Solar panels

[Nick C]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

 

Am I wright in thinking I notice the drop off from shading is less when the end furthest away from the power exit lead is shaded, than when its the other end in the shade?

It shouldn't make any difference, unless there's something particular in how the cells are arranged/wired in the panel

[Phil Himsworth]

Today has been a terrible day for solar. The weather forecast said that once the early morning fog had burned off it would be sunny all day so I was looking forward to a productive day; instead the fog has not lifted at all!

 

Looks like a cloudy week going forward, but at least it's not getting my hopes up like today did... :⁠-⁠)

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Phil Himsworth said:

Today has been a terrible day for solar. The weather forecast said that once the early morning fog had burned off it would be sunny all day so I was looking forward to a productive day; instead the fog has not lifted at all!

 

Looks like a cloudy week going forward, but at least it's not getting my hopes up like today did... :⁠-⁠)

It was quite good here today, we generated 14.9kWh. It is dark now and we are running off the batteries, and even exporting a couple of watts to the grid. We treat anything in December and January as a bit of a bonus really. 

[nickwood]

We’ve averaged just over 8kwh generation over the last four days in North Hampshire with a 6.5kw south facing array. We’ve only had solar installed since early December and Although some days have generated very little, we have been pleasantly surprised overall. It has performed much better than we expected so far.  
We are with Octopus on their Go tariff which gives us 4 hours from 00:30 to 04:30 at 12ppKwh which we use to top up our 9.5Kwh battery and do as much high load domestic use as possible at the cheap rate. 

[hayfield]

 

The forecast for this morning was for fog, thankfully its clear. We have a small system (2.65kw) but yesterday was our second day producing 3 kwh and over the last 4 days averaged 2.6kwh

 

More importantly whilst the shading is still impacting us quite badly, it is quite noticeable that the sun is getting much higher and it wont be long before the shading will soon be over, having said this 5 out of the last 7 days has been very good which is unusual for this time of the year.

 

I am getting nearer last years production of 44 kwh, but no guarantee I will reach it

 

[hayfield]

Regarding shading, I was quite surprised that despite a heavy frost on our panels today we only lost about 30% of power against yesterday though some of this may be because of a slightly hazy start. Still the first part of the day is turning out better than forecast.

In fact despite it being just above freezing its very sunny (I have just put the mockers on the rest of the day !!)  

[hayfield]

What a topsy turvy month we are in but it is January, as far as production is concerned. A slow start followed by quite some activity then a slow down again. Last year we produced 44 kwh so far with a few days left we are up to 35 kwh with sunny periods forecast for the end of this month we might be in with a chance of getting near. I am just waiting for some sun to see if the shading is about to be taken out of the equation  

[hayfield]

After 3 miserable days of production today we produced 3.8 kwh of power giving a monthly total of 43.9kwh with a day to go, so it looks like we will certainly equal last Januarys figure if not beat it, this was looking unlikely for the past week. but the sun has been shining today, the affect of the shading is much less than two weeks ago so in another fortnight hopefully it will be a thing of the past until next November

 

The energy saving schemes are coming thick and fast, 3 last week and another this morning so for nothing other than either eating at another time or changing our cooking method (gas)  we have earnt just under £18 (in a summer month that one of my electricity bills paid)

[hayfield]

15 mins and a 100 watts took my production level with last years 44 kwh, though how much over 44kwh last year was is unknown

 

Also yesterdays 3.8(9) was my highest production of the year, the 89p (usage & export) saving resulted in covering 35% of my power usage. Not bad for a day in January

 

I understand Solar together Essex is up and running again, I will get a quote to see the cost of batteries 

[hayfield]

For those in Essex,  Solar Together Essex is now open for registrations

 

Put simply the scheme is an easy entry into solar energy for those like me who know little about the subject,

 

The auction is on the 21st of Feb so do apply well before

 

