Solar Sheds & Other Non-t6 Solar Projects - How We Done It -

[Sackmycook]

I'd be a bit nervous about mounting on fibreglass.....
What about that facing wall ? I've seen them flysheet mounted and also angled on 45' brackets.....

 

[antonyand]

I could put the on the garage wall, just will have less sun as the house casts shade there most the morning. If I did the wall, would probably mount the flat to avoid the wind pushing it underneath, as I think they would act like a sail if angled away from the wall.

I was thinking of the Van der Valk ValkBox3 to mount them. But worrying more about the weight & fibreglass roof now.

 

[Sackmycook]

They look a good option. Should be OK if the weight of the blast is over joists. I'm no structural engineer though.

 

[Dellmassive]

 

[Grim Reaper]

If the roof has regular cross beams and sheet OSB or plywood underneath the fibreglass cover then how about Fastensol's plastic bases from City Plumbing, fill with ballast and the panels bolt to the tops (with short rails and clamps)
At 40 quid each it's going to add to your costs significantly though.
What about bolting some steel Unistrut to the walls to make a frame mounted just above the roof surface, and bolt the panels to that?

 

[ChrisBell]

I've got my eye on those too

I have 18Nr of these 515w panels. East West setup 9Nr on each elevation. Appear to be performing well.

They had been on a deal. £551 for 6Nr panels. I've mine connected to a Duracell inverter and 2Nr 5kW Duracell batteries. Had a Duracell EV charger installed not long ago and all connected up. Payback on my system is calculated to be just over 5 years

 

[Mick]

@Mick what solar system are you running?

3.2kw array with a solar edge inverter and micro inverters on each panel.

 

[Mick]

@Mick

has a nice setup - post a few pics?

Covered in insulation for the winter but you can get the drift.

 

[Sackmycook]

Update on my balcony solar figures:-

40kwH generation
15kwH lost to grid
37% surplus....

I need a battery

 

[Howzat]

What did you see yesterday @Sackmycook? About 5k?

 

[Sackmycook]

4.65 kwH
Sunny til midday then intermittent clouds.....

 

[Sackmycook]

Most of the Ecoflow equipment is out of stock, but I've managed to order a Stream Ultra battery to expand my system.
This unit has 4x mppt ports and built in microinverter for the panels, so I don't need to run it through the Stream Microinverter I have currently use.....

Although, I saw an image on their website which suggest I could hook it up to the Ultra and have 6 panels generating in effect....

 

[Sackmycook]

My Ecoflow Stream Ultra arrived today, so I've disconnected the Stream Microinverter and fed my 2 panels directly into it. Just playing around on the app to so what best settings to use, but looks like I will use a Custom mode to charge it between 2330hrs and 0530hrs and discharge between 0530hrs and 2330hrs.

Looking good so far....


Next stage is to get another 2 panels and max out the mppt on the Stream Ultra.....

So the Stream Microinverter is now surplus and so, up for sale.....

 

[Clubdecker]

DM sent re sale

 

[antonyand]

Well that didn't take long lol

 

[Sackmycook]

@JOG has first dibs on the Microinverter.
If he doesn't want it, @Clubdecker I'll dm you

 

[TrevorK]

My Ecoflow Stream Ultra arrived today, so I've disconnected the Stream Microinverter and fed my 2 panels directly into it. Just playing around on the app to so what best settings to use, but looks like I will use a Custom mode to charge it between 2330hrs and 0530hrs and discharge between 0530hrs and 2330hrs.

I charge from the mains, and I found that you have to set the backup reserve to max before 05:30, or the battery will discharge to the reserve level.

I then reduce reserve back to around 20% when I want the battery to discharge back to the house (normally early evening).

Seems odd, perhaps I have missed something?

 

[Sackmycook]

Not totally sure I'm doing it all right at the moment Trev, just need to play with a few things to see what effect it has. Doesn't help that the Shepherds Hut has guests, so more energy being consumed than normal.

 

[Sackmycook]

2 more 465w panels ordered along with an Ecoflow Smart Meter to take the guesswork out of baseload and battery management.
I've seen a YouTube video which shows a self-installation of the Smartmeter, thus saving calling an electrician.
My new Ecoflow Ultra is working well, just a few little nuances I need to get my head around but getting there.
2 panels are coming from cityplumbing.co.uk again as you can't beat free delivery....

 

[t0mb0]

Those plug-in ecoflow units are interesting and because the cost is completely known you can calculate the payback period pretty precisely. If you assume an Octopus Intelligent Go tariff at 33p/KWh peak and 8p off-peak then, assuming one full discharge per day and charging at cheap rate you end up with a payback period of about four years. Even if you assume you charge entirely from solar (a pretty heroic assumption in the UK) you only get towards three years. So they’re decent in terms of payback but further price reductions probably needed to push them into no-brainer category.