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Deleted member 26715
Guest
Everything all done, including scaffolding which they won't need so hoping to shave some of that cost off, to get hot water I'd have to put a tank back in, not sure I can do that with a combi boiler
Solar panels….?
- Thread starter Hicky
- Start date
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ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
The company I have used have only suggested 2 smaller batteries (2.6 kWh) because they reckon most people only use that much except for a few weeks of the year
And, if the stats show that I can use more then they are just plug and play so it is easy to add more.
As opposed to having one big battery from the start and finding out you only ever charge half of it.
We shall see if their prediction work out
Just to add - Power of our panels comes to 3.2 kW so a bit lower and we don;t have a hot water tank so we couldn't use that option either
And, if the stats show that I can use more then they are just plug and play so it is easy to add more.
As opposed to having one big battery from the start and finding out you only ever charge half of it.
We shall see if their prediction work out
Just to add - Power of our panels comes to 3.2 kW so a bit lower and we don;t have a hot water tank so we couldn't use that option either
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
2nd quote came through last night £9,100 quite a but lower, but these guys are only offering 8 not 12 panels, 3kW inverter not 5kW, along with a 5KWh battery not the 10KWh ones
That’s a fair point on batteries!
D
Deleted member 26715
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Or that is all they can currently get their hands on, TBH I don't think it makes sense, in my mind you want the biggest batteries you can get, you then swap over to a company offering low overnight rates, charge them up overnight & supplement the PV through the day. Remember in winter the PV's will not produce as much
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
When I got quotes some people said they could put 10 panels on but when they were pushed said they were not sure
The company I went with never over claimed but said that sometimes the fitters can manage to fit an extra one on where they get there. They sent 10 panels but only quoted for 8 - with an agreement to fit as many as they could - which turned out to be the 8.
No point in fitting more expensive stuff if you can;t use it
irw
Quadricyclist
- Location
- Liverpool, UK
Thanks to @ebikeerwidnes 's comments, I'm now sitting on a quote from UPS Solar for £10,422. This is for 14x Sharp 400w PV Panels and 5.8kWh of batteries. I asked about the potential to add more batteries in the future, and, as @ebikeerwidnes has alluded to, they've said this is easy due to the modular system. I also asked about the potential to add more panels into the system, and got this fairly comprehensive sounding reply:
"
Yes, you can add more panels in the future if the DNO allows you too.
The maximum system allowed on a single phase property is just under 6kW. This is in regards to the inverter, the largest inverter that the national grid will allow on domestic property; which is a 3.68kW inverter, we can install just under 6kW of solar onto this unit (An inverter is always under sized).
You will see this unit generate in excess of 4kW when conditions allow but will never allow more than 16amps to go back to the grid in line with the Grids regulations.
The idea of the extra capacity above 4kW is for the majority of days in the UK when the panels are unable to produce at 100% we will generate more power and therefore produce a lot more power over the year than if we were to put just put 3.68 or 4kW of solar panels on this inverter. Anything higher than 6kW system or a higher inverter above 3.68kW inverter a DNO (G99) application is needed. This can take up to 120 working days to be accepted that's if you are.
"
I've just spoken to them on the phone to progress the job and asked for a bit more clarification on this- the reason I'm digging into this is because my roof is east-west, and I'm a bit concerned about not necessarily getting as much as I can out of the installation, hence my interest in splitting the system across the two sides of the roof and adding more panels. The chap I spoke to said because of these circumstances, it would probably be accepatable to add two more panels (one per string feeding into the dual-input inverter), as each string wouldn't be fully generating at any one time due to the sun moving across the roof, but any more would require a more powerful inverter, which is where getting further approval (or not) from the DNO comes in.
I'm now awaiting someone to come out to do a technical survey, when I'll put this question to them once they can actually see the physical aspects of the roof.
In the meantime, I've downloaded an app called 'Loop', which enables me to see the data my smart meter is generating (which is very interesting). Interestingly, it also has a 'solar simulator' feature, which I turned on yesterday, and will hopefully see some data later today!
"
Yes, you can add more panels in the future if the DNO allows you too.
