Getting solar and batteries

thinisaz

I'm really after some advice in terms of what I'm doing and what to look for. 

I've had several quotes for the following requests. 

12 panels, 5kw inverter and around 10kw batteries. 

Quotes range from 9500-15000 but here are my questions. 

What minimum wattage are tier 1 panels?
Should I get the same brand inverter and battery as a couple of quotes are mixing the two.

What brands are good for inverter as quotes include.
Sunsynk, givenergy, fox, luxin

What brands are good for batteries
Sunsynk, givenergy, fox, pylontech, greenlinx.

Can I get the power sent from the house to a detached garage?
If not is it wise to put the inverter and battery in the loft?
Should I request under stair cupboard instead (it's obviously cooler although I'm not sure how much heat it's given off from inverter and batteries).

What things should I look out for with the company before choosing?
What accreditations should I ensure they have?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to make sure I do this right first time around?

QrizB

At the moment, the economics of batteries aren't great. You might want to get panels and an inverter but hold off on the battery for a couple of years.

A 5kWp system (12 400-ish watt panels plus an inverter to match) without a battery shouldn't be more than £6k or so, unless you have a particularly awkward installation.

Other people can advise on brands etc. as I'm not especially discerning!

Screwdriva

thinisaz said:

I'm really after some advice in terms of what I'm doing and what to look for. 

Agree with QrizB - unless your household has a heat pump/ drives alot in an EV or suffers from blackouts, batteries don't make much sense these days.

A 12 X SHARP 410W panel system + SolarEdge 5kW Inverter w/ 20 year warranty + SE optimizers + G99 will cost £6300 installed. If you need a battery, this can always be added later. From the brands you have shared, I would only go with GivEnergy as they have good aftersales support. Hope this helps!

zxzxzx

What are your reasons for wanting a solar system? 

In my case I wanted some security of supply, to be less reliant on grid power, to invest some spare money in a long term benefit and to do my bit to try and save the planet for my grandchildren. (and I do realise batteries are contentious)

Panels and batteries works for me.

As above, others have different objectives, uses and reasons.

I went with GivEnergy, too.
Installers should advise where you can best position the kit and the implications to wiring etc.

Exiled_Tyke

You should be ok mixing brands. One downside is monitoring. I have to use three different dashboards: SolarEdge, Solax and MyEnergi to look at how the various components are performing. 

I think (but not sure) that inverters work better if they are kept cooler and being in a hot attic in summer may affect their life.  Also some people (like me) prefer the inveter to be where they can get to it.  I sometimes check it before starting large-drawing appliances.    A battery may be too heavy to put in the loft?

If you can safely route cables between the buildings then it should  be ok to use two buildings  if they are not too far apart. I would expect the installer to be able to advise on this.