solar panels

duckie360

Hi guys, has anybody had solar panels installed and how do you find them, and who installed them etc? Any info on hot water panels and electric panels would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

AstraMonti

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2055868850/1

wattmoodge

duckie360 wrote: »

Hi guys, has anybody had solar panels installed and how do you find them, and who installed them etc? Any info on hot water panels and electric panels would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

Hi
I noticed your thread and just wanted to let you know my experience. I installed a PV array (4kw) around 18 months ago to my residence near Athlone and can recommend it. I have slashed my electricity costs ever since and although it no longer possible to feed excess energy into the grid I have benefited in day to day running costs to the house. I was initially going to install a water heating only system but decided instead to install a solar tank with a 3kw element. The solar panels for 8 months of the year divert excess electricity to heat the water for free. With the water heating only option, once the water is heated then the system stops. With PV that is not the case. If the house is occupied during the day as mine is , then washing machines,dishwashers ect can be used incurring no electricity costs when the sun shines. Of course the system needs carefull design and research early on to ensure it can pay back the outlay as quick as possible.

freddyuk

wattmoodge wrote: »

Hi
I noticed your thread and just wanted to let you know my experience. I installed a PV array (4kw) around 18 months ago to my residence near Athlone and can recommend it. I have slashed my electricity costs ever since and although it no longer possible to feed excess energy into the grid I have benefited in day to day running costs to the house. I was initially going to install a water heating only system but decided instead to install a solar tank with a 3kw element. The solar panels for 8 months of the year divert excess electricity to heat the water for free. With the water heating only option, once the water is heated then the system stops. With PV that is not the case. If the house is occupied during the day as mine is , then washing machines,dishwashers ect can be used incurring no electricity costs when the sun shines. Of course the system needs careful design and research early on to ensure it can pay back the outlay as quick as possible.

Just to clarify for those who may consider this; you can still export excess PV generation to the grid but you may not get paid for it.
As you may not get paid then using any excess on site makes sense as you have already paid to generate it. Careful on site management ensures the system is feeding the loads when free power is available. You cannot just wait until the sun shines and switch everything on as everything in excess of the solar "net" will be imported at 18c per unit. So appliances need to be staggered in usage to maximise fee power available. A washing machine needs a 2 hour cycle and if the sun goes in then power will be imported. If you have solar heated water and a washing machine that takes a hot inlet (most do not) then you are using free hot water and free power only where it is available BUT the overall energy usage is greatly reduced. The more you manage it the more you can save.
Dishwashers do not work with hot inlet (I have tried) so washing up in the sink is the best option. Also get rid of the electric oven and use gas.

wattmoodge

freddyuk wrote: »

Just to clarify for those who may consider this; you can still export excess PV generation to the grid but you may not get paid for it.
As you may not get paid then using any excess on site makes sense as you have already paid to generate it. Careful on site management ensures the system is feeding the loads when free power is available. You cannot just wait until the sun shines and switch everything on as everything in excess of the solar "net" will be imported at 18c per unit. So appliances need to be staggered in usage to maximise fee power available. A washing machine needs a 2 hour cycle and if the sun goes in then power will be imported. If you have solar heated water and a washing machine that takes a hot inlet (most do not) then you are using free hot water and free power only where it is available BUT the overall energy usage is greatly reduced. The more you manage it the more you can save.
Dishwashers do not work with hot inlet (I have tried) so washing up in the sink is the best option. Also get rid of the electric oven and use gas.

The above is true. Energy usage and therefore costs, to the house are down to how you manage your free electricity. The thing to remember is an array can contribute to the overall energy used. In Ireland the Sun does not shine constantly. On a lot of occasions on cloudy days I may only have an output of say 1.1 kw.In that case if a kettle was switched on drawing 3 kws then the grid would supply 1.9kws with the array supplying the 1.1 I mentioned earlier. In winter it unlikely any energy from the PV panels will be lost to the grid. This month for example, I have only generated 33 units via my 4kw array but I can be certain I have used them all. ( Dec 12th 2014)
As you said there is no point in switching everything on when the Sun does shine as you may well exceed the systems generated output at that time. I have fitted a device called an Eco Eye PV monitor to my set up. This tells me how much power is being generated and how much power I am using. It also warns me if energy is being " stolen " by the utility company. That I certainly do not want as I can't take out a criminal prosecution against them as they can against me if I do the same. On a summer day I usually sit around 3kw with the majority heating water and the house using the rest. If you have a big enough water vessel ( mine is 290 LTS) then very few units will be fed to the grid. I generate 3800 units a year and divert around 1500 a year to the water heater. I like to think I export less than 100 to the grid.

ted1

wattmoodge wrote: »

