UK Customers

[PuTMaN]

I have PV and battery storage so I rarely export anything. I can also use GO to charge my battery storage if the weather means there won’t be enough sun to cover demand

Looks like you have a few people interested in you’re Solar PV & Battery System.
I’m having a system installed in April.
I’m interested in what your setup is though. Pros and cons on timings etc

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[neiloakley]

Clearly going off topic, but sort of EV related and a few of you have asked.

So it's not a super-duper system, but it does what I need. I primarily wanted to reduce electricity bills and had the cash to invest so I originally bought and installed 7 x 460w panels which was the maximum I could fit in the space available. This is coupled with a Growatt 3.6km Dual MPPT inverter in the loft with associated AC and DC isolaters and meter, cabled directly to the MCB via it's own RCD. I decided to self-install as i'm competent with all the required elements and I wasn't interested in going on a feed in tariff that pays pennies. After everything was installed I did have a part-P electrical test everything. There are companies about that will provide an MCS commissioning certificate based on comprehensive photographic evidence and electrical test reports for around £450 if you did want to self install and still go on a feed-in tariff.

Ran this system for a while, and at peak it generated 412kwh in a month. But I was getting annoyed that at times i was pumping 2kw back to the grid. So I then decided on battery storage. I opted for a 5.8kwh system from Alpha (Alpha Smile B3) which is a 3kw inverter with individual 2.9kwh battery modules - which you can expand up to 17.4kwh total. It has CT clamps to monitor solar panel generation and household demand and the charge is automatically controlled to ensure nothing goes back to the grid. It's located in the garage, with armoured cable running under the patio to the house and back to the MCB, again with it's own RCD. These HAVE to be labelled properly as if undertaking any electrical work on the house, it's important that these are isolated. If you just isolate the mains, the PV panels will still be feeding power in potentially and the battery will flick into UPS mode and just think there is a power cut and start to discharge to the house.

That all worked out fine - in the summer it easily charged from the solar panels during the day, and ran the house until the following morning. But now in the winter, there isn't usually enough solar to cover household demand so I charge the battery overnight on Octopus Go. The batteries come with a 10 year, 10,000 cycle warranty and can be discharged up to 98% of capacity. As it's a 3kw inverter/charger, in the 4 hours of cheap electricity I get, I could in theory store 12 kWh so given the way energy prices are going, I'm in the process of buying and installing two additional batterys to maximise savings. Payback time is a little under 3 years.

On top of all this, I use a Raspberry Pi based device called emonPi that monitors solar generation, batter charge/discharge, household consumption etc and plots it all out on wall mounted tablets i have through the house (also controls other smart home devices too). It's web based so can be accessed online 24/7.

I would recommend all the kit I have, basically because its been trouble free and comes with good performance specs and warranty cover. I have to be clear though that I haven't used other brands so I cant compare my setup to others.

7 x 460w Mono panels
Growatt 3.6kw Dual MPPT inverter with WiFi connectivity
AC and DC isolators
Generation meter
Schletter flat roof, NON-penetrating, Zero tilt ballasted mounting system (on a large loft dormer so didn't want to drill through the rubber membrane roof)
1 x Alpha Smile B3 battery storage/inverter with 3 additional 2.9kwh battery modules - total of 11.6kwh

Solar PV kit purchased from https://www.solar-energy-store.co.uk
Battery storage from https://www.itstechnologies.shop
emonPi monitoring equipment purchased from https://shop.openenergymonitor.com/emonpi/


I would highly recommend all of these companies for their customer service. Screenshot of the monitoring software below - I think the wife is using the microwave . It's usual to see a small amount of import/export as if it was zero, the battery wouldn't know wether to charge or discharge.

 

[Tony.T]

Thanks for the info Neil- I'm going to look further into this. We used an excellent local business to instal our panels and they are very clued up about storage as well. I'm just about to e-mail them!

 

[David-HC]

Clearly going off topic, but sort of EV related and a few of you have asked.

So it's not a super-duper system, but it does what I need. I primarily wanted to reduce electricity bills and had the cash to invest so I originally bought and installed 7 x 460w panels which was the maximum I could fit in the space available. This is coupled with a Growatt 3.6km Dual MPPT inverter in the loft with associated AC and DC isolaters and meter, cabled directly to the MCB via it's own RCD. I decided to self-install as i'm competent with all the required elements and I wasn't interested in going on a feed in tariff that pays pennies. After everything was installed I did have a part-P electrical test everything. There are companies about that will provide an MCS commissioning certificate based on comprehensive photographic evidence and electrical test reports for around £450 if you did want to self install and still go on a feed-in tariff.

