Do you have the model number of the inverter to hand?
Solar Energy and saving money
- Thread starter Radioman
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Switchornot
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Not sure if its the model number but the name I got was SigenStor EC 5.0SP
Bad month so far, but I did the sums on my returns since I had it installed in March and I'm more than happy. Nov-Jan are always going to be very low anyway.
With generation poor at this time of year, I've set my battery to charge up during the cheap night hours we have on our EV Smart plan, so some of my daily usage is at 7c a unit. I also set it to charge for a couple of hours before the expensive peak rate kicks in between 5pm and 7pm so I never have to buy any units at peak rate (which I think is around 45c a unit)
My total electricity bill for the year is likely to be around €150 (admittedly some of that is down to the govt credits that I would have received either way).
With generation poor at this time of year, I've set my battery to charge up during the cheap night hours we have on our EV Smart plan, so some of my daily usage is at 7c a unit. I also set it to charge for a couple of hours before the expensive peak rate kicks in between 5pm and 7pm so I never have to buy any units at peak rate (which I think is around 45c a unit)
My total electricity bill for the year is likely to be around €150 (admittedly some of that is down to the govt credits that I would have received either way).
SquirrelChaser
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Just a quick follow up. The net cost of my electricity over the last 2 months has been the princely sum of €45, as compared to my previous average of €110 per month.
I wish I had more room, to put up more panels!
For anyone who isn't aware, the actual solar panels, are typically cheap enough, averaging €300 - €400 depending on make and model etc.
In fact, I'm starting to consider building a small extension to the back of our house, and top of my concerns isn't the internal floor space, amount of natural light, but how many more panels I can install, once it's built
Aren't you capped by the size of the inverter?I wish I had more room, to put up more panels!
For anyone who isn't aware, the actual solar panels, are typically cheap enough, averaging €300 - €400 depending on make and model etc.
In fact, I'm starting to consider building a small extension to the back of our house, and top of my concerns isn't the internal floor space, amount of natural light, but how many more panels I can install, once it's built
Not really. If you put up say 10kW of panels with a 5kW inverter, yes in the middle of a summers day the maximum you can generate is 5kW, but outside of that peak time you’ll be generating double what you could have with half the panels. Given that the vast majority of the time you won’t be getting full output from your panels it makes a lot of sense to over-provision them and let the inverter ‘clip’ the power in those few summer hours where you are producing more than it can use.
That's it, exactly, @Zenith63
Sadly, I'm also only talking about another 3-4 panels, as it would be a modest enough extension.
Some interesting and informative Youtube videos regarding PV solar can be found at this link:-
https://www.youtube.com/@GaryDoesSolar *
He also offers an interesting ready reckoner: https://garydoessolar.com/utilities/dailymodellingutility/ which I am currently testing out.
* This link appeared briefly on this thread yesterday, and then mysteriously disappeared!
https://www.youtube.com/@GaryDoesSolar *
He also offers an interesting ready reckoner: https://garydoessolar.com/utilities/dailymodellingutility/ which I am currently testing out.
* This link appeared briefly on this thread yesterday, and then mysteriously disappeared!
A brief follow up to my earlier post:
Total PV energy generated in November 2023: 106 kWh
Total PV energy generated in November 2024: 54 kWh
Hopefully the sun will return next month.
Everyone had a bad November 2024 - but, November was never expected to produce much, and it's not known for its clear, bright, long days, so why worry about it?
Investing in Solar is a long term investment that generates solid pong term returns, it's like buying equities, so forget the day trader type of mindset
Investing in Solar is a long term investment that generates solid pong term returns, it's like buying equities, so forget the day trader type of mindset
In our case, I can't see it moving the dial much. Our home is already A rated, plus given the rate of improvement in panels year-on-year, like all other technology, it's out of date nearly as soon as you've got it.
Everyone had a bad November 2024 - but, November was never expected to produce much, and it's not known for its clear, bright, long days, so why worry about it?
Investing in Solar is a long term investment that generates solid pong term returns, it's like buying equities, so forget the day trader type of mindset
Which is why I invested. But I regard a decline in monthly production of almost 50% as being statistically noteworthy, whether it occurs in June or in November!
So says the sales pitch....but does it really?