Domestic solar PV quotes 2018

Northumberland · 15-11-2019 1:19pm

Mr Q wrote: »

Do you still have this installed Coltrane? There is a software update on the NIBE website dated yesterday for the VVM unit. It mentions changes to the EME unit several times including one about how the power is regulated. Might be worth updating to this if you have not already and see if you notice any improvement.

I still have my EME accessory on a NIBE heatpump supposedly increasing hot water storage temperature when plenty of sun. After making various protests, including calls to NIBE in Sweden, UNIPIPE Dublin came to my place a week ago, updated the software - but it seems from your post there is now more recent software, and checked the system - it finally started working, at least giving a reading of current and power being detected in the cable. But now it seems that the power sensor must be around the wrong cable coming from my Solis Ginlong hybrid inverter, because the NIBE thinks the sun is shining when the battery is discharging etc etc. So, still far from happy with it, and actually disconnected the EME solar power detection device for the time being, I sensed a danger that it would be boosting hot water when there was no sun at all.

air · 15-11-2019 3:52pm

You could try turning around the CT clamp that is sensing the inverter output (assuming you can do so safely) and it may work.

Coltrane · 15-11-2019 11:02pm

Mr Q wrote: »

Do you still have this installed Coltrane? There is a software update on the NIBE website dated yesterday for the VVM unit. It mentions changes to the EME unit several times including one about how the power is regulated. Might be worth updating to this if you have not already and see if you notice any improvement.

Well spotted! I’ll check it out, thanks. Though, I don’t see much solar-surplus these weeks...only 1.8kWh exported this month-to-date.

...not seeing this content myself in yesterday's firmware (9085R5). There were previous updates related to the EME and these are incorporated into the same update-doc, a few pages down, kinda confusingly...I’ve long since installed those and they don’t fix the issue...

...you had me excited there for a moment - Friday nights aren't what they used to be...

...or the update that you're seeing may not be available to my kit (VVM320, 2040 12kW)

...my system shows the current from the PV alright, just doesn't use any of it!

Mr Q · 16-11-2019 12:23am

Coltrane wrote: »

Well spotted! I’ll check it out, thanks. Though, I don’t see much solar-surplus these weeks...only 1.8kWh exported this month-to-date.

...not seeing this content myself in yesterday's firmware (9085R5). There were previous updates related to the EME and these are incorporated into the same update-doc, a few pages down, kinda confusingly...I’ve long since installed those and they don’t fix the issue...

...you had me excited there for a moment - Friday nights aren't what they used to be...

...or the update that you're seeing may not be available to my kit (VVM320, 2040 12kW)

...my system shows the current from the PV alright, just doesn't use any of it!

Ah that is a shame then, I thought they might have eventually got these units working. There are some changes related to the EME20 made this year too but I don't think many will have these units fitted. I've not fitted either but would if they got them working properly.

I see what you mean about the layout of the document, missed the dates relating to previous changes.

easypazz · 21-11-2019 4:23pm

In terms of longevity how good are these systems?

Will the battery hold charge as good in year 5 as year 1?

Will the panels generate as much power in year 5 as year 1?

Also I assume a 5kW of panels will charge a 5kWH battery in 1 hour, assuming full load and no losses.

Thanks.

KCross · 21-11-2019 5:18pm

easypazz wrote: »

In terms of longevity how good are these systems?

Hard to really tell. Not in the market long enough yet to make any definitive statements.

easypazz wrote: »

Will the battery hold charge as good in year 5 as year 1?

No. It will slowly degrade. The warranty is usually 10 year to maintain 70% of its original capacity so that gives you some indication of what its likely to be doing in 10-20 years.

easypazz wrote: »

Will the panels generate as much power in year 5 as year 1?

No. Slowly degrade as well but much slower than the battery. Warranty is 25 years usually so consider them a "lifetime" installation really.

easypazz wrote: »

Also I assume a 5kW of panels will charge a 5kWH battery in 1 hour, assuming full load and no losses.

