Solar Panels UK - is it worth it?

[Tony Hoyle]

maybe I should installe them in the chimney

Curious how many are IP rated - pylon tech are clearly for internal installation and I don’t know if its more or less of a concern if they’re in the loft or the spare room/utility? (I don’t have a utility)

Roofs leak.. better to have some water resistance than none at all.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Last one I was in a month or so ago was quite comfortable to be in... a few years ago if you had an install to do you'd need a coat!

I had the thermostat setting moved up a couple of degrees to save money on cooling. We put logging thermometer at various places, including in the server cabinets. Fair amount of air movement needed to get the cold air into the cabinets, I expect Google do a better job on that ... my requests for "I want to spend more on servers that have better power supplies to save TCO electricity cost" have been met with "there aren't any servers options for low consumption power supplies"

That experiment also answered another question - should we get a longer running UPS. With the aircon off (simulated power cut) the server temperature was getting far too high long before the UPS ran out.

3-Phase to the building, wiring not done to favour dedicated supply to where we need to protect essential kit. Server room yes, but not all the switches and telecons kits locations, and aircon on a circuit shared with other, high usage, consumers. So a bit stuffed on "Just one PowerWall will do for UPS"

 

[Avendit]

I had the thermostat setting moved up a couple of degrees to save money on cooling. We put logging thermometer at various places, including in the server cabinets. Fair amount of air movement needed to get the cold air into the cabinets, I expect Google do a better job on that ... my requests for "I want to spend more on servers that have better power supplies to save TCO electricity cost" have been met with "there aren't any servers options for low consumption power supplies"

Incidentally moved my home server to one of these last weekend: Nightjar 450W Fanless Modular SFX Power Supply, NJ450-SXL. Very high efficiency at low demand, and saving me 20w on my background power usage 24/7. Which is almost 50% of my server's power requirement at idle. £50/year saving is no bad for a single device swap out!

 

[Dilly]

Have an installer coming round to do a site inspection for battery initially. I’ll ask about north panels too while they’re here. Still don’t have more than two very similar but a little expensive feeling quotes but nobody is responding so I felt I had to at least move something forward a little.

The people coming round did a quote for Givenergy and pylontech. I mentioned I was leaning givenergy as they may need to go outside. He said they weren’t meant to be fully exposed, which I’m not sure is correct? And that the pylontechs could live in the loft - which I’m a little wary of as its quite warm in there in the summer (although shoudl be ok for electronic temps). They pylontechs are tempting as they’re relatively easy to expand so depending on how they go, I could add another one every year for a few years rather than a single big outlay

Anyone else have a battery setup in the loft?

I wouldn’t do it. I have PV inverters in the loft and in summer they slow down because it is so hot up there. I don’t doubt battery would do the same. Plus they are damned heavy!

 

[Mrklaw]

I wouldn’t do it. I have PV inverters in the loft and in summer they slow down because it is so hot up there. I don’t doubt battery would do the same. Plus they are damned heavy!

yeah our PV inverter is up there

 

[RedMod3]

Have an installer coming round to do a site inspection for battery initially. I’ll ask about north panels too while they’re here. Still don’t have more than two very similar but a little expensive feeling quotes but nobody is responding so I felt I had to at least move something forward a little.

The people coming round did a quote for Givenergy and pylontech. I mentioned I was leaning givenergy as they may need to go outside. He said they weren’t meant to be fully exposed, which I’m not sure is correct? And that the pylontechs could live in the loft - which I’m a little wary of as its quite warm in there in the summer (although shoudl be ok for electronic temps). They pylontechs are tempting as they’re relatively easy to expand so depending on how they go, I could add another one every year for a few years rather than a single big outlay

Anyone else have a battery setup in the loft?

My loft gets up to 47C in the summer; I refused to have inverters in the loft, they are in the garage. Batteries are very heavy, I would not put a battery in a hot loft.

 

[RedMod3]

At work we spend a lot of money on cooling to keep our servers cold (a temperature which isn't comfortable in shirt-sleeves). Apparently this prolongs their life ...

Dunno how that translates into the chips that are on batteries though.

Agree, we have 3 NASs in a room and when the temp of the room rises to 23C, the air-con is switched on to keep them and in particular the HDDs cool.

 

[PITA]

My loft gets up to 47C in the summer; I refused to have inverters in the loft, they are in the garage. Batteries are very heavy, I would not put a battery in a hot loft.

Our loft gets really hot, but is a lot cooler since we covered it in Solar Panels.

The panels can act as a thermal barrier... but I still had our Solar Inverter installed outside on the shaded North Facing wall.