Ran this system for a while, and at peak it generated 412kwh in a month. But I was getting annoyed that at times i was pumping 2kw back to the grid. So I then decided on battery storage. I opted for a 5.8kwh system from Alpha (Alpha Smile B3) which is a 3kw inverter with individual 2.9kwh battery modules - which you can expand up to 17.4kwh total. It has CT clamps to monitor solar panel generation and household demand and the charge is automatically controlled to ensure nothing goes back to the grid. It's located in the garage, with armoured cable running under the patio to the house and back to the MCB, again with it's own RCD. These HAVE to be labelled properly as if undertaking any electrical work on the house, it's important that these are isolated. If you just isolate the mains, the PV panels will still be feeding power in potentially and the battery will flick into UPS mode and just think there is a power cut and start to discharge to the house.

That all worked out fine - in the summer it easily charged from the solar panels during the day, and ran the house until the following morning. But now in the winter, there isn't usually enough solar to cover household demand so I charge the battery overnight on Octopus Go. The batteries come with a 10 year, 10,000 cycle warranty and can be discharged up to 98% of capacity. As it's a 3kw inverter/charger, in the 4 hours of cheap electricity I get, I could in theory store 12 kWh so given the way energy prices are going, I'm in the process of buying and installing two additional batterys to maximise savings. Payback time is a little under 3 years.

On top of all this, I use a Raspberry Pi based device called emonPi that monitors solar generation, batter charge/discharge, household consumption etc and plots it all out on wall mounted tablets i have through the house (also controls other smart home devices too). It's web based so can be accessed online 24/7.

I would recommend all the kit I have, basically because its been trouble free and comes with good performance specs and warranty cover. I have to be clear though that I haven't used other brands so I cant compare my setup to others.

7 x 460w Mono panels
Growatt 3.6kw Dual MPPT inverter with WiFi connectivity
AC and DC isolators
Generation meter
Schletter flat roof, NON-penetrating, Zero tilt ballasted mounting system (on a large loft dormer so didn't want to drill through the rubber membrane roof)
1 x Alpha Smile B3 battery storage/inverter with 3 additional 2.9kwh battery modules - total of 11.6kwh

Solar PV kit purchased from https://www.solar-energy-store.co.uk
Battery storage from https://www.itstechnologies.shop
emonPi monitoring equipment purchased from https://shop.openenergymonitor.com/emonpi/


I would highly recommend all of these companies for their customer service. Screenshot of the monitoring software below - I think the wife is using the microwave . It's usual to see a small amount of import/export as if it was zero, the battery wouldn't know wether to charge or discharge.

Hi Neil,

Very many thanks for the information - really interesting and helpful ?

We've had panels for about 10 years now rated at maximum 2.7Kw (so not up to your standard!), and are approaching 30 megawatts generated in total over this period.

We've been thinking for a couple of years of installing a battery so we can manage our usage better and more so now with the car (plus we get occasional power cuts!), although we are on the feed-in tariff from 10 years ago which is pretty good.

I will definitely follow up with the battery starage guys you recommend.

I really appreciate your time and help in providing the information,

Thanks again, and kind regards,
David

PS: the emonPi software sounds great as well!

 

[SashaLondon]

Took my car in for windscreen assessment and software update. My car does need a new windscreen but they couldn't do the software update due to the battery being at only 44%. THey said they need the battery above 80% to do a software update.
When I take it in next time will charge 100% before I go in.

 

[portlandg]

Took my car in for windscreen assessment and software update. My car does need a new windscreen but they couldn't do the software update due to the battery being at only 44%. THey said they need the battery above 80% to do a software update.
When I take it in next time will charge 100% before I go in.

I did mention in my post number 13147 that to do the software updates the HV battery needs to be above 75%.

 

[SteveUk]

Clearly going off topic, but sort of EV related and a few of you have asked.

So it's not a super-duper system, but it does what I need. I primarily wanted to reduce electricity bills and had the cash to invest so I originally bought and installed 7 x 460w panels which was the maximum I could fit in the space available. This is coupled with a Growatt 3.6km Dual MPPT inverter in the loft with associated AC and DC isolaters and meter, cabled directly to the MCB via it's own RCD. I decided to self-install as i'm competent with all the required elements and I wasn't interested in going on a feed in tariff that pays pennies. After everything was installed I did have a part-P electrical test everything. There are companies about that will provide an MCS commissioning certificate based on comprehensive photographic evidence and electrical test reports for around £450 if you did want to self install and still go on a feed-in tariff.

