Thanks for watching and please let us know your thoughts and feel free to ask any questions in the comments section. If you'd like a quote from Spirit Energy for your solar / battery system, please do send an enquiry or email through our website and we'll do our best to contact you within two days. Alternatively, if you'd like Tok to design and quote for your system himself then please send an email to tokc@spiritenergy.co.uk.
Great video as always. I've heard that it is very difficult to claim on panel warranties. Although I think it is still useful as a guide to how long the manufacturer thinks the panel might last. I had Aiko 2S 455W panels installed (early January), so far they have been performing well. 8 panels West, 7 panels East. Portrait. There's a chimney and a boiler flue on the East side, so I had optimisers put onto the 5 panels closest to the chimney. No optimisers on the West. In January, every single panel on my East array will be shaded at about 13:20 from my chimney (including the non-optimised panels), but somehow they're still generating a reasonable amount despite the shadow passing across them on clear days (less than when they are unshaded, obviously, but more than I was expecting, since in theory portrait panels with a shadow passing all the way across them should generate nothing). On misty days obviously the shadows are irrelevant. I've heard that roof-mounted bifacials get about 2% benefit, mostly from the small amount of light that passes through the top cell. I think the Eurener panels are interesting if you need a non-standard sized panel in order to make best use of roof space. Personally I would avoid Sunpower. Their financial situation is very bad so not sure how long they will continue to survive. Longi has some interesting back-contact cells at the prototype stage, but their current panels don't look that great. Regarding Neostar 3, etc, I don't think it is ever worth waiting months for the next 0.5% efficiency increase. The efficiency increase from the routine evolution of panels is invariably less than the opportunity cost, and there's always something slightly better on the horizon.
Very useful comparison, thanks. Is there any difference in the glass surfaces of the various panels - istr some windows with nano textured surfaces claiming to be self cleaning and was thinking of dirt degrading output. Would I be right in thinking that in UK summer, the panels could be running at 60C on a 30C air temperature day? The further above 25, the more important those small temperature coefficient differences become. Also, I wonder why the cheaper DMEGC panel didn’t get more love, yet it was said to be increasingly popular?
You don't "need" MCS for domestic either, it has no basis in statute and is just an independent organisation left over from the FIT scheme that seems to have captured the industry. Flexi orb and others exist, the rest of the supplier industry needs to follow Octopuses lead and allow export without it.
This is great, thank you! We’re thinking of AIKO neostar2 after watching all your videos (maybe 3 but AIKO told me they’re only available at the end of Q3) all black for an in roof system, do you recommend a specific integration set? e.g the GSE solution, any pros/cons to different systems?
The delay on the NeoStar 3 is a shame. I'd not heard about that. We were told Q1 by AIKO but maybe they won't make it to the UK by then. The GSE integration system is great, although the newest panels aren't fire tested with it yet unfortunately. The panels that we use with GSE are the Longi 435 W panels which look great and are quite efficient. Viridian is also a great alternative, especially if you're looking to get Velux windows as well. The GSE system is more versatile, however, I'd say that Viridian is probably better quality. Although you have to go with their 410 W panels.
400 mm is the guidance for pitched roof. 1000 mm recommended for flat roofs. You can go tighter than this to the edge without issue, although your installer should model for increased wind uplift. You're usually fine up to 200 mm from the edge, however any tighter then that and the internal rafter spacing can throw up issues. Also edge tiles tend to be cemented in, so you can't lift them to install clamps. To answer your question, 200 mm is probably fine in most cases. But it's getting pretty tight to the edge if you go closer than that. Thanks, Tok
If you're planning to install solar panels on both roofs and walls (and maybe grounds) is there a particular choice you'd recommend? Or combine different types?
@@spiritenergy_uk The Aikos seem to be performing well for me, when shaded. Theoretically they should be able to cope with 3 cells being shaded per substring before the bypass diodes need to kick in. Obviously it's hard to judge marketing claims, some of the trade show demonstrations frankly look like bullshit, but their tech blog post from last summer looks quite plausible. If anything, my panels seem to be performing better than the tech blog post would suggest, given the horizontal shading from my chimney going all the way across the portrait panels.
@spiritenergy_uk looking forward to the video. That is something I am interest to see how the process of wall mounted solar panels work. If you need to get a permit before works begin.
With shading can you clarify the bypass diodes and half-cell technology means only the panel that is shaded still generates, but at a much lower level than if it wasn't shaded? Or is the whole string of panels comprimised and won't generate at full capacity until the shading has been eliminated?