Solar Together 

1 Sets the specifications

2 Vets the companies

3 Forms buying groups to obtain the best discounts (via an auction)

4 Vets a sample of installations for quality control

5 Arranges and insurance backed 10 year guarantee

6 No pressure selling !!

 

The initial quote is free, and when I applied I think the discount they obtained for me was 40%. *   Work carried out was very satisfactory and I can recommend the system

 

I have just joined again for a quote to fit and supply batteries, simply I am using them again as I found them very trustworthy and capable

 

* Discounts may be less owing to the demand for Solar Panels

[hayfield]

The month started off quietly for the first 4 days, producing only 9.1 KWH (the target figure is last years 108 KWH. But the last 4 days has burst into life bringing the total up to 31.7 KWH. We have been lucky as the past two days were forecast to be cloudy, but we had sun from the start. Todays forecast is partly sunny, but its been full cloud with no sunny breaks

 

Also the shading affects are reducing greatly but may still be causing me a loss of a KWH or so. What is surprising is my savings. The cost of my total power usage over the past 4 days has been £10.92,  my net cost has been £5.93.  OK we have had 4 really good days, but it is February and I would have never expected . Even taking in  the previous 4 days we have used £22.23 worth of power with a net cost of £14.88,  reducing my bill by a third in winter is a great benefit ( daily standing charges not added) Roll on the summer 

[hayfield]

Yesterday marked both the best production day of the year (7.1 kwh) but also we passed the 3 MWH of production and given we have had 8 winter months of our 18 months usage making less than 0,5 MWH hopefully given a good summer we may go through the 5 MWH by our 2nd anniversary

 

As I said yesterday we generated 7.1 KWH, we are still suffering slight shading in late morning and late afternoon, hopefully given a few more days this will end

 

No fog this morning but a bit cloudy, but we have been lucky as we have missed most misty/foggy morning starts, forecast is for a partly cloudy morning and sun after lunchtime

 

Sunday was a wash out and Saturday not much better but the past 2 days but production and exports covered at least 60% of the power we used and its only February, but with half of the month to go its too soon to expect an early spring. The higher export tariffs mean we have already passed last years export £'s, but at best we were getting 7.5p or even 5.5p per kwh so actual production in KWH's will be much the same

[Tony_S]

On 31/01/2023 at 10:33, hayfield said:

have just joined again for a quote to fit and supply batteries, simply I am using them again as I found them very trustworthy and capable

I contacted them to ask if I could just have an extra battery. They said yes so rejoined and will see what happens. At the least the batteries are available again. 

[hayfield]

29 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I contacted them to ask if I could just have an extra battery. They said yes so rejoined and will see what happens. At the least the batteries are available again. 

 

I still think its not the optimum time to buy anything to do with solar panels/batteries if you are looking for good value, I am still looking at the cash benefit of investing in batteries, which last year looked good until I factored in the loss of export income. 

[Mike 84C]

Just  recieved a quote from Scottish Power , 11 panels 4.10 KwP at £4613 + Batteries AlphaB3 5KwH £3255  GT to inc fitting and sundries £ 11,240 10 yr warranty.  Up here in Lincolnshire there seems to be no group/bulk buy discounts.

   My concern is is this system large enough for a 1950 three bedroom semi ;its like the Bako adverts in Meccano Mag!. So based on your collective experience what are your experiences please?

   Mick

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, Mike 84C said:

Just  recieved a quote from Scottish Power , 11 panels 4.10 KwP at £4613 + Batteries AlphaB3 5KwH £3255  GT to inc fitting and sundries £ 11,240 10 yr warranty.  Up here in Lincolnshire there seems to be no group/bulk buy discounts.

   My concern is is this system large enough for a 1950 three bedroom semi ;its like the Bako adverts in Meccano Mag!. So based on your collective experience what are your experiences please?

