Solar panel quotes

Desolation_row

Hi all,

I have been exploring solar panels and received multiple quotes and whittled it down to 3. I am looking to get 3 panels on my south roof and 7 on my east as it's the maximum I can fit on.

Quote 1 - 10 JA Solar 435w with 10 Enphase microinverters. 4100kwh generation per year. £7k cost all in.

Quote 2 - 10 Trina 410w with a Solis 5kwh inverter. 3500kwh generation per year. £6.2k cost all in.

Quote 3 - 10 Jinko 440w with a growatt inverter. 3500kwh generation per year. £6.8k cost all in.

2 key questions:
- 1. Are the microinverters worthwhile? The provider suggesting them says it gives significant gains with that jump in generation but the other 2 providers advise against it saying I do not have much shading. Their models suggest negligible gains.
- 2. Which quote looks the best? Interested in views on the panels themselves and the overall costing. Appreciate the costs probably vary a lot between properties.

Screwdriva

Desolation_row said:

- 2. Which quote looks the best? 

Quote 1 looks like it's from Octopus? Enphase are a great solution but none of the quotes above offer good value in the current market (Solis/ Growatt are poor product offerings from companies known to treat their customers poorly).

Here's a quote from one (of 4) installers I use, which should help provide better perspective:

10 X Sharp 425W panels (25/30 year guarantee)
10 X SolarEdge optimizers (25 year warranty)
  1 X SolarEdge 3.7kW inverter (20 year warranty)

£5.5K installed. G99 and bird netting included. Superior panel and inverter brands, longer & better warranty, paired with all of Enphase's benefits at a substantial saving. If you can fit more panels on the roof, the surveyor will share this and it is recommended to improve your generation/ return on investment. A no obligation in person survey is a must in my view. 

I wouldn't trust anything an installer tells you as they are incentivized to promote their own offering and rubbish the competition. I believe you can do much better than those quotes! 

Desolation_row

Thanks for your response, yes it is octopus. Can you advise on who to go through to get a similar quote to yours?

lermit

hi both,  Just wondering if the quotes you refer to include batteries?
Ive recently had a quote from octopus for 8 x ja panels, plus 3.8 kw battery system.  Cost came to 8.5k, or 7.5k with octopuses current promotion.  Does this sound like a good deal?  Are there other installers I should rather go with for either better value or quality?
The payback came to 9.7 years.  Is this about the going duration?    Im in one of the sunniest parts of the country, and south facing pitched rood.  
man thanks for any help!

Screwdriva

lermit said:

hi both,  Just wondering if the quotes you refer to include batteries?
Ive recently had a quote from octopus for 8 x ja panels, plus 3.8 kw battery system.  Cost came to 8.5k, or 7.5k with octopuses current promotion.  Does this sound like a good deal?  Are there other installers I should rather go with for either better value or quality?
The payback came to 9.7 years.  Is this about the going duration?    Im in one of the sunniest parts of the country, and south facing pitched rood.  
man thanks for any help!

May I ask what your annual consumption is? And what inverter is on offer from Octopus?

Octopus is rarely competitive on price, despite offering bargain basement panel brands like JA Solar, or warranty duration. If your annual consumption is < 4000kWh per year, I'd recommend skipping the battery entirely and exporting your excess solar to the grid via Octopus Flux for a faster payback period. Here's what you should expect to pay any honest + competent installer for much better brands of components:

8 X Sharp 430W panels (30/ 25 year guarantee)
8 X SolarEge optimizers (25 year warranty) 
1 X SolarEdge 3.68kW inverter (20 year warranty)

£4950 installed. G98 and bird netting included. 

lermit

thanks for your comments.  Annual consumption is around 1900kwh.

Their warranties seemed reasonable:
ja panels 25/30y
enphase microinverter 25y
enphase iq battery 3.3kw   15y warranty.

Must admit I hadnt considered not proceeding without batteries as I assumed use of the batteries over the evening would pay for itself?

I had also asked them if they could include an immersion heater to heat hot water too, but they dont want to do that and just sent me a list of mcs installers to get that priced up.  However I dont want to be in a situation where the system doesnt work or intereract correctly, and noone takes responsibility!

Screwdriva

lermit said:

thanks for your comments.  Annual consumption is around 1900kwh.

With such a low annual consumption, a battery won't pay for itself within warranty. Instead, using the grid like a battery, exporting excess Solar during the day and importing during no/ low sunlight periods will lead to a much quicker return. I also would not recommend an immersion based Solar heater either, if financial return/ low running costs are a priority. 

I'd suggest a quality PV only system that will pay for itself in < 7 years and last decades. If circumstances change, you can always add a battery later VAT free.