Theoretically the bypass diodes should let the shaded panel be bypassed, and should not affect the rest of the string. I'm told that optimisers will perform better in shade compared to panels without optimisers, but I'm not sure why, given the bypass diodes. I did put optimisers onto the panels which get the most hard shading from my chimney, but have no idea whether that genuinely helps or not. When there is a shadow going across my entire array, I still get a reasonable level of output despite some panels having optimisers and some not having optimisers. In theory I should be getting nothing from the array in that scenario.
@WyndStryke oh wow! Performance even with some degree of shading, interesting! My current system is Solaredge, so has the optimisers. It was installed in late 2011. Panels back then were 250w . 14 panels plus Solaredge inverter was £14k. Am looking to update the system. I have roof space for 18 panels, plus looking to add up to 21kwh of battery. That way I could use those oil type electric heaters in winter to reduce gas consumption as well. Reduce annual energy cost by about £2k easily. Break even in 8-9 years. Panel degradation, after 14 years, on my existing system is zero, easily. The claims they make are true, in my experience.
I find with the bottom half of the panels fully shaded, you get about half the output. Half cut panels seem to be divided in two so that the top half operates independently of the bottom. Each half is further divided into three sections with a bypass diode although these are shared by the top and bottom halves. I find them very shade tolerant. You can cover part of the panel and output will hardly drop. My setup is over panelled so I can lose some output without really noticing.
Yes - certainly. They doesn't seem to be available from UK suppliers at the moment, however, if you've found them then I would definitely recommend them. Do let me know where you managed to purchase them from if so..
Thanks for watching and please let us know your thoughts and feel free to ask any questions in the comments section. If you'd like a quote from Spirit Energy for your solar / battery system, please do send an enquiry or email through our website and we'll do our best to contact you within two days. Alternatively, if you'd like Tok to design and quote for your system himself then please send an email to tokc@spiritenergy.co.uk.
Another excellent video, Tok. Thank you
Great video as always. I've heard that it is very difficult to claim on panel warranties. Although I think it is still useful as a guide to how long the manufacturer thinks the panel might last.
I had Aiko 2S 455W panels installed (early January), so far they have been performing well. 8 panels West, 7 panels East. Portrait. There's a chimney and a boiler flue on the East side, so I had optimisers put onto the 5 panels closest to the chimney. No optimisers on the West. In January, every single panel on my East array will be shaded at about 13:20 from my chimney (including the non-optimised panels), but somehow they're still generating a reasonable amount despite the shadow passing across them on clear days (less than when they are unshaded, obviously, but more than I was expecting, since in theory portrait panels with a shadow passing all the way across them should generate nothing). On misty days obviously the shadows are irrelevant.
I've heard that roof-mounted bifacials get about 2% benefit, mostly from the small amount of light that passes through the top cell.
I think the Eurener panels are interesting if you need a non-standard sized panel in order to make best use of roof space.
Personally I would avoid Sunpower. Their financial situation is very bad so not sure how long they will continue to survive.
Longi has some interesting back-contact cells at the prototype stage, but their current panels don't look that great.
Regarding Neostar 3, etc, I don't think it is ever worth waiting months for the next 0.5% efficiency increase. The efficiency increase from the routine evolution of panels is invariably less than the opportunity cost, and there's always something slightly better on the horizon.
Thank you. All I needed to know.
Very useful comparison, thanks.
Is there any difference in the glass surfaces of the various panels - istr some windows with nano textured surfaces claiming to be self cleaning and was thinking of dirt degrading output.
Would I be right in thinking that in UK summer, the panels could be running at 60C on a 30C air temperature day? The further above 25, the more important those small temperature coefficient differences become.
Also, I wonder why the cheaper DMEGC panel didn’t get more love, yet it was said to be increasingly popular?
I’m in Newcastle so too far from you for a quote. Can you recommend a local company near to me pls?
Are there in-roof mounts for jumbo panels?
You don't "need" MCS for domestic either, it has no basis in statute and is just an independent organisation left over from the FIT scheme that seems to have captured the industry. Flexi orb and others exist, the rest of the supplier industry needs to follow Octopuses lead and allow export without it.
This is great, thank you! We’re thinking of AIKO neostar2 after watching all your videos (maybe 3 but AIKO told me they’re only available at the end of Q3) all black for an in roof system, do you recommend a specific integration set? e.g the GSE solution, any pros/cons to different systems?