Ran this system for a while, and at peak it generated 412kwh in a month. But I was getting annoyed that at times i was pumping 2kw back to the grid. So I then decided on battery storage. I opted for a 5.8kwh system from Alpha (Alpha Smile B3) which is a 3kw inverter with individual 2.9kwh battery modules - which you can expand up to 17.4kwh total. It has CT clamps to monitor solar panel generation and household demand and the charge is automatically controlled to ensure nothing goes back to the grid. It's located in the garage, with armoured cable running under the patio to the house and back to the MCB, again with it's own RCD. These HAVE to be labelled properly as if undertaking any electrical work on the house, it's important that these are isolated. If you just isolate the mains, the PV panels will still be feeding power in potentially and the battery will flick into UPS mode and just think there is a power cut and start to discharge to the house.

That all worked out fine - in the summer it easily charged from the solar panels during the day, and ran the house until the following morning. But now in the winter, there isn't usually enough solar to cover household demand so I charge the battery overnight on Octopus Go. The batteries come with a 10 year, 10,000 cycle warranty and can be discharged up to 98% of capacity. As it's a 3kw inverter/charger, in the 4 hours of cheap electricity I get, I could in theory store 12 kWh so given the way energy prices are going, I'm in the process of buying and installing two additional batterys to maximise savings. Payback time is a little under 3 years.

On top of all this, I use a Raspberry Pi based device called emonPi that monitors solar generation, batter charge/discharge, household consumption etc and plots it all out on wall mounted tablets i have through the house (also controls other smart home devices too). It's web based so can be accessed online 24/7.

I would recommend all the kit I have, basically because its been trouble free and comes with good performance specs and warranty cover. I have to be clear though that I haven't used other brands so I cant compare my setup to others.

7 x 460w Mono panels
Growatt 3.6kw Dual MPPT inverter with WiFi connectivity
AC and DC isolators
Generation meter
Schletter flat roof, NON-penetrating, Zero tilt ballasted mounting system (on a large loft dormer so didn't want to drill through the rubber membrane roof)
1 x Alpha Smile B3 battery storage/inverter with 3 additional 2.9kwh battery modules - total of 11.6kwh

Solar PV kit purchased from https://www.solar-energy-store.co.uk
Battery storage from https://www.itstechnologies.shop
emonPi monitoring equipment purchased from https://shop.openenergymonitor.com/emonpi/


I would highly recommend all of these companies for their customer service. Screenshot of the monitoring software below - I think the wife is using the microwave . It's usual to see a small amount of import/export as if it was zero, the battery wouldn't know wether to charge or discharge.

Wow! How much did all that cost? £10k

 

[neiloakley]

£2200 for the PV side, £5,100 on batteries.

 

[Sammiec]

So maybe someone can help. I’ve had my car a few days now and it seems to keep losing my choice of settings for ambient lighting and at times my drivers profile.
I am also struggling with the auto full beam, it does not cancel when a vehicle approaches. I would prefer not to have it but I believe I can’t have it separate to the auto headlight feature. I’ve had auto headlights for around 10 years so would genuinely forget to turn them on otherwise. Can anyone help with any? I’m guessing I need a software update ( although nothing is showing on the update page) as the version shown on the car is 21139_PRODUCT for sync 4 software version. What even is that?!

 

[Djmc321]

I am also struggling with the auto full beam, it does not cancel when a vehicle approaches. I would prefer not to have it but I believe I can’t have it separate to the auto headlight feature. I’ve had auto headlights for around 10 years so would genuinely forget to turn them on otherwise.

Are you sure you're not misunderstanding how the adaptive headlights are operating?

I.e. Similar to the thread here ? :
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/automatic-high-beam.9228/post-339925

 

[Sammiec]

Are you sure you're not misunderstanding how the adaptive headlights are operating?

I.e. Similar to the thread here ? :
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/automatic-high-beam.9228/post-339925

Perhaps, but the oncoming cars flashing me suggests that they are being blinded rather than them operating outside of their vision.

 

[ProximusAl]

Perhaps, but the oncoming cars flashing me suggests that they are being blinded rather than them operating outside of their vision.

