Solar PV Performance Thread - Post your monthly output

Gazzler82 · 02-10-2021 3:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/115123190#Comment_115123190

Sept21

148.6kwh produced

Best 7th 12.2kwh

worst 5th 1.5kwh

Manic Moran · 04-10-2021 3:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117881292#Comment_117881292

That's interesting, thank you. They are, indeed, totally black panels (REC Alpha Black 360s). And they do, indeed, look "aesthetically pleasing". Doesn't bode well for when we get a really hot summer. That said, they face the front of the house, and I probably would have picked the same regardless.

Had a couple of days towards the end of Sept where generation (blue) exceeded consumption (red), which probably helped the net import lower a bit. 11.5kW system.

bullit_dodger · 05-10-2021 12:10am

Doesn't bode well for when we get a really hot summer.

Time to invest in some more panels :-)

MAULBROOK · 05-10-2021 6:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117977671#Comment_117977671

I think this proves Ireland is a good location for solar, not to hot not to cold.

Manic Moran · 06-10-2021 2:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117977671#Comment_117977671

No more room on the roof, really. Anything facing vaguely South is either tapped out, or would require that trees be cut down. In any case, we generate enough to cover pretty much all our needs for most of the year anyway, it wouldn't make sense for us to add more just for a few months.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980551#Comment_117980551

It may be, but that doesn't necessarily prove it. For me it's the summer months which are the inadequate ones for production to meet consumption due to the massive air conditioning demands. I suspect that the reverse may be true in Ireland, sufficient sun that if one installs what one requires to cover summer needs, the other end of the year might be far less productive in terms of demand/supply ratios.

MAULBROOK · 06-10-2021 2:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117983794#Comment_117983794

Screenshot_20211006-142040_Solis Home.jpg

Thats not to shabby TBF

bullit_dodger · 07-10-2021 12:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117983794#Comment_117983794

Don't know the layout of your house of course, but if summer is your main pain point, and you have any east/west roof space, you'll get ~80% of the south production on those. Slope angles notwithstanding of course. Very feasible to put panels on them. My own in Dublin is an East/west split.

Even north would give "some" production in summer months. Can't say if north would be worthwhile but east/west may actually be helpful in cooling the house early morning/evening time. Have a chat with an installer. They'd run the numbers for you, or one of the websites. Course if you've no east/west roof space......

Manic Moran · 07-10-2021 4:57pm

I can put at least 3kW of panels on the West side (technically WNW), but I don't see the point. It's a lot of excess capacity for most of the year, wasted dollars going to no use which would not earn themselves back by the Summer months only. My install is for economic, not environmental or self sufficiency requirements.

bullit_dodger · 07-10-2021 5:22pm

Yeah, you'd know your numbers better than me. You've an interesting problems there Manic.

Still panels are what $200-300 USD and since you already have all the existing kit (inverters/batteries) you'd only be paying for the panels, and install of course. You may find that your AC consumption rate alone in the summer months would justify the expense and pay for itself. Maybe a 5-6 year payback? Dunno.

You'd have to run the numbers as I don't know your leccie unit rate, the shortage you have on your generation verses consumption, how much you would get out of the NWN panels - but I'd be optimistic even for the summer months, but maybe I'm wrong. I have been before :-)

championc · 07-10-2021 8:23pm

Can we leave this thread for monthly output posts.

There are other discussion focused threads

mp3guy · 11-10-2021 5:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117841604#Comment_117841604

16kWp DC / 11kWp AC: 5.76kWp SSW, 4.48kWp ESE and 5.76kWp WNW all 45 degree pitch in Cork with 18.9kWh battery.

South: 395.92kWh
East/West: 630.65kWh
PV Total: 1026.57kWh
Best Day: 7th (65.45kWh)
Worst Day: 8th (12.92kWh)

Grid Export: 268.63kWh
Grid Import: 147.58kWh
Surplus Energy: 121.05kWh

CO2 Saved: 460.61kg

House/Car/Water Usage: 902.41kWh

Another month of busted myenergi logging.

