Solar Energy and saving money

[MrEarl]

Hi Switchnet, can I ask what Companies quoted you ?
I got a quote of 17k for12 panels, inverter wiring etc and 5kw battery installation which seems expensive

That looks very expensive.

I joined the group on Facebook, did some research on different manufacturers, and different suppliers.

Some installers are based in different parts of the country, I wanted one either in Dublin, or close to Dublin.

Having got about five quotes, the most competitive quotes came from Zetta Solar and Evolve ECO Solutions. I went with Evolve as they struck me as the larger, longer established, of the two companies. Having been through the process with them, I've no hesitation in recommending them.

For the record, I've no connection with Evolve, I'm just a happy customer.

 

[conor_mc]

Am I allowed butt in quickly and congratulate Eamon Ryan on the great work done in making EVs and Renewable energy easy for consumers to buy into? /S

Of course my comment is snarky, but honestly after listening earlier today about how Norway is all in EVs, and reading through this thread....smart tariffs (agreed at the outset they weren't appealing), Solar (ages getting paid for what was exported to the grid) and now Batteries (which in theory should be a no brainer to power your gaff at peak rates) it would appear to me that disinformation, lack of Government policy, degrading of EV etc. allowances and.... I give up!

Please continue all.

(For the record my next car will be an EV, I'll be looking to get a heat pump, solar and a battery, just don't have the time to navigate the current mire , perhaps the next government might make this easier if not a no brainer)

Switched two cars to EV in the past 18 months (albeit second-hand), got the EV charger installed with grants, got the solar + battery installed with grants, got the FiT paying out within 4 weeks. It's a bit of self-education and admin/paperwork, but I honestly don't know why folks treat it like some sort of government conspiracy. We could've gone the Arlene Foster Renewable Heat Incentive Scandal route, I guess!

 

[Wandering_Dazed]

Switched two cars to EV in the past 18 months (albeit second-hand), got the EV charger installed with grants, got the solar + battery installed with grants, got the FiT paying out within 4 weeks. It's a bit of self-education and admin/paperwork, but I honestly don't know why folks treat it like some sort of government conspiracy. We could've gone the Arlene Foster Renewable Heat Incentive Scandal route, I guess!

Great stuff @conor_mc there is great value in used BEV's at the moment. I've been eyeing up an EV6 GT line for a while and when I had a look last week was surprised at the prices I might just bite....

Parts of my previous post was around the discusion on Solar panels and batteries. If getting solar today really you should stretch to at least a 5kw battery.

Yes individuals can self educate, but my main point was why is the BEV, solar, heatpump discussions so complex? And why are the government not simplifying all of this? While also reducing the grants and perks available BEV wise. A colleague of mine, who is super green cannot believe the reduction in grants and tolls for EVs!

This really all could be a lot easier for the average person without looking at facebook groups or forums imho. Instead of corporate entities filling this space, why not have a Government Bonkers style website to help consumers and dispell the FUD?

 

[conor_mc]

Great stuff @conor_mc there is great value in used BEV's at the moment. I've been eyeing up an EV6 GT line for a while and when I had a look last week was surprised at the prices I might just bite....

Parts of my previous post was around the discusion on Solar panels and batteries. If getting solar today really you should stretch to at least a 5kw battery.

Yes individuals can self educate, but my main point was why is the BEV, solar, heatpump discussions so complex? And why are the government not simplifying all of this? While also reducing the grants and perks available BEV wise. A colleague of mine, who is super green cannot believe the reduction in grants and tolls for EVs!

This really all could be a lot easier for the average person without looking at facebook groups or forums imho. Instead of corporate entities filling this space, why not have a Government Bonkers style website to help consumers and dispell the FUD?

At the end of the day, it’s a coalition government so Greens try to do one thing whilst another party tries to protect the interests of SIMI or Gas Networks Ireland or whoever. The result is generally a highly compromised cludge unfortunately.

 

[ArthurMcB]

Whats BEV?

 

[MrEarl]

Whats BEV?

Battery Electric Vehicle, I assume?

 

[Marsupial]

Just got an email informing me that:

From 1st November 2024, Electric Ireland will be reducing the Microgeneration rate from 21c to 19.5c per kWh. That's a reduction of ~7%.