   Mick

We have 16 panels split 9 south facing and 7 west facing. We have three 2.4kwh batteries. During spring, summer and autumn it would have to be a cloudy day to not produce enough electricity.  In winter any sunny day is a nice bonus. As we couldn’t get an export contract set up,with anyone other than our present electricity supplier we don’t exactly get a good export rate but could well change to Octopus at change of contract time. Our complete system installed was just under £10000. It was all organised through the Essex scheme. Prices have risen since we had our system and when I was looking for an additional battery they were unavailable. However they do seem to be available again. 

[Ian Morgan]

4 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

Just  recieved a quote from Scottish Power , 11 panels 4.10 KwP at £4613 + Batteries AlphaB3 5KwH £3255  GT to inc fitting and sundries £ 11,240 10 yr warranty.  Up here in Lincolnshire there seems to be no group/bulk buy discounts.

   My concern is is this system large enough for a 1950 three bedroom semi ;its like the Bako adverts in Meccano Mag!. So based on your collective experience what are your experiences please?

   Mick

 

Step-daughter has just had a similar spec to yours fitted this week under the Solar Together Hampshire scheme. The price was almost identical to yours, so it seems Scottish Power are not too bad.

 

As for your system sizing, it depends on your usage. The maximum power you can get from your panels and battery together is 4kW, so any devices, or combination of devices, using more than that will have to draw the extra from the grid. In our house, the electric shower takes 7kW, albeit for just a few minutes, and the car charger also takes 7kW, but for 2 or 3 hours. So both these cost me money, but if the sun is shining, or the battery is charged, it is costing me less than half what it used to.

 

Washing machine, tumble dryer, kettle, micowave and oven all take less than 4kW individually, so try to only have one or two on at the same time, and try to use them when the sun is shining.

 

Once the evening dinner is done, my house just has a few LED lights, TV, fridge, computers, phone chargers, etc. totalling between 100 and 200W, so if the battery still has maybe 2kWh of charge (40% for you), it should keep the house ticking over until morning.

 

Of course, this month is not so good and the small amount of charge that managed to get into the battery today has already been used up.

 

[hayfield]

16 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

Just  recieved a quote from Scottish Power , 11 panels 4.10 KwP at £4613 + Batteries AlphaB3 5KwH £3255  GT to inc fitting and sundries £ 11,240 10 yr warranty.  Up here in Lincolnshire there seems to be no group/bulk buy discounts.

   My concern is is this system large enough for a 1950 three bedroom semi ;its like the Bako adverts in Meccano Mag!. So based on your collective experience what are your experiences please?

   Mick

 

I have no experience with Scottish power, but if they are anything like British Gas they do charge the earth sometimes being twice the cost of local qualified tradesmen, It is very wise to get quotes from several companies, not just the large PLC's

 

Certainly having solar panels is one of the best things I have bought 18 mths ago I paid under £2700 for 7 panels, from memory 11 would have cost me another £3500, 2 yrs ago a battery would have cost me £5ooo, last year it went down to £3500

 

Batteries are fine in the summer but when the sun does not shine the batteries do not charge, So for long periods over the winter the batteries would be charging very little if at all

[Ouroborus]

My solar and battery install was also around £11k.  Seems about the going rate.

 

My battery and inverter was fitted to an outside wall.  Over the weekend I fitted a Keter plastic shed (a tall one) over the install and bought some kingspan to make an insulated box for the battery.   Now it might just be coincidence, but it seems to have a noticeable positive effect on the ability of the battery to charge up.

 

Speaking of batteries, mine comes with the GivEnergy software.   Over the weekend i read that different providers configure their batteries to charge in different ways.  I had assumed that the panels charged the batteries until full and after that, exported back to the grid.  But not so, and GivEnergy export to the grid when its thinks its most beneficial for you to do this.  In other words, if it thinks you'd be better off exporting, it'll forgo charging the battery.  Being on a rotary meter, this doesn't make any difference to me, but if i was on a smart meter, i think I'd be a bit twitched on how this was set up.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Ouroborus

[trevora]

set it to eco and it will charge battery from solar  (not grid)

and take any battery power to the house

until battery and house need no more then export to grid

[Tony_S]

