Which are the good brands of kit, and which should we avoid?

Louche Lad

Hope it's OK to ask this sort of question...

In quotes I've received, installers mention various brands for pieces of kit they could use. But I've no idea which are better. So there's Renac and Alpha for inverters, various brands for panels, and so on. Yes, I could painfully hunt down reviews for, what, 20-odd brands/companies, but I wouldn't know which reviews to trust and so on.

Any advice? Is there somewhere else I should ask?

idc

Only one Irish installer sells Alpha. (and possibly they also are the only installer selling Renac as have not seen anyone else selling it!)

There are plenty of other inverter brands - Solis, Huawei, GivEnergy, Solax, Sonnen. (probably missing others) Some brands are sold by lots and lots of installers others like Alpha only have a single Irish installer. The quotes thread does occasionally have a totally random unknown brand appear occasionally. (brands to avoid tend to be

As for panels there all pretty much the same, yes an installer will likely tell you that Panel X is way better than panel Y. And in general most installers deal in specific panels or a specific distributor. So they might typically install Panel X and Y and a different installer only deals in panels A and B. Yes you might want Panel Z because you read a review saying there are the best panels in the world but then don't be surprised if your installer charges more for them as they need to go elsewhere to buy them (and only a small quantity for your job rather than buying 20 pallets of panel X and Y and get bulk discounts!)

DC999

Inverters to prefer or ignore: None.

Panels to prefer or ignore: None.

And I say that as someone who got analysis paralysis we looking at quotes 18 months ago. I went down rabbit holessssssss and lost time getting it ordered.

Some panels are supposed to work better in low light, some have a 20+ year warranty. None of it matters I learned. Solution to analysis paralysis and comparing 'apples to apples' on quotes? Get 1 extra panel and it will more than make up for any potential efficiency gain between inverters and panels.

That said, if you’re getting a hybrid inverter (for a battery now or in the future), then check the sustained rate the inverter can charge. As we move to short cheap-rate night-time slots on smart meters, the faster you can charge the battery the more you can fit into it. Same for discharge, which is to send power back into the house. Some derate after X mins at the higher rate. So they can charge or discharge at the high output for 15mins, then it drops to a lower amount. Which is fine for short loads like a shower or kettle, but not if you’re running a sustained load like a tumble dryer, immersion, electric rad…

Louche Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121231539#Comment_121231539

Thanks, yes, I too am experiencing analysis paralysis (I've been sitting on all this for three months, time to make a move, especially as I've someone coming this morning to give a quote).

on_the_roots

100% right when mentioning the sustained charge/discharge rates on inverter by @DC999

The storage side of things are much more important in a north positioned country with extremely unstable weather like Ireland/UK then the minimal/none differences between panel brands and models.

Dimensioning a battery with appropriate capacity to your loads (prefer DIY options to significantly reduce costs) + charge/discharge capacities on the inverter + right smart plan is what brings the real savings (if this is what you are focusing on with a PV system).

Remember, for almost half of the year your panels won't produce anything significant but the right storage will play a more important role.

staples7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121231539#Comment_121231539

Interesting thread, im in the same position. have pushed out my install a few times.

My installer has advised this is the only battery type they have in stock (previously has 5.1kwh). In reference to charge, discharge rates any comments on the below? I will look to having an EV rate soon as my smart meter went in last week.

Model Dyness BX48100