Solar PV Hints, Tips & Troubleshooting

garo

To start with you ooonly need one CT clamp at the house main load. The eddi will check if you are exporting and divert to the immersion. If you are not exporting it will do nothing. Save yourself the money unless you want to use the Eddi for monitoring everything.

You inverter is likely to have its own monitoring solution which will probably be better than the myenergi app.

AndyBoBandy

Install is taking place next week...

What can I do to make their job easier? Will they require access into the attic presses (attic is converted) to run the wiring internally back to the inverter? (panels will be going on 3 different aspects. - The attic presses are all fairly full, so if i needed to empty them to allow good access, I'd prefer to do it before they arrive to make their life a little easier.

Also, How strict are the 1m x 1m requirements for placing the inverter & battery? When I had the attic converted, I wanted maximum room area, so the side presses aren't exactly huge... there's plenty of space, but not enough for a 1m square.. I have about 1.2m in height, but as the roof tapers down, I wouldn't have 1m outwards.. Though just thinking about it now, the roof does have a dormer type feature, which would give me the 1m by 1m space, though it's a bit back from the door into the space...

slave1

Re space...as part of the Grant submission the installers need to take a rake of actual install photos, during installation and finalised too, SEAI are very strict on this and it will delay the grant process if photos are missing or placement not to their liking, they will come back with queries once and onus on you/installer to provide via the SEAI portal you are emailed.

Re making their life easier, this is their life, they are used to it, you might want to be on hand to clear some stuff out of the way but that's about it

AndyBoBandy

I'd still like to spend a few hours up there getting set up for the install.

If they arrive and see a well prepped area that helps them, it can only have a positive effect on the overall install. I know that's how I'd feel about it.

THE ALM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118018451#Comment_118018451

😄😄 I am the same. Spent an hour in the attic moving boxes and clearing the wall where I hope the equipment will be going, even swept the floor and wall of all cobwebs etc.

I will probably run a cable from where the consumer unit is to the install location as all the attic isn't floored and I have a narrow walkway over the beams that I am used to going over.

I assume a 6mm2 would be the standard for install?

MAULBROOK

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118018451#Comment_118018451

Fair play you where raised well, a little bit of respect goes a long way.

Our installation was done at the height of summer and we made sure a good supply of near frozen water and other drinks. They where given full access to the kitchen and like the installation , everything was left spotless.

Just one more thing to EVERYONE. LEAVE THE LADS ALONE AND STAY OUT OF THEIR WAY.

slave1

Tea, don't forget the tea and bikkies

47akak

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/116082540#Comment_116082540

Can anyone expand on this? Why is an AC coupled battery inverter preferable and why are people disillusioned with the hybrid battery setup?

Thanks.

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118029629#Comment_118029629

Interesting question and timely.

I was talking to the SAAS owner this morning talking about batteries and he said this same thing. Don't bother with a hybrid inverter

slave1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118029629#Comment_118029629

Financials.

Hybrid inverter about twice the price of ordinary inverter, say, €600.

2.4kWh Pylontech battery, say €900

Take the grant of €600 off any you are still looking at guts of a grand for a 2.2kWh usable battery, that’s just financially insane.

bullit_dodger

Yeah - I'd echo that from slave, financials are dubious on the smaller batteries. Unless you go DIY - in which case you probably wouldn't be messing about with 2.4Kwhr and you'd (probably) build ~10Kwhr

Although I'll add a caveat that with the larger batteries you do get an "economies of scale". Your inverter is the same price for a 2.4Kwhr battery as it is for a 10Kwhr battery. The packs themselves don't normally increase linearly, so (and this is VERY dependent on if you can consume the storage) your bigger battery tend to payback quicker. Think circa 8-10 years - could be longer if you don't consume every unit, every day !

Smallish battery though......nah.

garo

Remember you get a 1200 additional grant not 600. 600 for the battery and 600 for the additional 2kW. Non-battery installs only get 900 each for the first 2 kW. Back when i got my install a battery got you an additional 2400 in grant (1000 + 2x700).

The advantage of a hybrid is space - you don't need two inverters. But another disadvantage is the batteries need to be close to the PV inverter. With separate battery and PV inverters you can have the batteries in a different physical location to the PV inverter.

championc

It should also be noted that with a separate storage inverter, you can power a Zappi or Eddi before charging the batteries. You have no control over battery charging on a hybrid inverter. You the separate storage inverter also allows for it's discharge rate to be in addition to the PV Inverter.

slave1

With a hybrid you are maxed at it's power too (AFAIK) so for example, a lovely sunny day and the electric shower goes on, the max a hybrid inverter can provide is 6kW (regardless of sun PV or battery) whereas with a separate battery controller you have the 6kW from the sun plus 3kW+ from the battery (assuming full sun and batteries charged)

AndyBoBandy

Are you allowed have 3 different roof aspects with panels and still get the grant?

championc

And of course, you can upgrade a standalone PV Inverter for another with more capacity, while not losing the investment in the storage inverter. So the separates route is perfect for anyone who goes with SaaS and who might still be paying for it monthly, to keep that warranty. A storage inverter doesn't have to be linked in any way to the PV Inverter other than to measure it's output.

idc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118035924#Comment_118035924

My hybrid inverter manufacturer has released their own EV charger that can tell the inverter to not fill the battery and instead send PV to car charger first. Only have german translated documentation so far, so not sure exactly how good it is, but it does allow for PV to go directly to car before filling the hybrid battery. I'm surprised other Inverter manufactures have not done the same?

