Solar options (mind field)

QrizB

doctheclown said:

One other issues I have found is that all manufacturing companies seem to have terrible reviews for customer service - are they all that bad?  Do the products have many issues that require returns, that they then ignore?

As a general rule, happy customers are rarely motivated to leave reviews.

No-one is going to go to Trustpilot (or wherever) to say "My Samsung solar panels are 13 years old and still fully functional. Good job Samsung!"

(Although, as it happens, that's a true statement and I'm entirely happy with them.)

And even if I did, there's practically nothing in common between my 2012 Samsung panels and the ones you can buy today. Pretty much everything had changed. So knowing that mine worked out OK doesn't really tell you much about their current products.

doctheclown

I know what you mean QrizB but I would hope the reviews might say I had a problem and they sorted out within a reasonable timeframe.  If unfortunately I did have a problem, it is a worry that after spending a lot of money, there is no help or assistance or replacement.
When looking at installers I have found a range of comments from good to average to bad, which just gives you a feel of how they deal with issues. I would almost be prepared to pay a little more for good customer service, for peace of mind, but it is difficult to gauge who provides this.

Thanks for your reply.

Screwdriva

doctheclown said:

As to panels, I have found Eurener (spain) previous suggested on here and had an installer suggest Qcells (south Korea) (but Wikipedia did mention they had bought a chinese firm solarfun as some point?).

As to inverters and batteries, tesla a bit out of my price range and I see SolarEdge has also been suggested, but have also wondered about other options (Fronius - Ausria)?  It has been quite difficult to track down where things are actually manufacturered rather than where their HQ is.

This subject is very close to my heart as whenever ethics are involved, most Chinese companies don't score very highly. There are still several panel brands available which are not owned by Chinese parent companies (though some internal components may still have Chinese origin). Solarwatt, Meyer Burger, AEG, REA, REC and Eurener are some of them. 

In terms of battery inverters, you may be surprised to learn that a 13.5kW Powerwall 3 costs slightly less than a SolarEdge inverter + 10kW battery. Fronius is an excellent inverter only option (their shading management software is superb) but their recently launched battery has yet to go mainstream in the UK. The installers I use to help MSE forum members offer a 6kW system (12 Eurener 500W panels) and a Tesla PW3 for ~£11K.

doctheclown

Thanks Screwdriva,
I had also seen SMA(German) which looked similar to Sigenstor in that is modular too but they don't seem to do too much in this country.  Does anyone has experience of Fronius or SMA etc?
I think I am getting slightly priced out as 11K is still quite a bit (although I recognise it is probably a very good price).
I wish there were non Chinese basic versions out there, a bit like I have a good make of washing machine, but bought their most basic version, as I am aware I only really need a 40 degree wash and not all the bells and whistles - I get the best of both world reliability and a reasonable price.

Thanks for all your help

QrizB

Fronius and SMA were both relatively common in the UK back in the first half of the 2010s. There were Sunny Boys everywhere. They've become less common in recent years.

My original inverter in 2012 was a Kaco, a German company that seems to still be trading (although I can't vouch for their current products):

https://kaco-newenergy.com/home/

doctheclown said:

I think I am getting slightly priced out as 11K is still quite a bit (although I recognise it is probably a very good price).

You could fit a system without a battery, for £5-6k? The economics of batteries are still not great, and prices continue to fall.

Screwdriva

PV only systems with a Fronius or SolarEdge inverter should cost well under £7K. Definitely worth jumping on the Solar train - you an always add a battery later when fund allow. 

EricMears

doctheclown said:

Thanks Screwdriva,
I had also seen SMA(German) which looked similar to Sigenstor in that is modular too but they don't seem to do too much in this country.  Does anyone has experience of Fronius or SMA etc?
I think I am getting slightly priced out as 11K is still quite a bit (although I recognise it is probably a very good price).
I wish there were non Chinese basic versions out there, a bit like I have a good make of washing machine, but bought their most basic version, as I am aware I only really need a 40 degree wash and not all the bells and whistles - I get the best of both world reliability and a reasonable price.

Thanks for all your help

I expect it will suddenly crash now but our SMA inverter is almost 14 years old (happy birthday for next month Sunny !) and has never had any problems.

doctheclown

Thanks all for your help and advice, I will continue to ponder 

PeterHR

Since we're talking imperial measurements,  you'll get a maximum of two standard 3'9" x 6'7" panels on each gable roof and that is bending the rules because there is supposed to be a foot space around each panel.  Don't know about the main roof - depends if you can run a row of panels over the gables

The biggest saving that can be made presently with a small system is to get one with sufficent usable battery to last 21h on a January day [check your bills], [usable because a 10kw battery may just be 90% usable ... dischage to zero might damage the battery].  The battery is charged overnight for use during the day, the best tariffs presently are available if you have an EV ... but I suspect those tariffs will vanish as EVs become more common. 

Get a big enough inverter to match your max load ... check power draw on your smart display when cooking.

It may not be worth doing.

EricMears

PeterHR said:

Since we're talking imperial measurements,  you'll get a maximum of two standard 3'9" x 6'7" panels on each gable roof and that is bending the rules because there is supposed to be a foot space around each panel.  Don't know about the main roof - depends if you can run a row of panels over the gables

The biggest saving that can be made presently with a small system is to get one with sufficent usable battery to last 21h on a January day [check your bills], [usable because a 10kw battery may just be 90% usable ... dischage to zero might damage the battery].  The battery is charged overnight for use during the day, the best tariffs presently are available if you have an EV ... but I suspect those tariffs will vanish as EVs become more common. 

Get a big enough inverter to match your max load ... check power draw on your smart display when cooking.

It may not be worth doing.

Are you sure about that ?

There's certainly supposed to be a gap between edge of panel and edge of roof but afaik,  two adjacent panels need no gap between them  - or if they do my roof and every other one I've seen is failing that test !