Solar PV battery options

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122441795#Comment_122441795

No need for an electrician for installing a battery. I would recommend getting a hybrid inverter installed at the start though, if you get a normal inverter installed, then an electrician will have to replace that with a hybrid inverter later

keno-daytrader

Why would that be? Seems to me that replacing a string inverter with a hybrid is basically plug and play with all the crimping and cable runs already going to the old string inverter, unplug pv1 and 2, ac cable, ground and maybe cat5 and away you go. Unless a new nc6 needs to be submitted, but I've never found an answer to that yet if still under the 25amp limit with new inverter.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122445557#Comment_122445557

Technically you would need a new NC6 because the hardware changed. And these days only an electrician can submit one. Back in the day, you could do your own, it was a very simple 1 page form 😁

graememk

Also it's a fixed appliance, while it's not a hard thing to do, your not meant to change it.

conor_mc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122445686#Comment_122445686

Are we talking about the battery or in the inverter swap here?

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122445695#Comment_122445695

Inverter swap

keno-daytrader

Is there any documentation re the nc6 on changing inverters that anyone knows of, I haven't been able to locate any. TIA

championc

The main thing about the NC6 is that it advised ESBN that you are potentially exporting into their grid.

It became an additional function of facilitating the utility companies to pay you for power exported.

Size mattered for when deemed export payments were made, but I don't think the specifics are as important as they once were

idc

I would of thought the main reason was ESBN know what generation you are connecting to the grid and that the inverter complies with standards/settings they require. Hence adding a second inverter or even replacing inverter A with inverter B would require a new NC6 application.


Edit: Ignore all that !!! according to email reply from ESBN no need for a new one unless capacity changes

keno-daytrader

Thats good to know, thanks for the post,,😎

John mac

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122441795#Comment_122441795

be sure the Hybrid inverter you get can take DIY batteries, (Huawei , Solax ) are high voltage so wont work with 48V DIY battery

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122467612#Comment_122467612

Good suggestion, but just to clarify the finer points here: the problem is not that they only take high voltage batteries. I would be very happy to build a DIY high voltage battery. It is a superior solution as you would have far less losses converting from high voltage DC PV strings to high voltage DC battery.

Their problem is that they only take proprietary batteries, so you are stuck with a very limited range of off the shelf batteries, which limits your options and will not give you good value for money

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469030#Comment_122469030

And just to add to this.

The Huawei battery itself (and I'd put good money on the solax being the same way) is a low voltage battery. As they are all LFP based.

The DC DC converter is to high voltage is in the battery rather than in the inverter.

There's no real gain in the Huawei in regards to losses.

Sligobuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469058#Comment_122469058

I can confirm the Solax LFP Triple Power batteries are proper high voltage batteries with a 36 cell arangement. I have 3 of them still running here since May 2020.

Not sure if the efficiency of the HV batteries is worth it over home build 48v batteries given how cheap it is to build 48v batteries.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122471259#Comment_122471259

I was comparing apples with apples. So a home build 48V battery vs a home build high voltage battery 😁

Friend of mine has actually done this. Using CAN to bypass the proprietary software of the inverter. He has several EV batteries that he is not at the moment using, so he can use any one of them for his home storage. This dude is next level though. Has converted several cars to EV too.

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122471259#Comment_122471259

Lost that bet anyway 😂

But yeah the efficiency gain isn't much!

eiritated

Learning a lot from this thread!

For those who don't want a DIY/kit option, are there any finished products offering the same quality of components/cells?

Or is the technology just moving quicker in the DIY space versus the time taken to train, certify and market a finished product?

I've lost confidence in some of the popular options such as Pylontech from reading here. But maybe brands such as BYD (Battery Box) do offer quality, at a price?

I want the reliable, plug-and-play option but I don't want to be ripped-off buying an Amstrad (looks high-tech on the outside but built to the minimal cost inside!)