That is exactly what happens to me. I get into the habit now of pushing the fullbeam stalk forward before I move anywhere to turn auto off.

 

[coolshades]

Clearly going off topic, but sort of EV related and a few of you have asked.

So it's not a super-duper system, but it does what I need. I primarily wanted to reduce electricity bills and had the cash to invest so I originally bought and installed 7 x 460w panels which was the maximum I could fit in the space available. This is coupled with a Growatt 3.6km Dual MPPT inverter in the loft with associated AC and DC isolaters and meter, cabled directly to the MCB via it's own RCD. I decided to self-install as i'm competent with all the required elements and I wasn't interested in going on a feed in tariff that pays pennies. After everything was installed I did have a part-P electrical test everything. There are companies about that will provide an MCS commissioning certificate based on comprehensive photographic evidence and electrical test reports for around £450 if you did want to self install and still go on a feed-in tariff.

Ran this system for a while, and at peak it generated 412kwh in a month. But I was getting annoyed that at times i was pumping 2kw back to the grid. So I then decided on battery storage. I opted for a 5.8kwh system from Alpha (Alpha Smile B3) which is a 3kw inverter with individual 2.9kwh battery modules - which you can expand up to 17.4kwh total. It has CT clamps to monitor solar panel generation and household demand and the charge is automatically controlled to ensure nothing goes back to the grid. It's located in the garage, with armoured cable running under the patio to the house and back to the MCB, again with it's own RCD. These HAVE to be labelled properly as if undertaking any electrical work on the house, it's important that these are isolated. If you just isolate the mains, the PV panels will still be feeding power in potentially and the battery will flick into UPS mode and just think there is a power cut and start to discharge to the house.

That all worked out fine - in the summer it easily charged from the solar panels during the day, and ran the house until the following morning. But now in the winter, there isn't usually enough solar to cover household demand so I charge the battery overnight on Octopus Go. The batteries come with a 10 year, 10,000 cycle warranty and can be discharged up to 98% of capacity. As it's a 3kw inverter/charger, in the 4 hours of cheap electricity I get, I could in theory store 12 kWh so given the way energy prices are going, I'm in the process of buying and installing two additional batterys to maximise savings. Payback time is a little under 3 years.

On top of all this, I use a Raspberry Pi based device called emonPi that monitors solar generation, batter charge/discharge, household consumption etc and plots it all out on wall mounted tablets i have through the house (also controls other smart home devices too). It's web based so can be accessed online 24/7.

I would recommend all the kit I have, basically because its been trouble free and comes with good performance specs and warranty cover. I have to be clear though that I haven't used other brands so I cant compare my setup to others.

7 x 460w Mono panels
Growatt 3.6kw Dual MPPT inverter with WiFi connectivity
AC and DC isolators
Generation meter
Schletter flat roof, NON-penetrating, Zero tilt ballasted mounting system (on a large loft dormer so didn't want to drill through the rubber membrane roof)
1 x Alpha Smile B3 battery storage/inverter with 3 additional 2.9kwh battery modules - total of 11.6kwh

Solar PV kit purchased from https://www.solar-energy-store.co.uk
Battery storage from https://www.itstechnologies.shop
emonPi monitoring equipment purchased from https://shop.openenergymonitor.com/emonpi/


I would highly recommend all of these companies for their customer service. Screenshot of the monitoring software below - I think the wife is using the microwave . It's usual to see a small amount of import/export as if it was zero, the battery wouldn't know wether to charge or discharge.

this is so timely. we are looking at getting solar and battery installed in the next few months.

if you folks have any recommendations for installers as well, i would appreciate it.

 

[mustangguy64]

That is exactly what happens to me. I get into the habit now of pushing the fullbeam stalk forward before I move anywhere to turn auto off.

This isn't associated with the setting for adaptive headlights is it? In settings-vehicle-lights there is a setting to say what side of the road approaching traffic is on, originally mine was set to left hand side so changed.

 

[ProximusAl]

This isn't associated with the setting for adaptive headlights is it? In settings-vehicle-lights there is a setting to say what side of the road approaching traffic is on, originally mine was set to left hand side so changed.

It may be. That setting always confused me. So 100% it should be set to right? I didn’t see where it said “approaching” traffic. Pretty sure mine is on left, as I took it that’s the side we drive on.

EDIT…Well I’ll be darned. Your right. The little (I) for help definitely says approaching traffic and mine was set to left. I’ve now set it to right. That will probably help!

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