The maximum system allowed on a single phase property is just under 6kW. This is in regards to the inverter, the largest inverter that the national grid will allow on domestic property; which is a 3.68kW inverter, we can install just under 6kW of solar onto this unit (An inverter is always under sized).
You will see this unit generate in excess of 4kW when conditions allow but will never allow more than 16amps to go back to the grid in line with the Grids regulations.
The idea of the extra capacity above 4kW is for the majority of days in the UK when the panels are unable to produce at 100% we will generate more power and therefore produce a lot more power over the year than if we were to put just put 3.68 or 4kW of solar panels on this inverter. Anything higher than 6kW system or a higher inverter above 3.68kW inverter a DNO (G99) application is needed. This can take up to 120 working days to be accepted that's if you are.
"
I've just spoken to them on the phone to progress the job and asked for a bit more clarification on this- the reason I'm digging into this is because my roof is east-west, and I'm a bit concerned about not necessarily getting as much as I can out of the installation, hence my interest in splitting the system across the two sides of the roof and adding more panels. The chap I spoke to said because of these circumstances, it would probably be accepatable to add two more panels (one per string feeding into the dual-input inverter), as each string wouldn't be fully generating at any one time due to the sun moving across the roof, but any more would require a more powerful inverter, which is where getting further approval (or not) from the DNO comes in.
I'm now awaiting someone to come out to do a technical survey, when I'll put this question to them once they can actually see the physical aspects of the roof.
In the meantime, I've downloaded an app called 'Loop', which enables me to see the data my smart meter is generating (which is very interesting). Interestingly, it also has a 'solar simulator' feature, which I turned on yesterday, and will hopefully see some data later today!
D
Deleted member 26715
Guest
I would query the 120 working days for the DNO, people are complaining on FB that it's taking a month not that long, sounds like they don't want to do the paperwork.
ive just contacted a local company that fitted a work colleagues of mine, to come and look and quote for works. There are also a few other things on their website that im interested in talking to them about, that could hopefully cut money off Gas and Electricity costs in the long run.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Some of that is a load of rubbish. I'd be very cautious going with a supplier who seem so concerned about DNO applications. It implies they have sometimes had difficulty getting approval. That should be more or less a formality, not "up to 120 working days to be accepted that's if you are".
There is no limit to the size of inverter allowed on a domestic property - we have a 10Kw one installed (on a 10.14Kw system) in February. That 3.68Kw inverter is only the limit if you don't want to get DNO approval.
And the DNO authorisation came through in a few weeks - we signed the authorisation letter on 16th November, and our system was installed (with all approvals granted well before that) on 10th February. It can take up to 11 weeks, but doesn't usually.
You can go bigger I believe if you have a G100 installation. This allows for grid feed in to be controlled by the inverter, effectively mitigating the NGO concerns about excessive power being fed into the grid
I'm going to be trying for G100 because I want a fair bit more solar plus storage
https://voltacon.com/2019/05/22/voltacon-inverters-g98-g99-and-g100/
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There's also that you can get a 11 kW DNO notification (not permission) with a 3 phase supply, as it's 16 amps per phase. But that would require a 3 phase connection to your house. Entirely plausible, but an added cost.
3 phase power is neat, but to take advantage of it you'd also need to do load balancing of your internal circuits, which is why most installations are single phase.
Mine will be 3 phase, I've just got our new supplier to upgrade the remaining single phase meter back to 3 phase. There is 3 phase on the incoming cabling. Load balancing will be done on the internal power demands, but items like airsource heat pumps and aircon units will be 3 phase, these will be the biggest power demands.
As I understand, because feedin tariffs are virtually non existent now, NGO don't want uncontrolled grid feed in. G100 certified inverters control this. I have not looked at pricing difference between G99/100
If the users are planning on more solar capacity it would be prudent to make sure your inverter is already NGO compliant
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What I don't get is why batteries are necessary in most circumstances. It seems like a lot of cost compared to just using the grid as a buffer. Obviously it's better for the distribution companies not to have big surges of supply and demand, so I'd imagine a setup like yours they'd be keen to see batteries. But smaller domestic setups where it's a question of notification rather than permission?