In theory yes.

handpref · 21-11-2019 8:40pm

Hi all- I have a feeling that I’m being fobbed off by my provider.
My system was recently ‘updated’ but I lost all my historic data. However I know that my lowest days generation was 5kwh in the depths of darkest winter.

In the past week my system has not generated more than 5kwh per day and yesterday and today only generated 0.60 of a kWh.

I was advised by ‘technical support’ that this was in line with what my system did last year but they did not give me a figure.

They suggest that I check for shadow and clean the panels.
There is no shadow effect and like a fool I got up on a wet roof today to clean all bastard 18 panels- driven to prove the point that dirty panels are not my problem.

I have a 5.4kwh system with 18 panels - east west roof. 5kwh of battery storage which I’ve stopped charging at night.

What type of generation did people get yesterday-today and with what size array? I know locations will differ but a rough average figure would help 👍🏻

unkel · 21-11-2019 9:14pm

handpref wrote: »

I lost all my historic data. However I know that my lowest days generation was 5kwh in the depths of darkest winter.

That just can't be right. I'd say with a 5kwp system your worst day of the year will probably be just a few hundred Wh, if even that. Never mind 5kWh. More likely your system was actually fixed and is showing correct data now

easypazz · 21-11-2019 9:42pm

Are there any indications what level the FIT is likely to be please?

unkel · 21-11-2019 10:01pm

The expectations are that it will be around wholesale pricing, or about 5c-6c/kWh

easypazz · 21-11-2019 10:38pm

unkel wrote: »

The expectations are that it will be around wholesale pricing, or about 5c-6c/kWh

Many thanks. Very helpful thread.

handpref · 22-11-2019 9:50am

unkel wrote: »

That just can't be right. I'd say with a 5kwp system your worst day of the year will probably be just a few hundred Wh, if even that. Never mind 5kWh. More likely your system was actually fixed and is showing correct data now

Thanks Unkel- yes my system was controlled by Prime in the UK and they were terrible- maybe that’s just how it is for now..hopefully things will recover next April or May. With my lowest generation of 5kwh I was happy knowing it covered the cost of running one of my air to air heat pumps for 24hrs- that was probably an illusion, still 10kw’s of consumption to keep the house at 21deg permanently isn’t too bad. On a side note even with the colder weather our no longer new Z.E. 40 zoe has bottomed out at 260km per charge, my wife just didn’t warn to the Ioniq despite its efficiency - down from 300km in summer- that’s on a Louth to Dublin city Centre commute. I have to say I’ve become quite fond of her, not the pulling power or solidity of the i3 but a nice place to be. With the 22kw charger and the price/spec we got its worked out well- hard to believe Renault give a 5 year warranty and bmw only 3 ...👍🏻

Stefs_42 · 22-11-2019 12:18pm

handpref wrote: »

Thanks Unkel- yes my system was controlled by Prime in the UK and they were terrible- maybe that’s just how it is for now..hopefully things will recover next April or May. With my lowest generation of 5kwh I was happy knowing it covered the cost of running one of my air to air heat pumps for 24hrs- that was probably an illusion, still 10kw’s of consumption to keep the house at 21deg permanently isn’t too bad. On a side note even with the colder weather our no longer new Z.E. 40 zoe has bottomed out at 260km per charge, my wife just didn’t warn to the Ioniq despite its efficiency - down from 300km in summer- that’s on a Louth to Dublin city Centre commute. I have to say I’ve become quite fond of her, not the pulling power or solidity of the i3 but a nice place to be. With the 22kw charger and the price/spec we got its worked out well- hard to believe Renault give a 5 year warranty and bmw only 3 ...👍🏻

10kw to run whole house? is it including water heating? would you be able to pm me details of your air to air system and who installed it, please?

unkel · 22-11-2019 12:28pm

handpref wrote: »

Z.E. 40 zoe has bottomed out at 260km per charge, my wife just didn’t warn to the Ioniq despite its efficiency - down from 300km in summer

That's very decent!

