Talk to me about solar panels.

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
Any idea what your total yield per day has been lately? Did some figures last night as baby wouldn't sleep, suspect I messed up somewhere though. Figures seem to think in August I'd have got about 21kwh on average
We hit >21 once in August, quoting reputable sources - average has been closer to 17-18.

If it helps, i don't actually know what any of this means.

My reputable source is always happy to talk numbers, and actually made me make this post.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
What are business rates like for electricity nowadays?

1kw of panels will cost about a grand to install and produce about 900kwh per year. If for arguments sake we said 1000 too then at 33p there is the potential to repay themselves in 3 years. Of course you need batteries to actually make use of it all.
We’re locked into 16p till July thankfully, but there are rates of up to £1/kWh, it’s absolute lunacy
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
We’re locked into 16p till July thankfully, but there are rates of up to £1/kWh, it’s absolute lunacy
You plan to be there long? Could you perhaps discuss you doing the installation, on an agreement the owner buys it back were you to leave within the next x years on a depreciating scale? It's an extra asset after all.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
You plan to be there long? Could you perhaps discuss you doing the installation, on an agreement the owner buys it back were you to leave within the next x years on a depreciating scale? It's an extra asset after all.
I believe the landlord is looking at the viability of simply making the entire site one big solar array and charging a more reasonable unit rate for the energy.

At that point I’d dump some batteries in our plant rooms and sit happy

It has crossed my mind though, we use over 1000kwh in the month so it’d pay itself back in no time
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I believe the landlord is looking at the viability of simply making the entire site one big solar array and charging a more reasonable unit rate for the energy.

At that point I’d dump some batteries in our plant rooms and sit happy

It has crossed my mind though, we use over 1000kwh in the month so it’d pay itself back in no time
So ignoring weekends 50kwh/day, and all pretty much in daylight hours? It'd take a fair array to supply all your needs but if you consider for a flat roof you'd probably need 2x2m per 400w panel (they're roughly 2x1 but shadowing may be an issue) then you have about 100w possible generation per m2 of roof space? I've seen them laid almost flat and utilising pretty much all space but guessing winter generation would be terrible.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
So ignoring weekends 50kwh/day, and all pretty much in daylight hours? It'd take a fair array to supply all your needs but if you consider for a flat roof you'd probably need 2x2m per 400w panel (they're roughly 2x1 but shadowing may be an issue) then you have about 100w possible generation per m2 of roof space? I've seen them laid almost flat and utilising pretty much all space but guessing winter generation would be terrible.
It wouldn’t just be our roof, there’s a lot of roof space and we’re one of the higher individual users on the site so we’d probably do well with it.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
The more I look at the figures on this the more I realise the extra panels on the ENE side of the house aren't worth it. Yes they would produce 600kwh per year (per kw of panels) but they'd produce it at times the other panels were already producing more than enough. In Dec/Jan when I'd need it most 5 panels would only be getting me 0.5kwh/day while the same number facing SSE would get 4x that.

I think I'll scrap those and use the money for an extra battery, to give me enough for a full days power without sunlight.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Speaking of solar, Octopus have put their SEG up to 15p/kWh

Considering the normal rate is 4.5p which is basically theft at this point, that’s pretty good
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
Doing it just as we approach the Equinox.

Pull people in just as they won't benefit for much longer, keep them when you change it later and they can't be arsed to change.

