Follow my solar journery at evnick.com/solar or get a fixed price for a solar pv install from heatable clicking evnick.com/heatable System Spec: 10x REA Bi Facial PV Solar Panels 410w 10x IQ7+ Enphase Micro Inverters Alpha ESS 5 kWh Home Storage Battery AC Coupled
@@miickypinteresting that you’ve had PV that long. I’m still hearing people (inc people in the solar industry) saying battery storage isn’t cost effective due to long payback. Have you any thoughts on that?
Indeed can’t stop checking app, these panels are amazing as well even a non bright day and they kick out tons this bifacial tech I wasn’t sure about I need to now get another array on my neighbors house without these panels and micro inverters to compare
@@NicolasRaimo I'm 6 months in and still checking regularly and maintaining a spreadsheet 😆 Hope you get your export sorted quickly, mine took ages due to a discrepancy between G99 and MCS cert
Neat roof install. I would have preferred the electrical devices inside the garage next to consumer unit rather than next to the meter box but I guess there were reasons for that. Looking forward to the data. Days getting shorter so generation all that more important.
Roofer was happy to be on camera and electrians were all pulling straws on who had to talk, it’s a bit odd when someone tells you here’s your microphone and there’s the camera without any prompt of what am going to ask
Roof looked to have no shade so microinverters an unnecessary expense that could have been saved. Your microinverters have a maximum power output of 295va. This, I presume, will be a lot less than your panels output. Also leaves double the amount of equipment ( panel + inverter ) on the roof to potentially fail and require scaffolding to replace. Buy quality panels and inverter would minimise your future expense.
Micro inverters have a 25 year warranty and a 1 in 2500 failure rate also I have no single point of failure, they switch on with lower voltage meaning extra generation as well, some shading from the chimney but remember this is the UK and clouds could shade panels this system should out preform any inverter system with better redundancy
I never understand why people think you only use microinverters for shade. There are so many other benefits. You can combat shade on a string with optimisers. Other benefits to be aware of - No high voltage DC cabling (most of the solar fires are caused by high voltage DC arcing) 22v start up and shut down - more generation No AC draw through the night like hybrids Fully addressable Whole system fault limitation Warranty period (those are Enphase so 25 years). That a comparable 10-15 year warranty risk against a string inverter Shading is an additional bonus. As for the 295va - what do you think a UK panel is doing year round?
@@PVOK232 I agree that dc, when installed incorrectly, can arc but the high voltage leads to less power loss. As todays panels are 420w ish, then putting 295w maximum inverters on them potentially loses 30% immediately and that is throughout the day. A 420w panel in the uk can easily pass 295w on a sunny day and would be I.r.o that on a cloudy day with diffuse sunlight.
@@billyoung2458From my experience, 90% of UK systems never frequently get above 70% of their Pmax, save for perhaps a few hours over summer. When this does occur, it’s usually midday and unless your battery (if you have one) has a very high charge rate or spare capacity, as typically on those days the batteries are already full then you end up exporting it for 3,5 or 10p etc. It’s not standard practice to install a 3.6kwp system with a 3.6kw string, the efficiency would be terrible. Personally, I’d take an early start up, late shut down with a flat production curve which met my demands over a peaky system which needs 120-250v to kick over (on). DC is cheaper to buy though and most installers are competent fitting it. Horses for courses.
@@billyoung2458 hitting the pmax of my panels might ocur 5% of the year but the other 95% of the year these solar panels will keep the inverters at there most efficient levels and overall will produce more energy than a smaller Pv panel
Would optimisers be a better fit with a battery to improve round-trip efficiency compared to micro-inverters at 3:07? Or do you end up paying more upfront for both an inverter and the optimisers so it's a wash?
You don’t need optimisers with micros they do the same job but micros do even more, optimisers also use a small power overhead so reduce efficiency, micros use a little but less than your string inverter would also micros use nothing when no power is being generated your string inverter would have a standby voltage
@@NicolasRaimo I meant optimisers with a string inverter but your answer covered why that wouldn't be more efficient. So the round-trip loss is a small price to pay for the other benefits of micro inverters. I think longevity and redundancy are a big plus that you can't quantify easily. Another question: Do you have any way of measuring the temperature of your solar array? I wonder if solar panels pick up much heat in cloud cover in winter (debating whether I should invest in PVT)
@@m23605 the micro inverters can show that on Enphase app if you pay extra for the info, micro inverters have more efficiency not less, they turn on more early and shut off later
Lol I keep checking all my apps some times the optimisers the inverter the Shelly or the Victron app like seeing it from different apps, Nick I thought you where going solar edge? PS you are going to find yourself wanting more panels I know I do just so I can over supply the house lol. Took your advice on not having integrated charger so waiting for the Indra Smart Lux to be installed.
