How to plan a solar system

[demented dale]

50A is fine for your setup

Hello BR. I bought these. They are 12 AWG. i have got the order on hold till i asked you. are they good? thank you. d x

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[British Red]

Hello BR. I bought these. They are 12 AWG. i have got the order on hold till i asked you. are they good? thank you. d x

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Sounds right

 

[demented dale]

Sounds right

thank you x

 

[demented dale]

Sounds right

Hello BR. just to share the good news and say thank you. I have now got two panels all set up and charging and will be doing the four panel array this week. I might have a couple more questions for you but for now its good and I just wanted to say thank you. Dale xxx

 

[British Red]

Hello BR. just to share the good news and say thank you. I have now got two panels all set up and charging and will be doing the four panel array this week. I might have a couple more questions for you but for now its good and I just wanted to say thank you. Dale xxx

I'm delighted Dale, well done!

 

[Stew]

I’m still not sorted on my home setup but I’ve just had 50kw system installed at work. It’ll be expanded to 60 soon and I’m also going to have another couple of arrays the same sort of size installed.



None of it will end up going back to the grid!!

 

[British Red]

I’m still not sorted on my home setup but I’ve just had 50kw system installed at work. It’ll be expanded to 60 soon and I’m also going to have another couple of arrays the same sort of size installed.



None of it will end up going back to the grid!!

That's impressive!

 

[demented dale]

I’m still not sorted on my home setup but I’ve just had 50kw system installed at work. It’ll be expanded to 60 soon and I’m also going to have another couple of arrays the same sort of size installed.



None of it will end up going back to the grid!!

what will you do with all that power?

I'm delighted Dale, well done!

Hey up BR . Hello there. is there a way to check each panel individually to see if they are all working. They are in 12 volt in parralell. Do I just disconnect them one at a time? d x

 

[Stew]

what will you do with all that power?

Hey up BR . Hello there. is there a way to check each panel individually to see if they are all working. They are in 12 volt in parralell. Do I just disconnect them one at a time? d x

It’ll all get used. My electric bill is £6 - £9k per month!

 

[demented dale]

That's impressive!

and a second question please BR. what happens when the panels are out in the sun but not connected to a charge controller or battery? can they be damaged? x

 

[trashcanman1984]

and a second question please BR. what happens when the panels are out in the sun but not connected to a charge controller or battery? can they be damaged? x

Check with a volt meter, the voltage ratings are on the rear of the panel.

As for when panels are up but not connected to a battery, they will be fine. The electrons bounce around but stays static, the flow of electricity can just happen when your ready.

I have put 10 panels up and another 20 will be ordered soon to bring it to 15kw. Once I have replaced a Portal frame building roof, I will then flood that too, with the aim of 30kw of panels in total....I am doing the installation myself with a help of a friend, so a little slower than usual...

 

[trashcanman1984]

what will you do with all that power?

Hey up BR . Hello there. is there a way to check each panel individually to see if they are all working. They are in 12 volt in parralell. Do I just disconnect them one at a time? d x

Check with a volt meter based upon rear panel ratings, and then you can check the voltage based upon configuration. I would always aim to increase voltage over amps on smaller systems, as the efficiency in voltage equals higher amp charge rates. But will voltage limited systems, there is not much you can do?

Now for unbalanced watts, you need to balance the voltage, and join matching watt rated panels together, before linking in. You will lose watts in some configurations i.e. 2 x 100watt Plus 2 x 120 watts = 400 watts

 

[demented dale]

Check with a volt meter based upon rear panel ratings, and then you can check the voltage based upon configuration. I would always aim to increase voltage over amps on smaller systems, as the efficiency in voltage equals higher amp charge rates. But will voltage limited systems, there is not much you can do?

Now for unbalanced watts, you need to balance the voltage, and join matching watt rated panels together, before linking in. You will lose watts in some configurations i.e. 2 x 100watt Plus 2 x 120 watts = 400 watts

Thanks but you ve lost me . Thats too technical pour moi. I just need to know if they are working or not. figured I would plug them in one at a time and then look at the charge controller. x

 

[Stew]

Just use your multimeter directly on the panels outputs.

You do need to know the output, especially on second hand ones.

 

[slowworm]

I have put 10 panels up and another 20 will be ordered soon to bring it to 15kw. Once I have replaced a Portal frame building roof, I will then flood that too, with the aim of 30kw of panels in total....I am doing the installation myself with a help of a friend, so a little slower than usual...

Do you plan to use all the 30kw when it's sunny enough to max our, or sell it back to the grid?

Also, do you have an idea what a 30kw setup would produce on say a winter's day with a bit of sun and bit of cloud?

 

[trashcanman1984]

Do you plan to use all the 30kw when it's sunny enough to max our, or sell it back to the grid?

Also, do you have an idea what a 30kw setup would produce on say a winter's day with a bit of sun and bit of cloud?

I have three phase so can sell / feed back 11.8kw without argument with UK power network / grid. I will be requesting an extra 10kw, so about 20kw, if the local network can take it. I will also have 30kw battery storage. But I am planning on having 3 separate 8kw single phase inverters (max 24kw) so I will be over loading them, and a switch over 6kw power system at 12v.

The feed in will be an unbalanced 3 phase system, otherwise I would have to change my inverter idea, from single phase inverters to a separate 3 phase inverter. I already have an 8kw inverter, thus thinking about keeping it.

As for your question, on a winters cloudy part sun day, with a 30kw panel system, I would be likely to get 3 to 7% of that per hour for about 6 hours, so that will go straight to the battery storage.

Edit - forgot to add

Future proofing the home, I was going to install three electric car charging points, one at 16kw, one at 7kw, and a standard 3 pin plug 64amp rcbo, so I can tailor any electric car charging based upon how well the solar panels are generating.

 

[British Red]

what will you do with all that power?

Hey up BR . Hello there. is there a way to check each panel individually to see if they are all working. They are in 12 volt in parralell. Do I just disconnect them one at a time? d x

Just disconnect the panel & put a multimeter on the leads of the disconnected panel. A cheap multimeter is worth it's weight in Gold

 

[British Red]

Thanks but you ve lost me . Thats too technical pour moi. I just need to know if they are working or not. figured I would plug them in one at a time and then look at the charge controller. x

That should work okay

 

[British Red]

and a second question please BR. what happens when the panels are out in the sun but not connected to a charge controller or battery? can they be damaged? x

Nope, they will be fine

 

[lostplanet]

My GF lives in a rented bungalow (more like a villa) with small bathroom, 1 bedroom and a living/kitchen area.
The house is set up with economy 7 storage heaters which are totally useless and cost a fortune to run. Currently she is on a PAYG meter. There is no central heating as such and the water is heated by time switch electric in the loft.

She's a Nurse and starts early in the morning. Damp is a problem for her and with the rising costs of electricity its getting harder to heat the place for reasonable cost.

What are the solar options available if she just wanted to heat the house (some of the rooms) at set times during the cold season?

I am pretty sure she could get permission to fit them and associated electronics but i think the owner would be reluctant to pay for it so we would have to finance it.

Advice would be great please,