Yes. You really need the panels to match, but you can get around that by using a Solaredge install, so the panels operate individually. Or, if all the panels on each string match each other, and the inverter can take a number of strings each on it's own MPPT. Otherwise the lower powered panel(s) will drag the others down to their level.

BUT what about the aesthetics, will the panels be different sizes, and how will this 'patch' together? Could be it works out well, but plan it carefully, especially if the orientation of the panels varies too.

thanks Martyn !

bhjm

yp70479 said:

I notice from the picture that the house on the right has a roof line which is higher than yours. Will this roof throw any shade onto your panels ( I can't visualize if this will occur from your descriptions). If it does, it may be worth considering optimizers or microinverters as shading on part of a string of panels can pull down the maximum amount all panels in the string can generate. Your installer should be able to use software to predict if this will be a problem 

as promised, photo from the morning. 8.12 AM my time

QrizB

bhjm said:

as promised, photo from the morning. 8.12 AM my time

From that photo, considering that 8:12 AM BST is really 7:12 for solar purposes, it looks like you'll only have shading problems if your panels get closer to your neighbour than the width of that last Velux window.

If your panels are all identical, I think only the ones shaded will need optimisers (you might choose to fit them to all panels, but you won't see much benefit from the others).

If you choose microinverters (Enphase or otherwise) you'll need them on every panel regardless.

bhjm

microinverters on every panel - that makes the whole more costly and less profitable so I might have to decide against Enphase)

so yeah, optimisers to the far right 2 panels might be useful

Martyn1981

QrizB said:

bhjm said:

as promised, photo from the morning. 8.12 AM my time

From that photo, considering that 8:12 AM BST is really 7:12 for solar purposes, it looks like you'll only have shading problems if your panels get closer to your neighbour than the width of that last Velux window.

If your panels are all identical, I think only the ones shaded will need optimisers (you might choose to fit them to all panels, but you won't see much benefit from the others).

If you choose microinverters (Enphase or otherwise) you'll need them on every panel regardless.

What do you think about the positive comments folk have been saying recently about by-pass diodes? I know nothing, just to be clear, but if they work well, then perhaps I'm showing my PV age, by suggesting Solaredge, and modern panels would be good enough?

In this situation, as you say, the impact isn't too bad, and if the panels are on two strings (almost a certainty), and all the RHS panels are bundled together, then a simple dual MMPT string inverter and the new normal panels will be good enough. But again, I have no experience, nor knowledge regarding by-pass diodes, but all panels now have them, and not new, so perhaps OK .......?

bhjm

Hi Folks - what do you think about this? (likely just a theoretical option)   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yrJJgxWPaZVVCVe7oYhtzUOZRYwSSdmI/view?usp=sharing

bhjm

added file - please comment or make suggestion. I just used items without any preference, just used what was available and working !!! 

bhjm

I`ve got another Quote: any opinions?

Option 1/

Size of system 10.660kh. With 13kh of battery storage.

Making PV Panels Smarter Up to 25% More Energy from Your System Connecting SolarEdge power optimisers to PV panels makes them SMART PANELS that produce MORE POWER at all timesEquipment;

26 x 410w German Sharp Solar black panels, 25-year combined warranty to 86.2% efficiency

26 x Solar Edge optimizers fitted to each panel. 25-year warranty

  1 x Solar Edge SE10000H HD wave inverter. 20-year warranty.

  1 x SPA3000 AC/DC Controller 10-year warranty

  2 x Growatt GBL16532 6.5kh storage batteries. 10-year warranty

  1 x Running 10mm armoured cable from the main consumer. Unit to the garage  1 x Mini consumer unit with a light fixings and 2 plug sockets fitted in the garage.  1 x Bird protection  1 x All cable run’s isolators and fitting’s  1 x Micro generation meter  1 x System Wi Fi monitor   1 x System registration  1 x Access equipment  1 x MCS and G99 CertificatesAll service and maintenance under the terms of the warranty. 

Fully fitted price of £17,995.00 This price includes 0% Vat. No extra’s

----------------------- 

Option 2/

Size of system 8.2kh. With 13kh of battery storage.

Equipment;

20 x 410w German Sharp Solar black panels, 25-year combined warranty to 86.2% efficiency

  1 x Growatt SPH6000 Hybrid inverter and AC/DC Controller 10-year warranty

  2 x Growatt GBL16532 6.5kh storage batteries. 10-year warranty

  1 x Running 10mm armoured cable from the main consumer. Unit to the garage  1 x Mini consumer unit with a light fixings and 2 plug sockets fitted in the garage.  1 x Bird protection  1 x All cable run’s isolators and fitting’s  1 x Micro generation meter  1 x System Wi Fi monitor   1 x System registration  1 x Access equipment  1 x MCS and G99 CertificatesAll service and maintenance under the terms of the warranty. 

Fully fitted price of £13,945.00 This price includes 0% Vat. No extra’s

QrizB

Is that from Mark at Light Renewables? He likes his grocer's apostrophe's!

For what you're getting (which is a lot of solar and a big battery) both quotes look to be fair.

Can you actually fit 26 410-watt panels on that roof? You're looking at something like 50 square metres of panel, but (based on the photo below) you've only got 30 square metres of roof?

Screwdriva

bhjm said:

I`ve got another Quote: any opinions?

Clearly you've been provided with a "Budget" option and a "Premium" option. Without a shadow of a doubt, I would recommend the SolarEdge system over Growatt. 

The additional 6 panels + shading protection + inverter warranty (that's worth more than the paper it's printed on) are the primary reasons for me.