The cells are transparent so could be way camera angle got it or reflections behind cells… the micro inverters means I can see each panels performance individually and the month data shows a 0.7kwh difference from the worse to best panel on system for month of august but the panel next to worth is 0.5kwh out and this could be chimney shading or clouds ☁️
Problem I have with enphase and solaredge is the micro inverters (enphase) or power optimizer (solar edge) is that they are installed under the pannel (instead of in the attic space where they could easily replaced) as you will have a micro inverter or power optimizer fail in there lifetime and the costs of getting them replaced wipes out extremely small the savings of using micro inverters or power optimizer I love the idea of them but unless the micro inverters or power optimizers are installed in the attic space or ground solar installed I don't recommend them
@@NicolasRaimo I would just prefer to have them installed in the attic space can't be to much more to feed 2 solar wires into the attic space off each pannel as they are usually long enough to reach, then any fault finding can be done inside the attic space before you have to erect scaffolding to remove panels if they found at fault Also for fully flat roof like this solaredge and enphase isn't as useful as most inverters have shade fix for at least 10 years even on the Chinese inverters ( if you had multiple roof angles or shade sources and you only wanted one string then solar Edge and enphase are good for that but you pay for it)
@@NicolasRaimoit's one groove under each tile per panel (the cable goes under the lip of the tile) and some sort of weatherproofing gasket so draft and moisture doesn't get in Depending on the tiles they might already be doing groove cuts in the tiles for the racking, so 8 more cuts and install the cables and inverters in the attic space for easy testing and parts replacement I believe both types of systems are really good, just that the inverters or power optimizers should be installed in an accessible location when not ground installed, if not a string inverter is easier to service only have to deal with panels or one inverter (if you use a thermal camera you can see witch panels are not working)
I didn't pick up the total installed capacity, I'm guessing 3.25 kilowatt peak? (10 x 325W) Looking forward to seeing how your system performs as your roof has the same orientation as mine, except that I have 6 panels on the east and 4 on the west, totalling 3.25 kilowatt peak.
10 panels 420w and micros are 290w each so 2900kw peak it’s preforming amazing so far am less east more slightly north azimith be in my reports on system
@@NicolasRaimo you sure that's right mate? surely u should be getting around 4.2kW peak with those panels? Those micros are really hampering the capabilities by the sounds of it unless I misunderstand (which I probably do lol)!
@@miickyp panels and micro inverters were designed and specially designed by REA solar (panel make) and Enphase (micro inverter) they are the ones that designed these panels and these micro inverters based on UK weather and getting maximum efficiency from panels…. Designing a 410’watt panel with a 410 micro inverter might seem a better design but you end up with less output over the year this is due to various parts of the system including ideal weather conditions and temperature needed etc… I’ll be doing a video about the benefits of over sizing system and how clipping doesn’t make a major difference to total yearly output however sizing panel to inverter means less efficiency as inverter is designed to be at 80% load for maximum effect.
May I ask some stupid questions ,having no knowledge of solar, are they wired in parallel or series ? Why panels on roof because the expensive of erecting them there and maintaining them in the future ? Could you give a ball park figure of the cost of your system thus far , look forward to your answers ,take care.
Evnick.com/Heatable give you a personal fixed quote for you house I have a 10 panel system and generated 350kwh for august. Roof as where else would I put them it’s angled correctly and I don’t have anywhere else for them, regarding maintaining them the rain should do most cleaning however I see some people get window cleaners to clean them over few years but I think the snow I get here once a year should help with cleaning the dust off. The warranty is 25 years that tells me they don’t expect them to cause any bother
@@NicolasRaimo Any reason you never mention the price I mean I rough price not the exact amount , regarding the panels seems that there’s more options these days rather than going for the roof option , you mention the angle of the panels sounds like you was given a good sales pitch, people are putting the panels on sheds, in the garden which track the sun like satellite version, there are a multi ways rather than roofs , I think it’s moved on from that option, a little bit like the battery has moved on with the liquid battery and the upcoming silicon battery about to hit the market, thanks for reply ,will be watching with interest your future videos, take care.
