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New install on a shed

  • 10-03-2023 5:31pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 11


    I'm getting bleary eyed looking through threads and hope somebody can help. I'm trying to get my head around what we should be doing before getting quotes.

    We have a shed with an unobstructed south facing roof, I had a quick look at daft logic and rounding it down the south facing part would be about 90 square metres. We are in the South East too so all appears to be well suited for solar pv. The shed is a bit away from the dwelling house and has it's own consumer unit/fuse board, could this be used to connect to instead of running new cabling back to the main consumer unit in the house?

    Also my current thinking is to go for a large amount of panels and not bother with batteries, we would be heavier users of electricity during the summer than winter. I could revisit batteries in the future when the tech improves.

    Thanks in advance.



Comments

  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 18,117 Mod ✭✭✭✭slave1


    Yes to connecting to consumer unit in your shed assuming the cable from it to your main consumer unit can handle the voltage.

    If you do have to run the panels back to your house it will be DC so you don't have to worry too much about a drop in voltage.

    I'd just get some companies around, see what they say and get onto the Quotes Tread with say, 3 quotes



  • Registered Users Posts: 301 ✭✭E30M3


    Would there be an issue with the inverter being in the shed and not having viability of the current load etc or would it be necessary to cable back to the CU or Meter Box for CT Clamps if the inverter was wired to the consumer unit in the shed?



  • Registered Users Posts: 496 ✭✭glen123


    I have a similar set up.

    Garage which is 15m from the house and panels on its roof. Garage has its own CU and house its own. The solar people told us to throw a cable and connect garage's CU to the house CU. CT clamp and Harvi sit in the house's meter box and feed the info to Eddi inside the house.

    Got absolutely standard quotes because it was my own responsibility and extra cost to connect garage to the house before they'd do any work. They didn't really have to do anything extra.



  • Registered Users Posts: 92 ✭✭johndoe11


    I just got an 8kw system installed on my shed. Had to run a new 16mm2 cable for the 45m run, installed a new CU as handier than changing over. Just left the old one connected to the water pumps, septic tank etc. Cable should be at least 10mm2 I'd say.

    My system is east/west and I think a battery is essential for that setup.



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 4,933 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    If a hybrid inverter needs the CT extended too, so if putting in a new cable.. put in a few cat 6 cables too.. just in case.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 301 ✭✭E30M3


    If someone had a Hybrid inverter and battery setup already on the dwelling house and wished to add some additional capacity on a shed that is some distance away, with sub board that a smaller inverter in the shed could be linked to fed by 10 mm SWA.

    Would it feasible to add saw an additional 3 kw onto the shed, non hybrid inverter or would that conflict with the running and configuration of the existing house setup?


    Don't mean to hijack thread but thought this scenario might be relevant also.



  • Registered Users Posts: 11 Overleaf


    Thanks, I'm hoping to avoid running new cable it's probably 150m as the crow flies but likely 200m plus if I need to bury it. I'll try get somebody out and see what they say.



  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 4,933 Mod ✭✭✭✭graememk


    That shouldn't be any issue, the hybrid, (well I know solis, sofar, sunsynk) will just capture whatever excess that is going out the the grid and charge batteries with that (up until it's limit).

    It doesn't need any communication.



  • Registered Users Posts: 852 ✭✭✭Mr Q


    Also have 8kW East/West setup, the additional CU is 25m from the house. The cable run is probably about 35 to 40 metres.

    I only have 6mm2 but this is rated at over 40 amps so I have no issues. But would probably go bigger if was doing it again.



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