On 19/02/2023 at 09:13, hayfield said:

Batteries are fine in the summer but when the sun does not shine the batteries do not charge, So for long periods over the winter the batteries would be charging very little if at all

True, but we have found ours to be useful in spring and autumn too.Our interest for an extra battery is really for spring and autumn use. In the summer we can use all our appliances, have enough battery storage for nighttime use and export the surplus to the  grid. In the winter, a short sunny spell is enough to charge the  batteries.  Today being rather sunny the batteries are so fully charged we are exporting! So,if you have batteries sunny winter days are a nice bonus. We can go out in the garden and use the electricity later in the day. 

[hayfield]

Tony

 

Granted I was being a bit broad brush, obviously and spare energy can be saved in the battery, in winter the amount will be minimal. Spring and autumn will be better, this past 7 days my total usage was 56.3 kwh, my total production was 33.7 kwh. That is with 4 good production days in the past 7 days 2 not bad and 1 not very good, and its an above average week for Feb. For me it was getting the biggest reward for my outlay and I am extremely pleased with the system

 

The sun now is getting much warmer, sunrise is now at 7am and sunset past 5:30pm. The forecast for the past 2 days was not very promising and we have had cloudy periods, but yesterday we produced 7.3 kwh and today 5.7 kwh. Last year we produced 108 kwh in Feb and in March it doubled to 224 kwh (which would have made use of batteries) but the cost of adding batteries would have tripled our cost, but much less financially rewarding

 

I am waiting for another quote from Solar Together lets see what happens

[Tony_S]

So far this month.

Imported energy was mainly at night, we have an Economy 7 tariff. We imported a lot more and generated less in January. 

[Neal Ball]

Interesting thread, I didn’t know existed!

 

Living in Spain our yields are hopefully going to be a bit different.

 

We had solar installed last May and although the owner of the company said we could get 10 panels on our South facing roof, we only managed to get 6 up there. 🙁

 

Its been disappointing how much we’ve generated during the winter, but both Sunday and yesterday we made over 6kwh on both days.😎🌞

 

So far in February we have generated 79kwh  into the house and into a 10kwh battery set up.

 

Our charging structure here has 4 time zones; Spring; Summer etc and then 2 zones during the day. The promotional periods get charged at 0.14€ / kWh (going to 5 decimal places!) and the dearer daytime rate is 0.24€/ kWh.

 

Hopefully once I can assess the whole year it will be different and we can settle into a routine with it all.

[hayfield]

Neal

 

My system was installed in September 2021 and as you say returns in winter are quite low. over the past 18 mths we have just generated 3MWH but that covers 2 winter periods, the next 6 months will probably yield 1.9 MWH, giving a 2 year yield of 4.9 MWH

 

Our initial quote was for 10 panels, how they arrived at that number is a mystery as our main roof could only hold 4 panels, thankfully our extension could hold up to 8 panels. After looking at all options including having a maximum of 12 panels covering both roofs I settled on 7 panels on the extension roof as an 8th panel would cost an extra £500. My thought plain was to get the maximum cash reward on expenditure

 

What it has done is slash my annual usage from 3400 KWH pa to 2100** kwh pa  At todays rates its a saving of 1300 kwh @ .35p = £455 plus exporting 1692 kwh @ 15 p = £253  Grand total is £709. The actual figures will be less as I am using todays high rates, but against the initial projection 2 years ago of an annual benefit of £204. Back then it was expressed as a 7.61% return, now its increased into an actual 26.44% return. The initial quote was projecting a profit after 10.5 years At currant rates anything between 5 & 6 years. Far better than leaving it in a Barclays savings account

 

My actual savings to date have been lower than what I have shown, but I am not going back over my bills and rates charged/given, my system has since outset been out performing the projections both in output and £'s savings

 

**  This is the annual projection of future use I have constantly had from Octopus for the past 6 months on my monthly statements, after 12 months of solar panel usage. The first 12 months was interesting seeing projected usage falling each month on the statements