@@KavanOBrien giving a price ages a video most my videos are viewed years after, prices can go up as well as down the website gives a price without giving your contact info so I’d say that was fair. No sales pitch I just meant it’s better than putting flat to my building surface, panels work better when there angle matches that of your longitude on earth if you have a garage or a shed use that instead I only have a garage and I’d struggle to get 3 panels on it
@@NicolasRaimo Sounds like many reasons not to say this and I did this because, I’m not convinced price may age the video, sounds not right , you may think of me how you like , I’m saying to you how I see it , does it make me right of course not , I can only be me , not trying to be awkward or anything like that , can’t put my finger on it gut feeling tells me something other than what I saw , who know your next video may make me think otherwise, you seem to be a nice soul , as said can only be me, take care.
@@KavanOBrien if you see my charger review videos or my home storage battery videos I never name price as like I said they change that website gives an instant price without your details for your given area your price depends on multi factors it’s not fixed
@@UntrainingUltrarunner I just know that they will need to use scaffolding, upgrade the house wiring and fit a new consumer unit, drill through exterior walls everywhere and fit a new meter. Aside from all that it should be a doodle.. 👍
there are no IP rated boxes with top entry , and those tile gaps , not bad but this whole thig is built for speed and simplicity of the installers not longevity and quality or maintance but for the money they charge what do you expect
@@Actual_electrical_content My apology. You must have eyes like a hawk! I had to watch it again to see the gland at the top of the DNO cabinet. However I can't imagine that a DNO cabinet has much of an IP rating to begin with given the number of spiders in mine! That gland may not have been fitted for this installation as I know he has had at least one battery installed and numerous EV chargers which may require CT clamps on the incomer.
Your tagline raises some important questions. Solar Installation So Easy Your Nan Can Do It! You appear to have hit the nail on the head, it is a comparatively easy job. You clearly don't want people up on their roofs without scaffolding but I have a large garden shed and a carport with south facing roofs so installing 7 or 8 panels would be pretty straitforward. Connecting the panels and a battery to the invertor is also p[retty straitforward. Once again we don't want people electrocuting themselves even at the benefit of improving the national gene pool, so getting an electrician to wire in the invertor would be sensible. Why therefore do we have to pay a large mark up to installers for a system?
Not the best install, no tiles cut everyone needs to be cut so the tiles fit flush and they have cut through the roof felt! You would never catch my lads doing this
Follow my solar journery at evnick.com/solar or get a fixed price for a solar pv install from heatable clicking evnick.com/heatable
System Spec:
10x REA Bi Facial PV Solar Panels 410w
10x IQ7+ Enphase Micro Inverters
Alpha ESS 5 kWh Home Storage Battery AC Coupled
Did you catch the outtakes?
Interesting video Nick. My 4kWp system has generated just under 39,000kWh so far, I've never looked back!🌞😊
Wow, how many years? I've got a 4.68 system and it's generated 5600kwh in 14 months.
@@JamFirst had it around 9.5yrs. Do you have a home battery? I had one fitted a couple years ago & it changed everything!
@@miickyp yes I have a 8.2kwh battery it's been brilliant!
@@JamFirst happy days mate, I've been off grid most of the summer, love it!
@@miickypinteresting that you’ve had PV that long. I’m still hearing people (inc people in the solar industry) saying battery storage isn’t cost effective due to long payback. Have you any thoughts on that?
Love it, Brummie roofers & a Scouse sparky
Welcome to obsessively weather watching 😀
Indeed can’t stop checking app, these panels are amazing as well even a non bright day and they kick out tons this bifacial tech I wasn’t sure about I need to now get another array on my neighbors house without these panels and micro inverters to compare
@@NicolasRaimo I'm 6 months in and still checking regularly and maintaining a spreadsheet 😆
Hope you get your export sorted quickly, mine took ages due to a discrepancy between G99 and MCS cert
@@bill_heywood already being paid has been since august 1st so my first video be for the entire month of august
Neat roof install. I would have preferred the electrical devices inside the garage next to consumer unit rather than next to the meter box but I guess there were reasons for that. Looking forward to the data. Days getting shorter so generation all that more important.
