Solar for Beginners [ask your questions here]

westernfringe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120252855#Comment_120252855

Thanks for all that feedback. Much appreciated. Do you think that it would still be more worthwhile to get the day/night meter (which they sort of agreed to give me) , even if they didn't give me the deemed export? I am awaiting a call back re. the deemed export. I have a battery. I am paying 39c now, and the day/night rate is 41c day/20c night. Standing charge about €140 more per year though on the D/N. Got a call already to change the meter yesterday, but managed to put him off a week or 2!

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120268784#Comment_120268784

Others will have to answer if your provider must pay deemed export when moving to a D/N meter from a 24hr meter. I'll be doing that in the not to distant future and don't know for certain myself

yankinlk

I updated my Solar PV video after a year of having PV installed : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vKuUIuJDZg

Gave updates on FIT, Battery, EDDI etc

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120272348#Comment_120272348

Now I get your username 😂

graememk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120272348#Comment_120272348

Did you have to write everything backwards?

yankinlk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120272773#Comment_120272773

Nah we flip it on the camera, small studio at work.

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120272852#Comment_120272852

Looks good visually. Well done!

micks_address

Just had my givenergy gen 1 inverter replaced with a gen 2, added an additional 5.2 battery to my 9.5.. nice to see the extra power flowing from the battery.. 3.6 versus 2.6 with gen 1. Battery dumping for calibration

Ginger83

I have a D/N meter so I presume I'll get deemed FIT.

I don't have a battery or eddi but would it be possible to dump some of the excess generated in to an electric radiator to boost a cold room?

If yes are there any smart devices to operate it?

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120346371#Comment_120346371

eddi can do that! You could connect its first output to your immersion and the second output to that electric radiator (provided it can handle 3kW)

Jonathan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120272652#Comment_120272652

I saw the previous video but only copped the username a month or so ago. I kept thinking it was yan-kink or something. 😂

Fake Tales

Getting a quote this week, haven't done all my research but read the very basics, wanted to see what's out there. What are some basic questions I should ask?

I know my annual usage, about 5,500kWh. May increase in next few years...

We have Air to Water. No gas.

No electric car but that might change at some stage.

I'm undecided about need for a battery / haven't done the maths.

Do most companies offer equipment from set manufacturers or a choice of panels etc.?

jkforde

first off, get a Day\Night meter and tariff, then you'll be eligible for deemed PV export and can also charge a battery on the night rate which improves its return on investment payback (smart tariffs are criminal so stay clear for now). can't comment on the panels but reckon they're all on a par, some better in low light levels but worth the potential extra €?. some here do not recommend Solis inverters due to its time restricted output but depends on your personal expectations of PV, minimise import or near zero import.

defo consider an EV charger since the EV is a big battery on wheels and with V2X beginning to crawl, that'll be able to feed the house (timeframe for this here, who knows?!)

but my basic advice is to make sure you really get on with your installer and trust them, ask loads of questions until you're satisfied with your understanding the system and its components, this will enable you to logically troubleshoot niggles early on.

Jonathan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120272348#Comment_120272348

Thanks for this. Added to FAQ.

Fake Tales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352303#Comment_120352303

Thanks.

We actually have a EV charger, previous owners installed. No EV car yet. I presume that would need to be tied in so it would charge a car from the solar?

By feed the house do you mean run the house off the car battery?

We have a day / night meter. Use about 33% at night which seems low compared to others. But there are only 2 of us.

Are there tools out there to run a cost benefit of solar pv? Probably need to look at it across a few scenarios of energy prices.

slave1

Looking at the way electricity prices are now (and no indication to be falling despite wholesale drops) there really is an argument to go off grid with combination of solar and generator for Winter months @ELM327 you might have to do the maths for us.

I see it as perfectly possible now apart from EVs being thrown into the mix

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353410#Comment_120353410

If I didnt have the EVs I would be close to off grid already.

However, I think, better than having a generator and being off grid, is - and I have to bite my tongue before saying this - is getting a smart meter with the best night rate possible and the best export rate. Day rate doesnt matter. In summer, generate enough to cover your usage, your car etc and export the rest. Build up enough credit to cover your winter use. Much easier than messing about with generators etc.

You just wont have 60kWh of surplus in the winter to charge the car though. So you need a whole lot of panels, or you need a generator, or you need to DC fast charge in the winter.

