Plug in solar

tfhnota

According to a YouTuber (I know…), Octopus are going to be paying a relatively generous 16p for export from plug-in solar BUT only if you are an Octopus customer and buy their relatively expensive kit (two panel an extra £200 over cityplumbing), other approved kit will not get export from them. That just leaves Fuse, you will have to transfer to them as that is the only way you will get the export mpan (has to be done by the energy co) but system and rates as yet unknown.

Edit: not so generous, the 16p is only for 4-7pm export, rest of the time 9p.

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82138721#Comment_82138721

TBH I hadn't yet seen any of the 1030Wp kits in stock, but today there is one 244 miles away 🤣

I really need to see one, and check the mounting frames, as I have plans for 5. Nephews, niece, friends, and one perhaps as payment for a builder friend to help me install them and outside sockets. And a dog walker friend wants one too, and wants my feedback on the kit (but they can afford to buy their own!)

Hopefully all of them will see a decent reduction in bills, perhaps ~50% of annual generation offsetting import. But hard to guestimate.

tfhnota

Depending on where you put them, you may be able to drill a hole through the wall and thread the cable through that (the inverter end may be smaller than the moulded on three pin plug) and then bung it into a normal socket, making good around the hole so you aren't left with an air vent - within the letter of the law but not ideal, I guess. For an external socket it is notifiable work so proper electrician needed. AC cable length is rumoured to be 5m, another thing to check.

Newbie_John

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139354#Comment_82139354

The export sounds great but.. when I look at my numbers for 900W system - I expect 600kWh around summer with half exported and 300kWh over the other half of the year - all self consumed as electric heating is on. So 300kWh at average 12.5/kWh is £37/year from export doesnt sound that amazing anymore.. especially when you will have to stay with Ocotpus for another 5 years - not bad thing but you lose an option to switch if something better is elsewhere.

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82139637#Comment_82139637

I was pondering that, especially for the family friends, who have old single glazing, so I have their permission to drill through the frame if necessary. But hoping they will have a socket on an internal front wall, so maybe drill through to the outside for an external socket.

Co-incidentally, I spent a couple of hrs there a few weeks ago, trying to work out if 'proper' PV was possible, as they have an iffy hip roof. I mentioned putting a two panel canopy over the front door and window, pondering getting some iron brackets made up. I did this in 2011, to make a PV canopy over our back door.

But looking at the full install instructions for those City Plumbing kits, the frames they include might be ideal as is. But that's why I need a good look at them, as they appear a bit light, but impossible to tell just from the pics. I've no concerns about holding the panels up, it's wind lift that worries me.

Things are looking really good for next year, if the speed of PnP product progress continues as it has, already.

Scot_39

Does the inverter always have to be outside then for balcony solar regs ?

I'll have to read them - next spring - before look at this seriously.

I thought I'd read in post above about short flat DC solar cables to go under doors/through windows etc - implying inverter connections indoors - only the DC outside.

QrizB

Does the inverter always have to be outside then for balcony solar regs ?

I think the kit needs to be installed following the manufacturer's instructions. If the manufacturer says "put the inverter outside with the panels" then strictly speaking that's what you need to do.

I thought I'd read in post above about short flat DC solar cables

These exist and are used in eg. Germany but don't appear to be part of any current UK retail plug-in kits.

tfhnota

CityPlumbing has sold out of all its approved kits, including the overpriced UKSOL stuff. Just caught a bit on Radio 4, the presenter bemused in their usual way when one contributor had spent a grand and another £350 (for two panels), trying to get a handle on the payback period, which seemed to be anywhere between a year and ten years. No proper research and not much intelligence on display. CityPlumbing still has plenty of pv panels and Ecoflow have just had their kit approved so may be a pile of those ready to come through. Bear in mind, Cityplumbing also act as a delivery/stock holder for some other companies who may have been offering the UKSol stuff at a more reasonable price.

QrizB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81988008#Comment_81988008

It's shame that TroubledTarts is no longer with us as they'd appreciate this bit of news.

Back in May (the quoted post) TT was using an EcoFlow portable power station (PPS) together with a specific model of EcoFlow microinverter and a couple of solar panels to make a grid-tied plugin solar PV system with storage. Strictly against the rules at the time, and still against the rules now (plugin batteries aren't permitted under the UK interim product standard).

I was watching a video from a German electronics show and spotted that Bluetti have launched the Balco Transfer Hub in Germany and France. This looks to be a specialised grid-tied microinverter that takes the AC output from a PPS (not just a Bluetti one) and lets you inject it into your household mains.

https://www.bluettipower.eu/products/balco-transfer-hub

It's currently priced at €239 which isn't exactly cheap but could work well for people who have already bought a PPS for eg. camping or work purposes and want to use it at home. It could be used in conjunction with a solar PV system (plugin or otherwise) or simply to time-shift energy for arbitrage purposes on a time-of-use tariff - buying it when it's cheaper, using it when it's expensive.

Maybe something to keep an eye on in anticipation of plug-in batteries being approved here?

Newbie_John

Today was clearly the worst day for me - 0.226kWh generated :)

Two days ago 3.6kWh.

My consumption from April till July was between 195kWh-230kWh/month. In August 120kWh, September 150kWh.. up until today I thought I will finish under 200kWh too, but as the weather gets colder and sky gets cloudier I see slim chances for the rest of the month.. but lets see - when A2A kicks in export/donation will drop to 0% :)