The delay on the NeoStar 3 is a shame. I'd not heard about that. We were told Q1 by AIKO but maybe they won't make it to the UK by then.
The GSE integration system is great, although the newest panels aren't fire tested with it yet unfortunately. The panels that we use with GSE are the Longi 435 W panels which look great and are quite efficient.
Viridian is also a great alternative, especially if you're looking to get Velux windows as well.
The GSE system is more versatile, however, I'd say that Viridian is probably better quality. Although you have to go with their 410 W panels.
What regulations determine the size of the border required on a roof? I hear 400-1000mm mentioned.
400 mm is the guidance for pitched roof. 1000 mm recommended for flat roofs. You can go tighter than this to the edge without issue, although your installer should model for increased wind uplift. You're usually fine up to 200 mm from the edge, however any tighter then that and the internal rafter spacing can throw up issues. Also edge tiles tend to be cemented in, so you can't lift them to install clamps.
To answer your question, 200 mm is probably fine in most cases. But it's getting pretty tight to the edge if you go closer than that.
Thanks,
Tok
If you're planning to install solar panels on both roofs and walls (and maybe grounds) is there a particular choice you'd recommend? Or combine different types?
If you don’t have shading then probably Aiko. If you do then go REC.
Feel free to get in touch with us if you’d like a quote.
@@spiritenergy_uk The Aikos seem to be performing well for me, when shaded. Theoretically they should be able to cope with 3 cells being shaded per substring before the bypass diodes need to kick in. Obviously it's hard to judge marketing claims, some of the trade show demonstrations frankly look like bullshit, but their tech blog post from last summer looks quite plausible. If anything, my panels seem to be performing better than the tech blog post would suggest, given the horizontal shading from my chimney going all the way across the portrait panels.
What is your recommendation for wall mount setup?
Very similar to that of the roof mounted setup. We have a video on wall mounted coming soon.
@spiritenergy_uk looking forward to the video. That is something I am interest to see how the process of wall mounted solar panels work. If you need to get a permit before works begin.
@@chrisroots9224 You don't need a permit, it's within permitted development in most cases.
With shading can you clarify the bypass diodes and half-cell technology means only the panel that is shaded still generates, but at a much lower level than if it wasn't shaded? Or is the whole string of panels comprimised and won't generate at full capacity until the shading has been eliminated?
Theoretically the bypass diodes should let the shaded panel be bypassed, and should not affect the rest of the string. I'm told that optimisers will perform better in shade compared to panels without optimisers, but I'm not sure why, given the bypass diodes. I did put optimisers onto the panels which get the most hard shading from my chimney, but have no idea whether that genuinely helps or not.
When there is a shadow going across my entire array, I still get a reasonable level of output despite some panels having optimisers and some not having optimisers. In theory I should be getting nothing from the array in that scenario.
@WyndStryke oh wow! Performance even with some degree of shading, interesting! My current system is Solaredge, so has the optimisers. It was installed in late 2011. Panels back then were 250w . 14 panels plus Solaredge inverter was £14k. Am looking to update the system. I have roof space for 18 panels, plus looking to add up to 21kwh of battery. That way I could use those oil type electric heaters in winter to reduce gas consumption as well. Reduce annual energy cost by about £2k easily. Break even in 8-9 years. Panel degradation, after 14 years, on my existing system is zero, easily. The claims they make are true, in my experience.
I find with the bottom half of the panels fully shaded, you get about half the output. Half cut panels seem to be divided in two so that the top half operates independently of the bottom. Each half is further divided into three sections with a bypass diode although these are shared by the top and bottom halves. I find them very shade tolerant. You can cover part of the panel and output will hardly drop. My setup is over panelled so I can lose some output without really noticing.
What about the Comet 2N?
Yes - certainly. They doesn't seem to be available from UK suppliers at the moment, however, if you've found them then I would definitely recommend them. Do let me know where you managed to purchase them from if so..
@ Thanks for the advice, their are in stock just now from the Battery Group 👍🏻
Unsubscribed...
Too many Advts.
Good content wasted as advt constantly breaks the flow and rewind of video is required
I apologise for this. In the video promotions for Spirit? Or RUclips ads?
Ah, I see. RUclips has placed about 10 adverts automatically. That’s awful. I have removed them all. I apologise again.
Thanks.
Subscribed again and will delete this comment after rewatching the video
All the best
Thanks. Interested in any feedback on the video that you may have.