The garage is 30 meters away from house and meter box so distance issue
The roofer new more than the electrician.
Roofer was happy to be on camera and electrians were all pulling straws on who had to talk, it’s a bit odd when someone tells you here’s your microphone and there’s the camera without any prompt of what am going to ask
Roof looked to have no shade so microinverters an unnecessary expense that could have been saved. Your microinverters have a maximum power output of 295va. This, I presume, will be a lot less than your panels output. Also leaves double the amount of equipment ( panel + inverter ) on the roof to potentially fail and require scaffolding to replace. Buy quality panels and inverter would minimise your future expense.
Micro inverters have a 25 year warranty and a 1 in 2500 failure rate also I have no single point of failure, they switch on with lower voltage meaning extra generation as well, some shading from the chimney but remember this is the UK and clouds could shade panels this system should out preform any inverter system with better redundancy
I never understand why people think you only use microinverters for shade. There are so many other benefits.
You can combat shade on a string with optimisers.
Other benefits to be aware of -
No high voltage DC cabling (most of the solar fires are caused by high voltage DC arcing)
22v start up and shut down - more generation
No AC draw through the night like hybrids
Fully addressable
Whole system fault limitation
Warranty period (those are Enphase so 25 years). That a comparable 10-15 year warranty risk against a string inverter
Shading is an additional bonus.
As for the 295va - what do you think a UK panel is doing year round?
@@PVOK232 I agree that dc, when installed incorrectly, can arc but the high voltage leads to less power loss. As todays panels are 420w ish, then putting 295w maximum inverters on them potentially loses 30% immediately and that is throughout the day. A 420w panel in the uk can easily pass 295w on a sunny day and would be I.r.o that on a cloudy day with diffuse sunlight.
@@billyoung2458From my experience, 90% of UK systems never frequently get above 70% of their Pmax, save for perhaps a few hours over summer.
When this does occur, it’s usually midday and unless your battery (if you have one) has a very high charge rate or spare capacity, as typically on those days the batteries are already full then you end up exporting it for 3,5 or 10p etc.
It’s not standard practice to install a 3.6kwp system with a 3.6kw string, the efficiency would be terrible.
Personally, I’d take an early start up, late shut down with a flat production curve which met my demands over a peaky system which needs 120-250v to kick over (on).
DC is cheaper to buy though and most installers are competent fitting it. Horses for courses.
@@billyoung2458 hitting the pmax of my panels might ocur 5% of the year but the other 95% of the year these solar panels will keep the inverters at there most efficient levels and overall will produce more energy than a smaller Pv panel
Would optimisers be a better fit with a battery to improve round-trip efficiency compared to micro-inverters at 3:07? Or do you end up paying more upfront for both an inverter and the optimisers so it's a wash?
You don’t need optimisers with micros they do the same job but micros do even more, optimisers also use a small power overhead so reduce efficiency, micros use a little but less than your string inverter would also micros use nothing when no power is being generated your string inverter would have a standby voltage
@@NicolasRaimo I meant optimisers with a string inverter but your answer covered why that wouldn't be more efficient. So the round-trip loss is a small price to pay for the other benefits of micro inverters. I think longevity and redundancy are a big plus that you can't quantify easily.
Another question: Do you have any way of measuring the temperature of your solar array? I wonder if solar panels pick up much heat in cloud cover in winter (debating whether I should invest in PVT)
@@m23605 the micro inverters can show that on Enphase app if you pay extra for the info, micro inverters have more efficiency not less, they turn on more early and shut off later
Lol I keep checking all my apps some times the optimisers the inverter the Shelly or the Victron app like seeing it from different apps, Nick I thought you where going solar edge? PS you are going to find yourself wanting more panels I know I do just so I can over supply the house lol. Took your advice on not having integrated charger so waiting for the Indra Smart Lux to be installed.
The railing system is manufactured by who please ? Any idea if a new roof is being installed is there a recommendation for doing anything differently?
Am unsure sorry it might be listed on the heatable plurb on the quote if you want to click the link get a quote and see if its listed
Thanks for reply
7:15 "power over ethernet" - surely "ethernet over power"? Like a Homeplug system running on the AC in the SWA between roof and eye-level box?
