Solar for Beginners [ask your questions here]

Perhaps not strictly a solar quoting but trying to understand how my heat pump generally works in a normal setup (new build 4bed semid).

I am a bit confused as to how it manages the two tasks it does, heating the water tank for showers etc and heating water for radiators.

Are these two different water sources

I understand it heats the water for showers to 50deg 6 days a week and to 60 on a Saturday night. This avails of the night rate on my d/n meter.

But what is it doing when I see the fan spinning during the day. Is it topping up the water tank or heading the water for radiators? I presume this water is just circulating and separate to a tank.

Should I be setting my heading to boost a bit before the day rate comes in to take advantage of night rate?

Is it worthwhile installing 4 panels over the roof of my utility room and extending it over the patio area adjacent to it, I'd need wall brackets to make that part like a canopy.

Noticed something strange today, ive a 4.4 split system, east 4/west 6, its relatively overcast today and wasnt expecting to generate much but ive seen these massive spikes which don't make sense to me.

My entire system is 4.4 but due to the split i don't ever expect to max that out, and especially not on an overcast day like today so what is going on with these spikes? Comparing it to yesterday which was uninterrupted all day sun and i never came close to hitting interval numbers like the spikes ive seen today

Is this normal or is there something i need to get checked out?

Perhaps I can clarify where I am coming from. I am trying to understand how much energy my Air to Water uses over the day rate hours. I know all the water heating is done at night.

Hi Guys,

I have a solar install scheduled for 3 weeks time. 8 panels, maybe 11 if they can fit. We have day/night rates (28c & 14c) and we have an EV which we charge at night.

I have a battery listed as part of the install. I do get how a battery would be beneficial - charge at night for use during the day, and the solar will also top it up during the day if its been used, to again save on day rates. However, I'm just trying to wrap my head around how its still a good idea, given how expensive it is (€2100). If it was €600ish, I'd get it, but it looks like you're talking around 8 years at least to pay back the battery. I'm kinda thinking the technology and/or price is bound to improve in the coming 2 or 3 years, and that if I get a battery now I might regret it. Whilst I'm getting the solar for the long term savings - it is a little tight affording it all now. I'm kinda thinking I'll get my install "battery-ready", so I can get one put in at a later stage. Am I looking at this wrong? Is it a clear-cut obvious choice to get a battery? I really do feel €2100 is just too much for a 5Kw storage

Thanks in advance

We have a ground-mounted 4kWp solar array that went in over 8 years ago, made up of 14 panels. For a while now, I've been toying with buying some used solar panels so as to expand that existing array and as it happens, I'm also now planning to install a canopy above a patio measuring approximately 7.5m x 2.4m which is less than 2m from the array. So it seems to make sense to use these second-hand panels as the roof of the canopy (which would run in a direct east-west direction, meaning the panels can face directly south). To keep it wind-proof, it would be on a frame using box-section set onto concrete to a depth of 60cm below ground. The cost of the panels I'm looking at is actually cheaper per sq metre than even the most basic corrugated tin, let alone any polycarbonate etc, so even if I didn't wire it up at all, it would still make financial sense to make the canopy from these panels. They all measure 1.6m x 1m.

To cover the patio with a slight overhang on all sides, one option is to have a basic sloped roof oriented to tilt to the south, made up of 8 pairs of panels set for a total roof area measuring 3.2m x 8m (allowing for the tilt, it would cover a horizontal area of 3.14m x 8m). Given that this is for a canopy whose lowest end will be some 1.85m above the ground, I think it's not really practical to have the upper end any higher than 2.5m from the ground in total, so that the edge on the northern side would be about 60cm higher than the lower edge. However, this would mean the panels being set at an angle of only about 12 degrees from horizontal, and while this means all panels will get the same amount of light at all times, I can see two main drawbacks to that.

Firstly, there's the reduced efficiency when panels are set so close to the horizontal (12 degrees). That said, I'm not sure how much of a factor that will be when I'm adding more than 100% to my existing array.

Secondly, there are weather conditions to consider, especially in winter - I don't know if 12 degrees is enough of a slope for the panels to "self-clean" when it rains, plus there would usually be 2 or 3 days in winter when there could be snow lying on them. I don't think that would create an issue in terms of the weight, but I'd like to be sure. So I've two questions about all that.

First, is there any easy-to-use calculator that can help me estimate the percentage of lost efficiency for a given angle of pitch at this latitude? In other words, if panels should be set at 50 degrees to have the maximum efficiency in winter, are they e.g. 75% as efficient when set at 15 degrees, or something like that?

Second, can anyone advise me / point me towards where I can get an idea of how steeply an array needs to be angled so as to allow them to self-clean in the rain - and also, an idea of the load-bearing capacity for your average panel?!

My head's getting a bit melted, so feedback from more knowledgeable folk than me is very welcome!

The supplier we used (based in Sligo) also fitted EV chargers, I'd say a good few do

Afternoon folks.

Question about running a 6mm sq SWA cable between house and shed. My array will be max of 4kW (Inverter is a dual MPPT Solis 4kW) and installed on the garage roof and on the front wall. Array 1= Roof is ~20 degrees. Array 2 = Wall, 90 degrees. I will get my electrician to install a mini consumer unit in garage. An isolator switch for the board and also one 6A MCB for led lights, one for sockets (13A max, small work tools etc) and one for Inverter.

My question is, is it just a 3 core cable to connect the garage to the house CU? Not a 5 Core etc? For example, the inverter MCB DOES NOT need to connecting to the house CU and then the House CU connections to the Garage Board separately using the other cores in the 5 core cable?

Is the attached diagram correct?

Note, no fireman's switch in garage as its 30M from house. Data cables will be ran also. Will need to get creative with the Inverter Clamp connection between shed and ESB Meter Tails. I have already an Eddi, Zappi and Harvi in operation.

Thanks in advance.

Just noticed a dodgy solar-related ad on this site. Boards is gone to shite and there's now no way to report an ad, so I thought I'd post in this thread. Let me know if there's somewhere better to post.

The ad was by a crowd called "Mygreengenius" and has a headline of "Irish gov is offering solar grants (if you live in these eircodes)," which was odd because obviously the grants are nationwide and outside of Dublin, that's not how eircodes work. I clicked through, and was offered 800+ cookies from their partners. Rejected those, poked around a bit, and it turns out to be a UK marketing company that's just after your eircode, and the fact that you're interested in solar. Avoid, or you'll be added to many spam lists!

I have installed vertical panels, not on a wall, but as a wall. Yet to finish connecting it all up but should be good for the winter months. It looks fine to me.

You will almost certainly need another inverter.

Hi folks,

been quoted €7,500 for 9 440w panel 3.1kw system each with an optimiser, solar edge hybrid invertor (battery ready), solar edge hotwater controller, 4 pole fireman switch. No battery yet and no EV point yet. Installer is one from the sticky list here.

Swords, Dublin

Who did you get that quote from, if you don't mind me asking?

Puredrive were bought or have some agreement with Duracell. So Google reviews and feedback from Puredive or Puredrive 2 solar batteries.