However, they have also reduced the cost of electricity and the standing charge by 10%, so overall, it's not too bad.

 

[MrEarl]

I received the same email, and agree that it's reasonable, when you look at the price reductions.

To date, I've found Electric Ireland quite good, in terms of the rate they pay, frequency of payments etc.

 

[Switchornot]

IIRC, Huawei have a bespoke higher-voltage architecture.

I ended up going with the middle quote - 22 panels, Sigenergy hybrid inverter and Sigenergy 5kw battery - all in was 12k. Is expected to generate about 7k units a year. It was only installed last Friday but seems great so far - weather has been cloudy so solar hasn't been hitting anywhere near peak but I am still at about 30% of my prior usage from the grid.

The Sigenery system is really user friendly and the AI mode ensures that it operates at maximum efficiency. I just plug details of the tariff I am on into the app and it utilizes the battery/solar accordingly. Realtime data also - refreshes every 30 seconds. I have the option to plug additional batteries onto the existing structure at any point if I wish.

Early days but so far so good.

 

[danjoe]

I've got quotes for both sigenergy and saj solar systems, sigenergy is more at 11,400euro including 18 panels, inverter and 2x5kw batteries. Does anyone have experience with Saj equipment it's coming in at 9300euro.

 

[Marsupial]

The recent spell of cloudy high pressure that has affected Ireland for the past fortnight has meant that my PV panels have generated a grand total of 1.6 units over the past 12 days! Total revenue raised has been 30cent!
If this continues, then the break-even point for my PV solar installation will be in about 73 years time, which is a bit longer than I anticipated!

(I read on the UK Netweather site that Ireland has experienced a total of 1 hour's sunshine over the past 11 days!)

 

[Leo]

If this continues, then the break-even point for my PV solar installation will be in about 73 years time, which is a bit longer than I anticipated!

But of course calculating ROI based only on a few cloudy days in November makes as much sense as calculating only on night-time generation.

 

[SquirrelChaser]

The value of my solar yield for November so far is a grand total of €5.52 for 23kwh...

I got my panels in April and switched over to a smart meter in May so I was already €280 in credit when I got my last bill in September. I should get my bill in the next few days but the value of my generation in the last 2 months was about €140 and my monthly usage has a value of about €110 so I should still have about €200 credit when I get my next bill. And my generation is still lining up to leave me with a small surplus over the course of the year. Plus the gubernment is giving me €250 in energy credit which is going to be pure profit for me whoop whoop.

Solar panels have eliminated my electricity bill for the forseeable future. At €1,300 a year and system cost of €6,900 (post grant, 7.96kw with no eddi or battery) that's a payback period of slightly around 5.5 years. Equivalent to a tax free return of 18.8% on investment, which is in turn equivalent to a pre-DIRT interest rate of 28%. Even if the price of electricity and feed in tariff drop by 50% (unlikely) that's still equivalent to a pre-DIRT interest rate of 14% which would be spectacular.

So who the hell cares about 10 dull days in November.

 

[ArthurMcB]

The value of my solar yield for November so far is a grand total of €5.52 for 23kwh...

I got my panels in April and switched over to a smart meter in May so I was already €280 in credit when I got my last bill in September. I should get my bill in the next few days but the value of my generation in the last 2 months was about €140 and my monthly usage has a value of about €110 so I should still have about €200 credit when I get my next bill. And my generation is still lining up to leave me with a small surplus over the course of the year. Plus the gubernment is giving me €250 in energy credit which is going to be pure profit for me whoop whoop.

Solar panels have eliminated my electricity bill for the forseeable future. At €1,300 a year and system cost of €6,900 (post grant, 7.96kw with no eddi or battery) that's a payback period of slightly around 5.5 years. Equivalent to a tax free return of 18.8% on investment, which is in turn equivalent to a pre-DIRT interest rate of 28%. Even if the price of electricity and feed in tariff drop by 50% (unlikely) that's still equivalent to a pre-DIRT interest rate of 14% which would be spectacular.

So who the hell cares about 10 dull days in November.

The recent spell of cloudy high pressure that has affected Ireland for the past fortnight has meant that my PV panels have generated a grand total of 1.6 units over the past 12 days! Total revenue raised has been 30cent!
If this continues, then the break-even point for my PV solar installation will be in about 73 years time, which is a bit longer than I anticipated!