Yep miss of words see we don’t script it
are the panels okay? looks like some cells are destoryed especially on that bottom left one
The cells are transparent so could be way camera angle got it or reflections behind cells… the micro inverters means I can see each panels performance individually and the month data shows a 0.7kwh difference from the worse to best panel on system for month of august but the panel next to worth is 0.5kwh out and this could be chimney shading or clouds ☁️
@@NicolasRaimo oh cool, sounds all good then
Broken tile there at 6:20!
Do you mean the one at 6:14 with a TINY chip of the corner that just cosmetic? They replaced broken titles full info at the blog on evnick.com/solar
@@NicolasRaimo those tiles are a bitch to work with, as long as they were replaced your good!
Problem I have with enphase and solaredge is the micro inverters (enphase) or power optimizer (solar edge) is that they are installed under the pannel (instead of in the attic space where they could easily replaced)
as you will have a micro inverter or power optimizer fail in there lifetime and the costs of getting them replaced wipes out extremely small the savings of using micro inverters or power optimizer
I love the idea of them but unless the micro inverters or power optimizers are installed in the attic space or ground solar installed I don't recommend them
The failure rate means your solar panel is more likely to fail (Enphase). They have a published failure rate and very very long warranty
@@NicolasRaimo I would just prefer to have them installed in the attic space can't be to much more to feed 2 solar wires into the attic space off each pannel as they are usually long enough to reach, then any fault finding can be done inside the attic space before you have to erect scaffolding to remove panels if they found at fault
Also for fully flat roof like this solaredge and enphase isn't as useful as most inverters have shade fix for at least 10 years even on the Chinese inverters ( if you had multiple roof angles or shade sources and you only wanted one string then solar Edge and enphase are good for that but you pay for it)
@@leexgx that would mean multiple entry points in your roof increase changes of water leaks the benefit outweighs the risks
@@NicolasRaimoit's one groove under each tile per panel (the cable goes under the lip of the tile) and some sort of weatherproofing gasket so draft and moisture doesn't get in
Depending on the tiles they might already be doing groove cuts in the tiles for the racking, so 8 more cuts and install the cables and inverters in the attic space for easy testing and parts replacement
I believe both types of systems are really good, just that the inverters or power optimizers should be installed in an accessible location when not ground installed, if not a string inverter is easier to service only have to deal with panels or one inverter (if you use a thermal camera you can see witch panels are not working)
How did you manage to get solar installed Nick ? Thought the house could not have it installed as part of the agreement Etc?
😀 Story for this coming soon but lets say there is a way just isn't cheap had 2 options pay a fee or buy out lease
@@NicolasRaimo def buy out the lease easier to sell the house and not tied into ever increasing leasing to renew and any maint contracts etc
@@ghost70 £15,000 to buy it out plus £1000 legal fees my side
I didn't pick up the total installed capacity, I'm guessing 3.25 kilowatt peak? (10 x 325W)
Looking forward to seeing how your system performs as your roof has the same orientation as mine, except that I have 6 panels on the east and 4 on the west, totalling 3.25 kilowatt peak.
10 panels 420w and micros are 290w each so 2900kw peak it’s preforming amazing so far am less east more slightly north azimith be in my reports on system
@@NicolasRaimo I will follow this closely and with great interest. Thank you for replying.
@@NicolasRaimo you sure that's right mate? surely u should be getting around 4.2kW peak with those panels? Those micros are really hampering the capabilities by the sounds of it unless I misunderstand (which I probably do lol)!
@@miickyp panels and micro inverters were designed and specially designed by REA solar (panel make) and Enphase (micro inverter) they are the ones that designed these panels and these micro inverters based on UK weather and getting maximum efficiency from panels…. Designing a 410’watt panel with a 410 micro inverter might seem a better design but you end up with less output over the year this is due to various parts of the system including ideal weather conditions and temperature needed etc… I’ll be doing a video about the benefits of over sizing system and how clipping doesn’t make a major difference to total yearly output however sizing panel to inverter means less efficiency as inverter is designed to be at 80% load for maximum effect.
@@NicolasRaimo wow that sounds technical, you definitely need to do a video on it mate!
May I ask some stupid questions ,having no knowledge of solar, are they wired in parallel or series ? Why panels on roof because the expensive of erecting them there and maintaining them in the future ? Could you give a ball park figure of the cost of your system thus far , look forward to your answers ,take care.