My last step before fully off grid is to be off grid except for the car. So, run the generator to charge the car but nothing else. Its a 7kva diesel generator so the cost of a full charge is about 13-15 euro at current agri prices. 300km for 15 euro is still better than running directly on fossil fuel. I'd also be able to use the waste motor oil from my classics, some WVO etc. If I can get a local supply of WVO I'd be much happier than using agri, kero or derv in the generator.

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353410#Comment_120353410

Hey, going off grid isn't 'solar for dummies' though.

Deffo interesting to see the options in terms of reducing grid consumption. That’s important for all of us. But for those in suburbia, it's likely neither possible to go off grid (can't put up turbines with any decent output for winter or have space for large solar setups). Nor needed. Only saving is the standing charge.

Also needs complex setups or a large spend. Needs large batteries. And other ‘batteries’ like hot water tank, EVs (and possibly ones that can also feed the house)… 

micks_address

Bit off topic this one. I'd like to add an extraction fan to the external door where my invertor and batteries are housed. The space is pretty small and while the door already has two large vents I'm a little worried about temps especially in the summer..what id love to do is add a electric powered extraction fan that would kick in when the room temp hits a certain level. Ideally fan would be low in wattage and water proof..I built something like it before for an AV cabinet.

Anyone do anything like that?

Something like this

AC Infinity AIRPLATE T3, Quiet Cooling Fan System with Thermostat Control, for Home Theater AV Cabinets https://amzn.eu/d/9DZwSja

Thanks

Mick

unkel

I'd wait and see, @micks_address. Chances are you don't need any more vents / fans.

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120355602#Comment_120355602

On the inverter dashboard the inverter internal temp hit 40 degrees after charging batteries for 3 Hours straight.. it d rates at 50.. I guess I'll always be charging at night so might be ok.. I've a temp sensor in the space sitting on top on the battery just below the inverter and the temp is below 20 degrees.. the gen 2 invertor passes 3.6kw to and from battery as opposed to 2.6 on gen 1 so I'm guessing that generates more heat..

Jonathan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120354318#Comment_120354318

Quoting for posterity. @ELM327 recommending a smart meter.

unkel

The problem with your plan @ELM327 is that FIT above €200 is taxable at your marginal rate. So for a higher tax rate payer, the FIT needs to be nearly twice the night rate in order for a unit of FIT in summer to offset a unit of night rate in winter.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356039#Comment_120356039

It is, technically, but I'm simply not reporting it unless I receive any money from it. Getting a cheque absolutely, but a bill credit which will be offset by usage in a couple of months? Nope.

If over 12 months I'm not making more than 200 above and beyond what my bill is then I simply won't be declaring it as income. Because I don't think it is. (I know factually it is, I'm not arguing that). I reckon to cover a normal winter bill for us (ie without the magic EV tariff) I'd need to export at least 3000 kwh in the summer. Add in the fact that we now have 2 EVs and do a good bit of driving and I'd like to make that 5000kWh. So that's 100 days of the year exporting 50kWh. Or 5kW for 10 hours. Pretty ambitious.

unkel

Interesting take on the credit on the bill!

I think exporting 5MWh is not as ambitious as you think. To give an example, if you have a 16kwp array in a good part of the country, south facing, you will produce 16MWh per year

ELM327

I know it's not strictly accurate but my defense if questioned will be that I never received the credit - it was offset by usage, similar to how higher cost units are offset by discounts.

Remember, that 5MWh of export is just to break even and cover winter bills. If I was to invest in this as opposed to going fully off grid I want it to make me money. So that 16kWp becomes 24kWp. And then you do have to pay tax on it as the money /profit hits your bank account and you would have to go down the route of expensing and ammortizing a percentage of the outlay on the panels etc.

It's an interesting question, and one I will explore further if there is no good 7-14c night rate anymore. I was willing to accept 13.75c but 20+ seems the going rate now and that's too much.

unkel

I can see someone making a case for it. It's like a discount. That's not really income either, is it?

idc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120357819#Comment_120357819

Then again this is the tax man we're talking about, doubt he'll see it that way. If i worked there, I'd be figuring out how do we contact all the electricity suppliers and have them do most of the work - ie they send us names/addresses of people receiving FIT payments and how much each person got!!

slave1

then you'd have to figure out how you just broke GDPR.....

No electricity company can give that info to Revenue without customer approval/legislation to support

Hellrazer

Right so I need a bit of help again.

Had to get the tails upgraded as part of the solar install and guess what - they changed my meter today to a smart meter - really thought Id get a bit longer out of my old meter!!!!So my backwards spinny meter is no more.

Talk about annoyed!!!!

So to get the best (worst ) of this new meter whats the best plan to be on?

Im not in a contract so I can change to any provider.