(I read on the UK Netweather site that Ireland has experienced a total of 1 hour's sunshine over the past 11 days!)

Thesw 2 posts are at odds with eachother. Interesting thing about Marsupials post is that the weather has been bright and sunny albeit also cloudy. I thought that its day light rather than direct sun thats needed?

 

[ArthurMcB]

The recent spell of cloudy high pressure that has affected Ireland for the past fortnight has meant that my PV panels have generated a grand total of 1.6 units over the past 12 days! Total revenue raised has been 30cent!
If this continues, then the break-even point for my PV solar installation will be in about 73 years time, which is a bit longer than I anticipated!

(I read on the UK Netweather site that Ireland has experienced a total of 1 hour's sunshine over the past 11 days!)

As a possible buyer of solars soon, this is concerning.

As per my question above. Isnt it daylight rather than direct sunlight that matters? Plenty of decent daylight recently for the time of yr so shoukd be generating quite well?

If direct sunlights needed i cant see point in ever getting solars given the lack of sunshine where I live!

 

[SquirrelChaser]

As a possible buyer of solars soon, this is concerning.

As per my question above. Isnt it daylight rather than direct sunlight that matters? Plenty of decent daylight recently for the time of yr so shoukd be generating quite well?

If direct sunlights needed i cant see point in ever getting solars given the lack of sunshine where I live!

It shouldn't be concerning at all.

Direct sunlight will always be better than sunlight filtered by clouds. More direct sunshine during the summer will impart more energy than more angled sunshine during the winter. My solar power during June was more than 3 times what it was during October. Who cares, because the credit I built up during the summer will pay for the winter: at one stage I had exported more than 4 times as much electricity as I consumed per the smart meter.

I estimated my solar potential by reference to a nearby relatives actual generation, scaling for array size and adjusting for orientation. I then crosschecked it with an online calculator which gave me pretty much the same result.

I can't remember which one I used but there's an EU one which you can get (I can't add links) by googling PHOTOVOLTAIC GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM. I just checked its estimated production Vs my actual production over the last few months and while it's high or low for every month, over the last 7 months it's actually bang on the money (it predicts 4.174 MWh and I generated 4.173). It accounts for shading as well I think.

Unless your house is at the bottom of a valley with a tall forest all around, it's probably financially worthwhile getting solar.

I'd also suggest that instead of checking here about solar energy potential, you go knock on the door of the nearest house to you with panels on the roof. The odds are it's inhabited by a total nerd who'd be only delighted to show you their app with all their solar energy production on it, and brag about how much money they're saving! Worth asking on your local Facebook page as well.

 

[Leo]

Thesw 2 posts are at odds with eachother. Interesting thing about Marsupials post is that the weather has been bright and sunny albeit also cloudy. I thought that its day light rather than direct sun thats needed?

Along with @SquirrelChaser's comments, remember that factors such as location (cloud cover varies across the country) and panel orientation will also play a role. After all, Marsupial's profile suggests they are located in 'Deepest, darkest, gloomiest, Munster.'

 

[Marsupial]

As a possible buyer of solars soon, this is concerning.

As per my question above. Isnt it daylight rather than direct sunlight that matters? Plenty of decent daylight recently for the time of yr so shoukd be generating quite well?

If direct sunlights needed i cant see point in ever getting solars given the lack of sunshine where I live!

I refer to you to my earlier post on this thread (first page, second post) which summarises my (overall very positive) PV solar experience over a full year. As I wrote there: "78% of my total yearly PV energy was generated in the 6 months between 1 April and 30 September." So late October/ early November is never going to be a game changer, but it has still been rather disappointing this year.

 

[MrEarl]

As a possible buyer of solars soon, this is concerning.

If you are going to base your decision on performance over a few days, then you are making a mistake, before you even get started!

Go back and read the numerous posts on this thread, join the group recommend by multiple people (incl. myself) over on FB.

I live in Dublin, bought a 5kw system, plus a battery, approx 1 year ago. I'm broadly on target, in terms of the level of energy that I expected to produce.

I've no regrets about having invested in solar, and would recommend it, without hesitation, to just about everyone.

 

[AJAM]

Agreed, Solar is the best thing I ever bought.
Just wish I had of put more panels up, when I was doing it.