Evnick.com/Heatable give you a personal fixed quote for you house I have a 10 panel system and generated 350kwh for august. Roof as where else would I put them it’s angled correctly and I don’t have anywhere else for them, regarding maintaining them the rain should do most cleaning however I see some people get window cleaners to clean them over few years but I think the snow I get here once a year should help with cleaning the dust off. The warranty is 25 years that tells me they don’t expect them to cause any bother
@@NicolasRaimo Any reason you never mention the price I mean I rough price not the exact amount , regarding the panels seems that there’s more options these days rather than going for the roof option , you mention the angle of the panels sounds like you was given a good sales pitch, people are putting the panels on sheds, in the garden which track the sun like satellite version, there are a multi ways rather than roofs , I think it’s moved on from that option, a little bit like the battery has moved on with the liquid battery and the upcoming silicon battery about to hit the market, thanks for reply ,will be watching with interest your future videos, take care.
@@KavanOBrien giving a price ages a video most my videos are viewed years after, prices can go up as well as down the website gives a price without giving your contact info so I’d say that was fair. No sales pitch I just meant it’s better than putting flat to my building surface, panels work better when there angle matches that of your longitude on earth if you have a garage or a shed use that instead I only have a garage and I’d struggle to get 3 panels on it
@@NicolasRaimo Sounds like many reasons not to say this and I did this because, I’m not convinced price may age the video, sounds not right , you may think of me how you like , I’m saying to you how I see it , does it make me right of course not , I can only be me , not trying to be awkward or anything like that , can’t put my finger on it gut feeling tells me something other than what I saw , who know your next video may make me think otherwise, you seem to be a nice soul , as said can only be me, take care.
@@KavanOBrien if you see my charger review videos or my home storage battery videos I never name price as like I said they change that website gives an instant price without your details for your given area your price depends on multi factors it’s not fixed
Watching this makes wish I had a new build rather than a 1960s house with gale-force winds and huge concrete tiles 😅
Should still be fine they do inspect your roof prior to install
I’ve got a 60s bungalow with concrete tiles and most of the roof is covered in solar. No issues.
@@UntrainingUltrarunner I just know that they will need to use scaffolding, upgrade the house wiring and fit a new consumer unit, drill through exterior walls everywhere and fit a new meter. Aside from all that it should be a doodle.. 👍
@@decimal1815 might be worth an upgrade anyway to the electrics?
@@UntrainingUltrarunner yes, definitely. Just wish the government support was better. Hanging on in case the subsidies get more generous..
there are no IP rated boxes with top entry , and those tile gaps , not bad but this whole thig is built for speed and simplicity of the installers not longevity and quality or maintance but for the money they charge what do you expect
Which box are you referring to? All the cables I can see enter the enclosure at the bottom. I don't think you watched it all. Sour grapes?
The meter box
What’s there to be sour about I do t fit solar or batteries
The DNO box is side entry not top, DNO boxes ain’t Ip rated either, also the holes were there previous from my entry of armour cable
@@Actual_electrical_content My apology. You must have eyes like a hawk! I had to watch it again to see the gland at the top of the DNO cabinet. However I can't imagine that a DNO cabinet has much of an IP rating to begin with given the number of spiders in mine! That gland may not have been fitted for this installation as I know he has had at least one battery installed and numerous EV chargers which may require CT clamps on the incomer.
Your tagline raises some important questions. Solar Installation So Easy Your Nan Can Do It! You appear to have hit the nail on the head, it is a comparatively easy job. You clearly don't want people up on their roofs without scaffolding but I have a large garden shed and a carport with south facing roofs so installing 7 or 8 panels would be pretty straitforward. Connecting the panels and a battery to the invertor is also p[retty straitforward. Once again we don't want people electrocuting themselves even at the benefit of improving the national gene pool, so getting an electrician to wire in the invertor would be sensible. Why therefore do we have to pay a large mark up to installers for a system?
Warranty/0vat/mcs/insurance few other ressons but that should be enough
Not the best install, no tiles cut everyone needs to be cut so the tiles fit flush and they have cut through the roof felt! You would never catch my lads doing this
Stick to what you know .... Not a lot ... Stop giving advice. Vic