SouthWesterly · 11-10-2021 9:49pm

I got my first full bill for Aug /Sept/oct

Last year I used 946 units(24 hr rate) This year 627 spit between 291 day /396 night.

Even with a 40% increase in day rates I saved 50euro.

3.24kw facing west

raytaxi · 13-10-2021 3:50pm

Septembers 162.5kW 2.5 system north east facing

Best day 14/9 10kW worst 30/9 2.4Kw

Pieterblurb · 14-10-2021 10:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117983888#Comment_117983888

I am just getting to know the Solis inverter and app, installed 2 days ago. What is the definition of the 'Self Use Rate'?

slave1 · 14-10-2021 11:15am

Self Use Rate, the amount of PV you generate that you use yourself and don't export e.g. you generate 10kW today and use 6kW in the home and export 4kW to the Grid, your Self Use Rate will be 60%

MAULBROOK · 14-10-2021 2:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118018236#Comment_118018236

What slave1 said.

jkforde · 30-10-2021 4:34pm

this is bloody amazing, end of October and hot water is max., 2.4kW battery full and EV fully charged and everything washed! and still exporting surplus! 🤣

.. those with 1+yr experience, can we expect same performance at end of February, or is irradiance generally lower? (isn't there some sort of solar orbit asymmetry?!)

yankinlk · 30-10-2021 5:25pm

Yeah today at 2pm... I had a full battery and 2Kw pouring in from the glorious sunshine. I grabbed the electric chainsaw and put on the washer. i refuse to give anything back to the grid!

MAULBROOK · 30-10-2021 6:56pm

Screenshot_20211030-185556_Solis Home.jpg

What a day.

yankinlk · 30-10-2021 9:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118095227#Comment_118095227

How do u enable all those check marks... I only see power

mp3guy · 31-10-2021 7:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118005529#Comment_118005529

16kWp DC / 11kWp AC: 5.76kWp SSW, 4.48kWp ESE and 5.76kWp WNW all 45 degree pitch in Cork with 18.9kWh battery.

South: 378.68kWh
East/West: 483.13kWh
PV Total: 861.81kWh
Best Day: 1st (54.80kWh)
Worst Day: 27th (1.88kWh)

Grid Export: 248.13kWh
Grid Import: 316.70kWh
Surplus Energy: -68.57kWh

CO2 Saved: 333.79kg

House Usage: 779.39kWh
Car Usage: 99.53kWh
Water Usage: 51.46kWh

Looks like midway through October is when I no longer produce more than I need on a monthly basis. Annually though I'm in the clear, a lot of excess over the Summer.

MAULBROOK · 31-10-2021 9:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117960433#Comment_117960433

Oct Total 338.9kw

Best day 1st 29.6kw

Worst day 27th 1kw

Imported 158.8kw (nearly all on night rate)

Exported 60.6kw

Consumed 441.2kw

Water diverter 59.3kw

MAULBROOK · 31-10-2021 9:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118095787#Comment_118095787

no clue, its just on the app I have.

Jonathan · 31-10-2021 9:51pm

4.78kWp array facing south, Dublin.

Total generation 313kWh

Best day 21.2kWh (1st Oct)

Worst day 2kWh (27th Oct)

okmqaz42 · 01-11-2021 8:15am

2.76kw on a south facing roof. My first whole month. Need to get used to trying to use the oven in the middle of the day!

John.G · 01-11-2021 8:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117967592#Comment_117967592

Interesting, I have a very modest solar thermal install (2XF.Plate) which has performed just as expected over the past 11 years, the system measures its daily&summated output in kwh and I take the daily radiation from Met eireann to calculate its efficiency.

Does the following calc seem reasonable?.

you have 3KWp so this gives a area panel area of 15M2 (assuming 5M2/kw)

September total solar radiation for Cork, was 84.74Kwh so total absorbed kwh, 15*84.74, 1271kwh. Produced 148.6kwh, panel efficiency, 148.6/1272, 11.7%.

For anyone interested I get the info here from yesterdays weather (Met Eireann), multiply the Global radiation X 0.002777 to convert J/CM2 to kwh/M2.

https://www.met.ie/latest-reports/observations/yesterday