Hi
I noticed your thread and just wanted to let you know my experience. I installed a PV array (4kw) around 18 months ago to my residence near Athlone and can recommend it. I have slashed my electricity costs ever since and although it no longer possible to feed excess energy into the grid I have benefited in day to day running costs to the house. I was initially going to install a water heating only system but decided instead to install a solar tank with a 3kw element. The solar panels for 8 months of the year divert excess electricity to heat the water for free. With the water heating only option, once the water is heated then the system stops. With PV that is not the case. If the house is occupied during the day as mine is , then washing machines,dishwashers ect can be used incurring no electricity costs when the sun shines. Of course the system needs carefull design and research early on to ensure it can pay back the outlay as quick as possible.

You slashed your bill in half because you spent many multiples of your bill on a system. I'd love to see 12 months worth if data.

K.Flyer

wattmoodge wrote: »

...
I installed a PV array (4kw) around 18 months ago to my residence near Athlone and can recommend it. I have slashed my electricity costs ever since and although it no longer possible to feed excess energy into the grid I have benefited in day to day running costs to the house.

Out of curiosity how long do you believe it will take to recover your installation investment?
What is the life expectancy and costings of the consumables with your system e.g. batteries.?
Do you know your actual (or forcast of) percentage savings when maintenance is factored in?
Tnx

freddyuk

wattmoodge wrote: »

The above is true. Energy usage and therefore costs, to the house are down to how you manage your free electricity. The thing to remember is an array can contribute to the overall energy used. In Ireland the Sun does not shine constantly. On a lot of occasions on cloudy days I may only have an output of say 1.1 kw.In that case if a kettle was switched on drawing 3 kws then the grid would supply 1.9kws with the array supplying the 1.1 I mentioned earlier. In winter it unlikely any energy from the PV panels will be lost to the grid. This month for example, I have only generated 33 units via my 4kw array but I can be certain I have used them all. ( Dec 12th 2014)
As you said there is no point in switching everything on when the Sun does shine as you may well exceed the systems generated output at that time. I have fitted a device called an Eco Eye PV monitor to my set up. This tells me how much power is being generated and how much power I am using. It also warns me if energy is being " stolen " by the utility company. That I certainly do not want as I can't take out a criminal prosecution against them as they can against me if I do the same. On a summer day I usually sit around 3kw with the majority heating water and the house using the rest. If you have a big enough water vessel ( mine is 290 LTS) then very few units will be fed to the grid. I generate 3800 units a year and divert around 1500 a year to the water heater. I like to think I export less than 100 to the grid.

Go to your smart meter and scroll through to the "export" number. There you will find your exported generation.

wattmoodge

K.Flyer wrote: »

Out of curiosity how long do you believe it will take to recover your installation investment?
What is the life expectancy and costings of the consumables with your system e.g. batteries.?
Do you know your actual (or forcast of) percentage savings when maintenance is factored in?
Tnx

Hi
I believe it will take around 6 years to re coupe my investment. As for consumables essentially there are virtually none. A well designed and fitted system should last 20 plus years. I don't use batteries to store my generated electricity although maybe in the future I will but right now they are too expensive. I generate energy and use it immediately.
Maintence consists of keeping the panels clean and checking insulation readings and short circuit current values on a regular basis.These are straight forward procedures with the correct test gear. I suppose around 2 hours checking the system each year would highlight any reliability issues. I know what to expect most days with regards to units generated. Fairly close monitoring by the householder is important. All grid tied inverters display relevant information in this respect.
I was paying around 2000 EU a year before the array was fitted whereas now I paying around 1200 EU. Of course the savings are totally dependent on the way the energy is used. If the majority of the units generated are allowed to be lost to the grid there would be little point in fitting an array.

wattmoodge

ted1 wrote: »

You slashed your bill in half because you spent many multiples of your bill on a system. I'd love to see 12 months worth if data.

If you go to saundersonsolar. ie you will see my data

myshirt

What price per mw were you getting when you were feeding electricity back to the grid?

K.Flyer

How much did it cost to have your 4kw system fitted and how much physical space does it require.

wattmoodge

a 4kw array takes around 24sq mts approx. As a cost around 5800 euros roughly depending on the roof construction.

Greenman

wattmoodge wrote: »

If you go to saundersonsolar. ie you will see my data

I'm in Belgium, it seems if you say generate 6000 kwh over the year you get back the power excess you produced in the good times to use it later at night and bad weather. Lets hope that stays the case.


I'm interested in a free standing system in the garden as I have a clear view to the south ground mounted means easy access to clean and and maintain. A tracking install would be the icing.


I use about 5000 kwh per year with a 6 year payback