AndyBoBandy

All 17 panels went up today, delighted with the work the lads did. Most wiring in the attic looks to be done, and done very neatly. Just need the final connecting to the Inverter.

Eddi also went in, along with a Harvi & a Hub.

final wiring to take place tomorrow as well as install the battery, and I should be up and running.

Can’t believe the lads managed to get 5.78kW of panels on the roof!!

surprised how little the house was consuming during the afternoon while we were both still working.. 300-400W. The spike at 6pm is boiling a kettle.. Gives me hope that even in winter, 500-600W of generation could see us through chunks of the working day…

embraer170

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118044252#Comment_118044252

Where did you put the battery and inverter?

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118045061#Comment_118045061

Battery is not installed yet, but it’ll be going into the attic press beside the inverter.

SouthWesterly

OK guys. I'm trying to get my head around expanding my pv.

I got 3.24kw facing west with the SAAS crowd. I'm happy /not happy(delete as appropriate).

I was to expand and have a 4 acre field out the back.

I can put a ground mount south facing.

I'm thinking of 4kw.

I know the max inverter is 6kw and plan on getting one just in case I expand.

My reading says not to get a hybrid inverter. To get a standard one and then if I want add a solar inverter and BATTERY which I can put inside the shed or wherever

Talking to SAAS owner at the weekend. He suggested putting the inverter under the panels in an electrical cabinet. Gives a short DC cable run and then I can run the AC to the fuse board and have a spark connect it all up.

Unkel says the max combined inverter and storage inverter can be 6kw officially. I get that export is maxed at 6kw but since I've already a 3.24kw inverter I assume this second combination is limited to 3kw.

What happens if I get ala 6kw inverter plus storage inverter?

What's recommended?

Do I want an extra 4kw of pv or will 3kw be fine?

Sometimes It would be nice to sit down over a coffee to thrash these things out☕😁

Am I on the right track or have I got it all wrong.

AndyBoBandy

Im generating!!!!!!!!!! :-D

of course it’s miserable, overcast and pissing rain!!! But I’m generating something!!!!!

THE ALM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046627#Comment_118046627

great job, hopefully ours will be going in soon, will have o give them a shout to get an update.

Scoopsire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118044252#Comment_118044252

I take it you split it across 3 aspects, correct? Looking at your roof its similar to mine but I have a chimney in the middle of my gable hip roof so I think I will struggle to get more than 4 panels on that side - which makes hitting the 4kW mark difficult

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046765#Comment_118046765

My chimney is on the same end gable, but closer to the front of the house..... and they have 7 panels up....

As someone said previously, the Enniskillen lads will find the space...

I was quoted 14 panels, and in reality expected maybe to get 10-12 up there, so was blown away to get 17 installed!!

Scoopsire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118046868#Comment_118046868

Good to hear what's the final price coming in at do you mind me asking? also is there much of a jump in terms of BER? I'm at D1 266.32 kWh/m2/yr but have done a few bits to the house since I move in changed all the halogens (and there was a lot!) to LED new cylinder, nest for the heating though still pretty basic in terms of what it can do as the plumbing setup is poor

AndyBoBandy

The lads are still here, so not sure what the final price will be...

I'm currently at 3 panels above the quote, and 11 optimisers added (none were quoted for, though I was fully aware that some would be needed).

When I bought the house it was a C3 (but I'd guess a C2/C1 now after new composite front door, new insulated water cylinder, LED lights everywhere, attic conversion/insulation, Nest thermostat....), so I'd be delighted if the Solar PV brought me into B3 territory!!

AndyBoBandy

We seem to be teething at the moment..

this is without the battery plugged in, which looks fairly normal;

But then with the battery plugged in;

I’m guessing it’s just something connected up incorrectly? Perhaps an incorrectly placed CT clamp?

DrPhilG

CT clamp positioning for myenergi tends to befuddle quite a few installers to be honest. Including yours initially. But I've seen quite a few folk on here who had to get their installer to rejig things on the CT front.

He came back a few days after my install and called myenergi support while he was there to get everything sorted.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118047255#Comment_118047255

yeah, the lad went down and fiddled a few bits, and we are all sorted now.... Happy Fcuking Days...

House is currently running 100% on Solar PV.