Renault themselves advertise the Zoe 40kWh as having 300km range in summer and 200km in winter.

handpref · 23-11-2019 8:09am

Stefs_42 wrote: »

10kw to run whole house? is it including water heating? would you be able to pm me details of your air to air system and who installed it, please?

Yesterday Friday saw solar production up from 0.60kwh to 2.0kwh.

Yes 10kwh per 24hr period give or take -
-3dec C prolonged in the last big freeze had them running at 7.5kwh but that was severe weather for us. When running at night when it’s usually colder they benefit from night rate too.
Cooing during the summer is pretty much free as they soak up the solar.
2 hitachi inverter units 3.5kw output
Installed myself as that’s what I used to do

Hot water is the next project- I believe the new heat pumps for this are using co2 as the refrigerant and it is a incredibly efficient refrigerant with a very high coefficient of performance.
Currently have a power shower for instant hot water and in line heater for kitchen sink and wash hand basin, so we are only heating what we use, with a growing family though having stored hot water would be great, particularly for when my solar gets its act together again.
Will pm shortly ðŸ‘ðŸ»

garo · 24-11-2019 3:59pm

handpref, your generation numbers are in line with mine. I have 4.8 kW EW system in Dublin and November has been dismal. I’ve only had 60kWh for the month so far. Some days like last Thursday and Saturday have seen <0.5kWh generated. I thought something was going wrong as the projected production for November is 110kWh. But I think this has just been a bad month.

handpref · 24-11-2019 7:12pm

unkel wrote: »

That's very decent!

Renault themselves advertise the Zoe 40kWh as having 300km range in summer and 200km in winter.

Knew I had a big drive today so the figures are in - Louth to Wicklow m1 to m50 to M11/n11
180km door to door 6deg c going, 7 deg c return
Heating set on auto at 21 deg
Full car -2 adults 2 kids

M1 speed 120kmph
M50/m11 110kmph
No hanging around, primarily moving with traffic in over taking lane and lane two to let faster traffic pass.

Consumption 16.7kwh per 100km
After 180km gom estimated 60km left.
Battery usage was 29kwh
Remaining charge 22%

Figures tie in with a conservative Renault estimate.

Other half will use an Esb 22kw charger tomorrow whilst doing the messages, should be back to 260km gom in 1.5hrs-
Whilst I love the i3 the ZE 40 is a very usable machine and trumps it for versatility.

unkel · 24-11-2019 8:48pm

garo wrote: »

handpref, your generation numbers are in line with mine. I have 4.8 kW EW system in Dublin and November has been dismal. I’ve only had 60kWh for the month so far. Some days like last Thursday and Saturday have seen <0.5kWh generated.

Same here. I think I got just 400Wh on friday or something like that (3.8kwp mainly south in Dublin). Hell, it's been starting to get dark at half 3 on some of these rainy days

rob w · 25-11-2019 3:55pm

unkel wrote: »

The expectations are that it will be around wholesale pricing, or about 5c-6c/kWh

Any inducations when this might be coming in? I presume that will do away with the current grants? Prob best to get my system installed before then!!

On a seperate note, not related to the above. I spoke to an installer recently regarding a quote. I wanted to keep system under the 12 sq m planning requirements.

He told me, sure nobody complies with that anyway and you can just apply for retention if it becomes an issue! Is this the norm for people installing larger than 2kW systems?

I know there was a recent case in Limerick (I think) where this happened and the homeowner won, but are people generally ignoring this requirement? I don't wanna get caught out here!

niallers1 · 25-11-2019 8:02pm

rob w wrote: »

Any inducations when this might be coming in? I presume that will do away with the current grants? Prob best to get my system installed before then!!

On a seperate note, not related to the above. I spoke to an installer recently regarding a quote. I wanted to keep system under the 12 sq m planning requirements.

He told me, sure nobody complies with that anyway and you can just apply for retention if it becomes an issue! Is this the norm for people installing larger than 2kW systems?

