Free electricity tomorrow 5th April between 1030 and 1530 on Agile. Octopus are paying you to use it.
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Octopus are paying you to use electricity 5th April
- Thread starter exlatccatsa
- Start date
Such a shame I haven't got the smart meter otherwise I would have been able to make better useSuch a shame I can't drive the car otherwise I would have been able to make better use
Mr H
Active Member
Was just about to ask the same thing! And is 16 a max or do you get even more in summer?
MrBadger
Badger out
16A is the export limit before having to get explicit permission from the DNO - which often gets refused.
The 16A limit (per phase) will largely be dictated by how the inverter is sized (so limits generation rather than export), or for some installations, more sophisticated devices (such as an EMMA) that specifically limit export.
When the FiT scheme was the largely governing factor, 4kW of panels (around 16A) was the higher tarrif limit, so 4kW of panels was the typical largest that you would see on a typical domestic install. Now that tarrif limit is now largely irrelevant, its not uncommon to oversize the panels (you may typically get around 5kW or so on a 3.6kW inverter) but still have the inverter limit the total generation (different to export). This benefits when you are not getting the full capacity of the array (which is a significant period of time) but you then get clipping at points of highest output.
Worth noting that this time of year has potential for peak power, but length of day still limits peak energy. As it warms, the panels will not produce so much, so the peaks of late March and April will be unlikely be seen in hotter months. Another item of note is that the 16A limit is over a short period of time, so its quite possible to see spikes of >4kW when panels come out from shade from cloud or sustained periods of 4kW as voltages rise to 250v.
Our yesterdays generation and usage from 4kW of panels. Apart from first few hours of day when hot water was being heated by a 'diverter' that tracks excess power (so red line tracks green line), the other use was purely normal day to day use - there are a couple of wash and tumbles in there. You get to learn when best to run appliances. Even yesterday, our peak was about 300W down on previous day which was cooler. PV panels do not like getting hot - and ours (Panasonic) are specifically designed to cope with heat more than many others but still suffer. They could probably do with a clean too - they also do not like bird poo!
Here is another from a couple of weeks ago so peak power much lower. It shows a 10A EV charge in there. Had I been a bit more on the ball, I may have got another hour on there (2%!). Putting things in perspective, that charge was 73-78%, so nothing to write home about. It would be a different matter if it was easier to adjust the charge rate without having to get in the car and potentially forgetting to adjust it back. Thats when likes of Zappi benefit, but at increased cost when reality is that £ saved is minimal in getting it wrong. You soon learn as a PV owner that ideal tracking for many things is not such a big deal as you need to use that electricity for a reason (like charging the car or washing something) irrespective, so learning when best to offset is a more useful skill.
Mr H
Active Member
I was considering something like this - more for a hobby than a cost saving as it will take many years to pay for itself
MrBadger
Badger out
Thats only viable because he has a large array on his roof that pre charged his batteries - the array in his yard for his off grid system would do pretty much f-all with the amount of shade he gets.
Mr H
Active Member
Yes, i've looking at 8x300w panels on the roof, which would charge the batteries whilst i'm away for work which can be up to 5 days at a time, as i said it would be more of a hobby, i'm still pondering which may or may not come to anything.
A small array is not a very good idea for EV charging, the standard for most cars is a minimum of 1.4kW before charging will start, if you want all this from solar then it will not charge very often. You would really need a larger array to be able use a decent proportion of the energy produced.
Our DNO have allowed us to have a maximum output of 6kW, we have two 3kW inverters and two arrays of 3.0kW and a 4.2 kW. This is the first year of using it for EV charging and it was just getting into its own when the lockdown stopped significant use of the car.
I am hoping that I am going to be pretty close to having no net grid usage.
Gatsojon
Member
I’m thinking of a Powerwall. I know it’s not a sensible financial decision but I want one.
MrBadger
Badger out
There are a few decent alternatives to Powerwall - usually significantly cheaper and often expandable. A few appear on heavily discounted trials from various electricity suppliers although most of those ships have probably now sailed. Some of these may be a little less plug and play than Powerwall which may benefit those that prefer to retain a little more control.
@Mr H seems to have the transport available to him access to get the off gridders batteries of choice - pre owned forklift packs.
@Mr H seems to have the transport available to him access to get the off gridders batteries of choice - pre owned forklift packs.
Mr H
Active Member
never thought of that, we have numerous trucks and cranes, I’ll have to make enquiries
I would consider a battery system when prices come down further but would rather spend the money adding even more solar if the DNO would let me.
Over the last 3 months my electricity bill was about £30 a month, using Agile and my average cost per kWh was 7.1p, so there would never be an economic benefit in battery storage. I am also on Agile outgoing but they don't appear to be up to speed with invoicing so that cost excludes Agile income from exported units. Over the last 3 months I exported about 500kWh, it will be more in the summer months.
So even ignoring FIT I expect my total electricity cost to be less than £20 per month.
The only benefit of battery storage would then probably through load shifting and taking advantage of cheaper tariff hours.
Over the last 3 months my electricity bill was about £30 a month, using Agile and my average cost per kWh was 7.1p, so there would never be an economic benefit in battery storage. I am also on Agile outgoing but they don't appear to be up to speed with invoicing so that cost excludes Agile income from exported units. Over the last 3 months I exported about 500kWh, it will be more in the summer months.
So even ignoring FIT I expect my total electricity cost to be less than £20 per month.
The only benefit of battery storage would then probably through load shifting and taking advantage of cheaper tariff hours.
Gatsojon
Member
I have two;
Originally I had 3kW array with 3kW inverter.
Last year I added another not so well orientated one, this time I added 4.2Kw array but had to put a 3kW inverter on it to comply with the DNO limit of 6kW.
Both seem to produce similar outputs at this time of the year but the smaller array is better in winter as its orientated due south.
Tomorrow is the greatest minus figure I've seen. They're paying you almost 5p a Kw on the afternoon of the 21st April
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