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Author: Subject: Anyone got solar panels on here?
BenB

posted on 28/2/15 at 05:59 PM Reply With Quote
Anyone got solar panels on here?

We had a 5kW solar panel system installed at work last week- unfortunately I wasn't there when it happened and now have to sort out the right royal cock-up that resulted. We had bought a SunnyBoy 5000TL-21 and the panels and organised for an installer to install them (recommended by the supplier). First they said the 5000TL-21 was illegal and persuaded our manager to go with microinverters (so just another £1200 of costs). The SunnyBoy we had bought over a year ago so we can't return it.... SMA have now confirmed that they could install it (IE the installer lied) and of course having 16 microinverters on the roof does mean if one goes wrong it's a PITA to replace. The main issue however was the placement of the panels. Rather than putting them on the shade-free roofs (we have 10 roofs in various directions) they put them on a roof which is easy to get onto but the lower part of which is shaded for the vast majority of the time. So our 5kW system is creating about 700w most of the time and of the 16 panels often only 9 are producing anything. In the middle of summer it won't be a problem but in the middle of summer a panel at the bottom of a 20 foot well will create light for a short time!

Has anyone got a solar system and is able to say what their production was for the last 6 days (Monday to the end of play today).

We made a rather disappointing 27kW in six days. Wasn't the sunniest weather all week granted but we did have a couple of very sunny days. We're now looking at getting them to correct them so would be good to have something to compare it to. The installers said we'd be doing well if we made 20kW a week in winter which sounds like BS (then again given where they installed them....). Suspect we'll have to go via the associated of solar installers (assuming there is a regulatory body) or perhaps via the suppliers who sold us all the gear and recommended these people.

Really annoying though. I try to delegate and we get sold £1200 worth of stuff we didn't need on false pretences, get charged a lot to install them and the panels get installed where they're mostly in the shade... Grrrrrrr....

So what should we expect per kW of system at this time of year?

[Edited on 28/2/15 by BenB]

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ste

posted on 28/2/15 at 06:14 PM Reply With Quote
I'd be calling trading standards or at least threatening them with it and get them out to sort it.
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trextr7monkey

posted on 28/2/15 at 08:48 PM Reply With Quote
We had a set fitted before Xmas as the feed in tariffs were going down in January. We used a local electrical firm who supplied and fitted they quoted for 15 but managed to fit 16 which we obviously agreed to.
They reckoned the output would be minimal this time of year so we are not stressing about it.
I would go back to the original quote and then question the competence of the installation crew who sound a bit sharp
Good luck

Mike





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SALAD

posted on 28/2/15 at 10:04 PM Reply With Quote
Sounds like they recommended the individual inverters so they could get away installing the panels on the shaded easy access roof.
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samjc

posted on 1/3/15 at 08:31 AM Reply With Quote
Youv been taken for a ride a friend of mine fits solar from time to time and their is a regulating body ill ask him what it is. Sounds like their wanting minimal work but biggest pay out. If manufactrer states it meet regulations then youv been miss informed and wrong miss sold goods im unsure how well it would go down with trading standards but id assume if they have to come out to do a proper job of it then surely they can remove and refund the £1200 units for the ones you original wanted. Guys on here will no more on the legality of miss sold goods. Id be contacting trading standards for advise on the matter before contacting the installers that will only try and fob you off.
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davidinhull

posted on 1/3/15 at 10:46 AM Reply With Quote
Hi
I have I idea what I produced over the last week, but my 4k system is producing lots today (it's sunny in hull today)
I can check the next week if you want, but the weather up here could be considerably different to London
I would expect your more southerly location would produce more than me
Its not yet midday, and I'm getting an output of 2650W now

David

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sebastiaan

posted on 1/3/15 at 12:22 PM Reply With Quote
Hi Ben,

This:
quote:
Originally posted by SALAD
Sounds like they recommended the individual inverters so they could get away installing the panels on the shaded easy access roof.


is probably true, and it sounds like you've now got a system where at least one of the (two?) )strings of panels is now partially shaded, vastly reducing the efficiency/yield of all panels in that string.

To get a better feel for what you should be getting, this: http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps4/pvest.php is a really useful tool. It also allows you to see the differences between a south-facing installation and one that faces west or east (someting like 20% on a yearly basis). It also tells you what you could expect as average (!) daily yield in all months of the year.

For my system (running for 2,5 years now), the predictions were ridiculously close t +/- 1% or so. YMMV of course.

Just as comparison: my installation is west-facing and should get around 1kWh per day per installed kW in February. December is the worst month with around 0,47kWh/day/kWp and June the best at 3,84 kWh/day/kWp.

Don't know about trading standards as I'm not in the UK. Good luck getting it sorted!

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BenB

posted on 1/3/15 at 12:26 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks for all the info and opinions. Sounds like I'm not being overly or unjustifiably annoyed then, will have a play with that calculator Sebastiann and see what we should get. I'm going in to work later so will see what output we're getting.
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BenB

posted on 1/3/15 at 05:37 PM Reply With Quote
Very interesting website that one- thanks!
Just done a quick check and we should be getting about 12kW on average per day from this system. We got 12kW today but only because it was very sunny! On average this week we are making about 6kW per day.
There is a nice SW facing roof which is completely unshaded (and unused!!). A calculation for that shows we would have been making about 11.5kW...

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sebastiaan

posted on 1/3/15 at 06:51 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
Very interesting website that one- thanks!
Just done a quick check and we should be getting about 12kW on average per day from this system. We got 12kW today but only because it was very sunny! On average this week we are making about 6kW per day.
There is a nice SW facing roof which is completely unshaded (and unused!!). A calculation for that shows we would have been making about 11.5kW...


That website is your tax Euro's at work ;-)

I'd monitor the situation for a few days, but if they installed the system on a shaded roof if there's an unshaded SW facing roof available htey were either looking for the quickest way out or aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.... Hope you gt it sorted!

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