I know there was a recent case in Limerick (I think) where this happened and the homeowner won, but are people generally ignoring this requirement? I don't wanna get caught out here!

Limerick council were left with egg on their face with that. A climate emergency and they take somebody to court for putting up solar panels.
A precident has been set, the 12sqm rule is ridiculous and was supposed to be for solar thermal. I doubt any council will take you to court after that fiasco with Limerick council.

niallers1 · 25-11-2019 8:09pm

garo wrote: »

handpref, your generation numbers are in line with mine. I have 4.8 kW EW system in Dublin and November has been dismal. I’ve only had 60kWh for the month so far. Some days like last Thursday and Saturday have seen <0.5kWh generated. I thought something was going wrong as the projected production for November is 110kWh. But I think this has just been a bad month.

67 kwh generated in November so far with 4.2kw east West in the mid West. November has been dreary.
December will be the darkest month. Once you get to December 22nd you'll be smiling again

gally74 · 25-11-2019 8:12pm

niallers1 wrote: »

67 kwh generated in November so far with 4.2kw east West in the mid West. November has been dreary.
December will be the darkest month. Once you get to December 22nd you'll be smiling again

102kw in nov. Galway. 4.2kw enphase

MAULBROOK · 25-11-2019 8:54pm

118kw in november, 5kw in gorey. south east facing system

MAULBROOK · 25-11-2019 9:01pm

Got the system fitted on 25 June and im up to 2.23MWh generated to date, have to say i'm happy as a pig in poo.
By the way thanks for the thread its very helpful.

MAULBROOK · 25-11-2019 9:07pm

handpref wrote: »

Hi all- I have a feeling that I’m being fobbed off by my provider.
My system was recently ‘updated’ but I lost all my historic data. However I know that my lowest days generation was 5kwh in the depths of darkest winter.

In the past week my system has not generated more than 5kwh per day and yesterday and today only generated 0.60 of a kWh.

I was advised by ‘technical support’ that this was in line with what my system did last year but they did not give me a figure.

They suggest that I check for shadow and clean the panels.
There is no shadow effect and like a fool I got up on a wet roof today to clean all bastard 18 panels- driven to prove the point that dirty panels are not my problem.

I have a 5.4kwh system with 18 panels - east west roof. 5kwh of battery storage which I’ve stopped charging at night.

What type of generation did people get yesterday-today and with what size array? I know locations will differ but a rough average figure would help 👍🏻

118kw in november, 5kw in gorey. south east facing system

wexfordman2 · 26-11-2019 12:18am

167kwh so far for november, south facing 6kwp system in cork.

System up and running fully since april 1st, best months production was 915kwh in May.

thos · 26-11-2019 10:30am

121kwh, 5.2kw array, south facing, north county Dublin.

For those quoting ‘projected’ or expected figures, what’s that based on?

garo · 26-11-2019 10:58am

My expected figures are based on the PVsys model that looks at the tilt and orientation of my panels, historical records of cloud cover and the path of the sun to calculate expected output. This was provided by my installer.
Here is an interesting page that has a spreadsheet modelling this stuff. Unfortunately they do it for the US only. But it gives you an idea of how latitude and seasonality affect output.
https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/CR674/

MAULBROOK · 26-11-2019 9:16pm

Anyone got any recommendations on an Electrical Supplier.
I'm about to jump ship from Electric Ireland with there Low usage charge, haven't been hit yet but I will be.

MAULBROOK · 26-11-2019 9:22pm

garo wrote: »

My expected figures are based on the PVsys model that looks at the tilt and orientation of my panels, historical records of cloud cover and the path of the sun to calculate expected output. This was provided by my installer.
Here is an interesting page that has a spreadsheet modelling this stuff. Unfortunately they do it for the US only. But it gives you an idea of how latitude and seasonality affect output.

This calculator is handy, a little basic but dose the trick

suncalc.net

Domestic solar PV quotes 2018

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