Keep classy capitalism.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Speaking of solar, Octopus have put their SEG up to 15p/kWh

Considering the normal rate is 4.5p which is basically theft at this point, that’s pretty good
If an Octopus customer it was 7.5p before this anyway, already way better than the competition. However, with insane prices comes insane live pricing, and outgoing agile has been performing at around 30p/kwh over the last few months. If able to swap between agile in the summer to get great export prices then go in the winter to get cheap off peak battery charging you should never need to pay for electricity again.
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
If an Octopus customer it was 7.5p before this anyway, already way better than the competition. However, with insane prices comes insane live pricing, and outgoing agile has been performing at around 30p/kwh over the last few months. If able to swap between agile in the summer to get great export prices then go in the winter to get cheap off peak battery charging you should never need to pay for electricity again.
I think they don’t really like you doing that, I know you already can’t mix Outgoing Agile with Octopus Go (which would be lovely as you could charge at 7.5p and sell at agile pricing)
 

The Hawk

Well-Known Forumite
I think they don’t really like you doing that, I know you already can’t mix Outgoing Agile with Octopus Go (which would be lovely as you could charge at 7.5p and sell at agile pricing)
That's one of the reasons I chose to go with the Ripple wind farm approach, plus home battery. Whilst, I accept things could change, at the moment I'm looking at buying my electricity at 7.5p and selling at around 15p.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I think they don’t really like you doing that, I know you already can’t mix Outgoing Agile with Octopus Go (which would be lovely as you could charge at 7.5p and sell at agile pricing)
Octopus have a rule that you can switch tariffs at any point but you have to wait a month between smart tariffs, so you'd have to spend a month on SVR then move.

TBH the returns on SEG are terrible regardless, if you don't have a large array you may as well stick with go but I can see the attraction for those with 10kw systems.
 

Manorboy

Well-Known Forumite
I have had no luck getting quotes for a solar panel battery. I have asked two companies one a recommendation on this forum and one from a company in Rugeley. Yesterday my panels were finally connected to the Octupus enegy system. I am on Octopus outgoing paying me 15p per KW. I pay 27p per KW.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I have had no luck getting quotes for a solar panel battery. I have asked two companies one a recommendation on this forum and one from a company in Rugeley. Yesterday my panels were finally connected to the Octupus enegy system. I am on Octopus outgoing paying me 15p per KW. I pay 27p per KW.
Any electrician can connect a battery, no need to be MCS certified, so could go that route? What inverter do you have?

Mine is still planned for the 26th, but I keep playing with the spreadsheets trying to see if there is a better solution. If I can stay on an EV tariff the panels are almost pointless as I'd be paying so little to charge batteries anyway, but if kicked off the tariff (no EV) then the batteries on their own are pointless too! The 15p outgoing does make extra panels make more sense again though, almost a 2 for 1 for every 2 you kick out extra in the summer you get 1 back in winter.
 

Manorboy

Well-Known Forumite
Any electrician can connect a battery, no need to be MCS certified, so could go that route? What inverter do you have?

Mine is still planned for the 26th, but I keep playing with the spreadsheets trying to see if there is a better solution. If I can stay on an EV tariff the panels are almost pointless as I'd be paying so little to charge batteries anyway, but if kicked off the tariff (no EV) then the batteries on their own are pointless too! The 15p outgoing does make extra panels make more sense again though, almost a 2 for 1 for every 2 you kick out extra in the summer you get 1 back in winter.
Hi
I hope this makes sense
SOLIS - Ningbo Ginlong Technologies 3.600 kW Total Inverter Rating
1 x Solis-1P3.6K-4G-US [240V]
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Hi
I hope this makes sense
SOLIS - Ningbo Ginlong Technologies 3.600 kW Total Inverter Rating
1 x Solis-1P3.6K-4G-US [240V]
Yup, thats a standard inverter rather than a hybrid (as expected) so you can't just add a battery as such because it has no battery controls. Therefore you have 2 options:

1) Replace with a hybrid inverter that charges batteries as well
2) Have an AC coupled battery setup

How old is the setup?
 

Manorboy

Well-Known Forumite
Yup, thats a standard inverter rather than a hybrid (as expected) so you can't just add a battery as such because it has no battery controls. Therefore you have 2 options:

1) Replace with a hybrid inverter that charges batteries as well
2) Have an AC coupled battery setup

How old is the setup?
Hi installed July 26th 2022
 
Top