Solar Ground Structures

poker--addict

Hi,

I am seeing an increasing number of people getting ground based panels, or pergola/lean to/car port type setups.

Presumably these structure costs run into the thousands?

Even many small ground mounts have proud owners advertising the 13 million tonnes of concrete they have it bolted onto.

Is there anyone actually making an investment here or are they all being fleeced and incurring a huge cost which might return in 20 years if energy prices keep going north?

im happy with my 8kw setup (roof) for now but if there was cost effective ground based options in time I'd line some of garden.

the_amazing_raisin

Are you talking about small ground mounted systems for a house, or large solar farms that feed into the grid?

From what I've seen the folks getting smaller ground mounted arrays are doing a DIY project. There's one boards member who got a bunch of old wooden telephone poles for €20 each and built it out of that, getting a comparatively cheap PV system

For the larger projects, there was a thread about this on the farming and forestry forum, it looks like solar companies will pay land owners around €1,500 per acre per year to lease the land for PV panels

I pointed out that's a pretty crap share of the pie for the farmer as it works out to something like 0.3c/kWh for per year, whereas the solar company is probably getting 100x that amount on the wholesale market

But it's also pretty easy money, and there's some possibilities to use the land for sheep grazing as well AFAIK (I am from Dublin and therefore know nothing about farms 😂)

SteelyDanJalapeno

I'm finishing up a DIY ground mount install for myself, should be about 8,000 euro once I'm done, using unistrut for the frame, 6.4kwh array with an Eddi and Zappi

SteelyDanJalapeno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553119#Comment_120553119

must update my diy thread with details

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553035#Comment_120553035

If it's 1500 per acre (not hectare, 2.471 acres in a hectare) it's more than you could ever get farming it.

An easy one to count, if it was good tillage land, grow barley, get 3.5t / acre from it

Last year feed barley was quoted at €302/t which is "high" but fertilizer costs last year were brutal.

That's just over 1000/acre.

We small bale the straw say 250/ac at 2.50. 600ish. And that's on our small scale where we have neighbours buying it from us.

Take away ploughing, planting, spraying, fertilizer, harvesting and baling costs.

1500/ac would be very tempting. And that's all you have to care about. And if built right you could even graze sheep on it to keep the grass under control.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553300#Comment_120553300

Here's the thread, looks like last year some companies were offering €1,500-€1,800, not sure if that's still the case

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058294339/solar-panels-get-1-000-acre-so-what-s-the-catch

It looks like scale is an issue, the arrays are sized to fit into the local substation so they don't have to pay for a major infrastructure upgrade

NattyO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553139#Comment_120553139

That's a really neat job, was thinking about doing an array with unistrut myself. Would be interested in seeing the details, especially the costs if you are sharing.

SteelyDanJalapeno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553421#Comment_120553421

Yeah I'll do a detailed post when I'm finished, my prices were ex vat, but roughly about 500-600 on unistrut and 200-300 on material for concrete, finally another 300 on rental for a mini digger and cement mixer

Mr Q

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120554061#Comment_120554061

If those are your mounting costs, is the 8k total cost correct? 6.8k for 6.4kW solar, Eddi and Zappi seems on the high side if you are doing it all DIY.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120555212#Comment_120555212

Sounds about right to me with today's prices 😬

SteelyDanJalapeno

Ballpark, but yeah it's not far off, closer to 7.5k once finished

16 panels x 160 euro = 2,560

5k Huawei hybrid inverter = 919

Zappi = 750

Eddi = 405

Unistrut = 600

50 metres of 6mm 5core ac = 300

50m ducting = 150

Concrete = 300

Machine hire = 300

Panel rails = 325

Projoy, ct clamps, connectors, mid clamps, end clamps, isolators = 300-400

That has me at about 7k, and I need to pay a sparky to connect to the fuse box, so a few hundred there,

Old Jim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120556790#Comment_120556790

You mention "50 metres of 6mm 5core ac = 300"

Is this from the inverter to your fuse board if this is AC?

What cable did you use to connect from your array to your inverter on the DC side? SWA, Ducts or both?

SteelyDanJalapeno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120557829#Comment_120557829

Yep, 4sq mm DC solar csble to the inverter, 2 strings.

About 40-50m to the house then of AC armoured and buried in ESB ducting

Old Jim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120557870#Comment_120557870

Your inverter must be beside your panels so? My inverter is 40m away so trying to figure out what size cable I need. Separate cable per string or can I use a 5 core cable and put the two strings on the one cable.

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120558262#Comment_120558262

Mine is 50odd meters away on a 6mm2 5 core swa, but it's clipped to one of the purlings on the roof of the shed.

Mr Q

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120556790#Comment_120556790

If you are getting an electrician to do the AC are you claiming the 600 grant for the charger? Unlike the solar grant you can do this, or could last year anyway.

SteelyDanJalapeno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120558262#Comment_120558262

Yep inverter will be mounted to one of the legs of our frame,

Not an expert but you might need 2 DC cables until you get to the inverter, 6mm probably makes sense.

SteelyDanJalapeno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120558656#Comment_120558656

Maybe yeah, I got the Zappi ex vat already at about 700, so that will nearly make it free

Mr Q

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120559182#Comment_120559182

Worth a try anyway, won't cost anything to send in the documents.

poker--addict

my question was more about the solar structure some people have posted on Facebook. Like car ports or pergola sort of things....

DIY certainly sounds like it can be a good investment, but the companies flogging the bigger heavier structures....seems people are being sold a debt?

jasgrif11

For those that have inverter far away from the ground mounted panels, did you install a DC isolator near the panels, near the inverter or add one at each location?

slave1

Near the inverter for me

Big Lar

Have isolator at each string beside the panels

irishchris

Fitted my isolators for each string at the panels. Went this route that in the unlikely and very rare time that there could be an issue/fire I'd rather have the power cut off outside than still have live dc coming in

SteelyDanJalapeno

Outside near the inverter near the panels, less cable length

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120553139#Comment_120553139

Can you link to the thread? Interested