Solar panel advice

The_frugal_fairy
The_frugal_fairy Posts: 88 Forumite
Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
in Green & ethical MoneySaving
We are doing well with our panels. After 3.5 years we have made 30% of the cost in generation payments. So considering we also save on electricity costs I am very happy with the return. Is there any software we can use that can tell us how well we are utilising the electricity we generate ? We have our names down for a gen 2 smart meter as presently the meter is in a cupboard so hard to monitor. Thanks for reading.

Comments

  • chamelion
    chamelion Posts: 473 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Pvoutput? Combined with loop energy?
    5.41 kWp System, E-W. Installed Nov 2017
    Lux + 3 x US2000B + 2 x US3000C battery storage. Installed Mar 2020.
  • Zarch
    Zarch Posts: 393 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    A smart meter may well be all you need, depends on how deep you want to go.

    I love my emonPi setup, but its not cheap.

    https://openenergymonitor.org/

    But you can get tons and tons of graphs and data.
    17 x 300W panels (5.1kW) on a 3.68kW SolarEdge system in Sunny Sheffield.
    12kW Pylontech battery storage system with Lux AC controller
    Creator of the Energy Stats UK website and @energystatsuk Twitter Feed
  • Reed_Richards
    Reed_Richards Posts: 4,122 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I got software bundled with my inverter - so it might be worth checking if there is anything similar available to you.
    Reed
  • The_frugal_fairy
    The_frugal_fairy Posts: 88 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Sorry I keep forgetting to reply. It is a Zanussi inverter.
  • Reed_Richards
    Reed_Richards Posts: 4,122 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I believe Zanussi make a "Twin tracker inverter" - but i haven't been able to find out anything about it. The situation is complicated by a company calling itself Zanussi solar which tends to dominate the search results. There is a warning about that company in this thread: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5953765
    Reed
  • The_frugal_fairy
    The_frugal_fairy Posts: 88 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Zarch wrote: »
    A smart meter may well be all you need, depends on how deep you want to go.

    I love my emonPi setup, but its not cheap.

    https://openenergymonitor.org/

    But you can get tons and tons of graphs and data.

    Just been looking at this again before I buy one. Is it easy to install ? Does it need to go on the inverter ? My solar panel meter is just a small thing plugged into the circuit board, is this an issue ?
  • Zarch
    Zarch Posts: 393 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    The_frugal_fairy wrote: »
    Just been looking at this again before I buy one. Is it easy to install ? Does it need to go on the inverter ? My solar panel meter is just a small thing plugged into the circuit board, is this an issue ?

    Two cables from the emonPi unit, each with a CT clamp on them.

    You clamp one around your live electricity cable, the other goes around the cable coming from your inverter. See below.

    https://guide.openenergymonitor.org/applications/solar-pv/

    You can always ask questions in their forum is you're concerned about install.

    https://community.openenergymonitor.org/
    17 x 300W panels (5.1kW) on a 3.68kW SolarEdge system in Sunny Sheffield.
    12kW Pylontech battery storage system with Lux AC controller
    Creator of the Energy Stats UK website and @energystatsuk Twitter Feed
  • Hexane
    Hexane Posts: 520 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Zarch wrote: »
    You clamp one around your live electricity cable, the other goes around the cable coming from your inverter
    Let's try to remember that some people may not be as DIY happy as the rest of us...
    7.25 kWp PV system (4.1kW WSW & 3.15kW ENE), Solis inverter, myenergi eddi & harvi for energy diversion to immersion heater. myenergi hub for Virtual Power Plant demand-side response trial.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards