is solar worth it for me?

kev1744

Screwdriva said:

Last I heard, the installer was able to fit 9 X 500W Black bifacial panels on OP's roof - an incredible result to answer the original question with a resounding 4.5kW+ packing yes! (I hope OP will share images soon)

ok so update on my installation...

I went with light renewables system with 4.5kw and 7kw battery...total at £8195. not the cheapest quote i had received but after i had done some research i decided it fitted what i wanted best.

The crew turned up 8am and got straight onto job . panels installed quickly and i think they look great.
the electrical work was a bit tricky due to me having a loft conversion and the run for cables also meant lifting some floorboards...but the lads got on it and did a very neat job.
installation was completed by 4pm

When it came time to fit battery there was an issue in that the battery was showing a fault, Daryl the owner of the company offered to send someone up next day to fit a new one, it was actually fitted a couple of days later at my request.

On receipt of payment i was sent all required paperwork (msc certificate etc) within 24 hours (much quicker than i expected)

All in im very happy with the job and already making savings.

Only criticism i would have is that the solaredge app only shows me what power the panels are generating, not what percentage is going to battery/grid.
On checking online it seems for me to have this full access i would need a consumption meter fitting (i thought this was part of the installation)
Spoke to daryl about it and he says its not something they normally fit as standard and that instead the shinephone app which does show this info is what i should use.N
not a huge complaint and its only a minor issue which certainly does not detract from the great job the team did.

Im already considering getting a second battery fitted !

Qyburn

What's the bottom appliance, labelled Light Renewables? I guess the battery must be AC coupled, in which case Solaredge doesn't need to know whether the power is being consumed, exported or stored. However the battery must have some sort of metering at the grid connection so that it can maintain the balance.

kev1744

thats the battery

Screwdriva

kev1744 said:

panels installed quickly and i think they look great.
the electrical work was a bit tricky due to me having a loft conversion and the run for cables also meant lifting some floorboards...but the lads got on it and did a very neat job.
installation was completed by 4pm

Have to say, I'm still impressed they managed to squeeze 9 X 500W Eurener bifacial panels on that roof - a very bespoke (1.91m length vs 1.72m for "standard" panels) solution to maximize generation. And it looks great! That said, I'm willing to bet that chimney shading is reducing the closest panel's performance by ~10%. It's a good thing you went with SolarEdge.

I wouldn't rush into another battery just yet. . . the consumption/ savings won't justify the cost. V. happy with the result (and for you!)

bob2302

Screwdriva said:

Have to say, I'm still impressed they managed to squeeze 9 X 500W Eurener bifacial panels on that roof

What's the point of putting bifacial panels on a pitched roof?

daso

Looks really good, kev174.4 
Does anyone else have any experience with the Light Renewables battery? 

Screwdriva

bob2302 said:

What's the point of putting bifacial panels on a pitched roof?

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzqjCsZKUYQ - Comparison

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj6ZmIZP4hw - Real world results from another UK installer 

FYI - paint the background in a reflective paint and the albedo gains increase to 10-15%. This is supported by applications like OpenSolar. I've seen gains of 8-17% vs. my neighbours (both 400W panels on SolarEdge systems - Hyundai 400W monofacial vs. LG bifacial).

daso said:

Looks really good, kev174.4 
Does anyone else have any experience with the Light Renewables battery? 

I only recommend the Powerwall 3  - followed by distant seconds - SolarEdge, Enphase or GivEnergy batteries regardless of the installer, especially as these have access to the Intelligent Flux tariff. 

bob2302

Screwdriva said:

bob2302 said:

What's the point of putting bifacial panels on a pitched roof?

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzqjCsZKUYQ - Comparison

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj6ZmIZP4hw - Real world results from another UK installer 

That second link doesn't support your point. If the difference were due to the panels being bifacial the biggest boost would be on the corner panels with a much smaller boost on the centre panels, but this isn't the case. 

In my experience when anecdotal results like this appear to conflict with basic physics, it's never the physics that's wrong.

QrizB

At the end of the day, though, if the price is right does it matter whether they're bifacial or not?

And I'm pleased that Light Renewables are no longer as chaotic as they were a few years back when they fitted a system for me.

bob2302

QrizB said:

At the end of the day, though, if the price is right does it matter whether they're bifacial or not?

And I'm pleased that Light Renewables are no longer as chaotic as they were a few years back when they fitted a system for me.

It matters if people start choosing panels because they are bifacial.