It's IP Rated like the Powerwalls, so I'm interested to see how long they last outdoors all year round... so far, so good

Mine is a SolarEdge HDWave inverter

 

[Avendit]

Our loft gets really hot, but is a lot cooler since we covered it in Solar Panels.

The panels can act as a thermal barrier... but I still had our Solar Inverter installed outside on the shaded North Facing wall.

It's IP Rated like the Powerwalls, so I'm interested to see how long they last outdoors all year round.

Do the inverters make noise? Sounds like a few horror stories online, but no baseline of successful installs to compare against? Am trying to decide where to stick ours - in the entrance hall above the electric cabinet seems a likely place (behind the door so out of sight mostly), but if its going to make noise its going out side somewhere!

 

[WannabeOwner]

moved my home server to one of these last weekend

Thanks. I'll check with our IT folk. I know our servers have a pair of power supplies (for fault tollerance), so dunno if retro-fit is an option ... but I sure would like to do something. We calculated that each of our servers use £750 of leccy p.a.

 

[exlatccatsa]

My 5 pylontechs sit in a server cabinet in an un heated garage wrapped on a thermal blanket. Apparently they like 25c but can operate close to zero and up to 50c. At the moment the lowest I've seen them operating at is about 10 c on a -7 night and up to 21c on an 18c day on charge. I plan on removing the blanket for may to august, but can't see them getting much above 30c.
They only Hest up to peak on a full fast charge otherwise sit about the mid teens c.

 

[PITA]

Do the inverters make noise? Sounds like a few horror stories online, but no baseline of successful installs to compare against? Am trying to decide where to stick ours - in the entrance hall above the electric cabinet seems a likely place (behind the door so out of sight mostly), but if its going to make noise its going out side somewhere!

Dunno, it's outside...

I don't think it does, I've never heard it making a noise but honestly don't know if there's any weird hum or anything.

 

[exlatccatsa]

Do the inverters make noise? Sounds like a few horror stories online, but no baseline of successful installs to compare against? Am trying to decide where to stick ours - in the entrance hall above the electric cabinet seems a likely place (behind the door so out of sight mostly), but if its going to make noise its going out side somewhere!

My Victron Multiplus can be quite noisy. I wouldn't have it inside, but then I've got a fairly small house.

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Do the inverters make noise? Sounds like a few horror stories online, but no baseline of successful installs to compare against? Am trying to decide where to stick ours - in the entrance hall above the electric cabinet seems a likely place (behind the door so out of sight mostly), but if its going to make noise its going out side somewhere!

Ours is totally silent, and cold, in the attic. Don't think there's a real issue with them.

Batteries I could see the argument for moving, although I really don't have the space anywhere else in the house, and certainly not outside unless they were very small.

 

[Avendit]

Thanks. I'll check with our IT folk. I know our servers have a pair of power supplies (for fault tollerance), so dunno if retro-fit is an option ... but I sure would like to do something. We calculated that each of our servers use £750 of leccy p.a.

That's definitely a prosumer unit for normal cases, not rack mount servers, but the saving comes from going from 80 Plus to 80 plus platinum (PSU worlds way of rating efficiencies). Servers have their own designs, but can still be swapped out for more efficient units. Worth a trial and measuring ROI on a server or 2 tho.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Worth a trial and measuring ROI on a server or 2 tho.

Indeed, thanks.

What I'd actually like is for servers to have a 12V (or whatever) socket on the back, and then provide a 12V supply for the whole room. I'm sure that would be more efficient than each individual PSU with cheapest-possible capacitors in it. But seems like I'm in a group on ONE on that point ...

Lots of gear around the house, a lot of it close to each other (e.g. COMMs / HA / Entertainment rack) , which each has its own PSU. The whole lot would benefit from having low voltage supply instead of everything thinking it needs to have its own PSU or, worse I expect, a "brick" between 13AMP plug and device. Actually, for the Bricks, presumably I could replace them as they have general cylindrical-connectors.

Put 20 miles into the car off the PV today, and charged up both PowerWalls ... happy days

 

[Avendit]

Indeed, thanks.

What I'd actually like is for servers to have a 12V (or whatever) socket on the back, and then provide a 12V supply for the whole room. I'm sure that would be more efficient than each individual PSU with cheapest-possible capacitors in it. But seems like I'm in a group on ONE on that point ...

Lots of gear around the house, a lot of it close to each other (e.g. COMMs / HA / Entertainment rack) , which each has its own PSU. The whole lot would benefit from having low voltage supply instead of everything thinking it needs to have its own PSU or, worse I expect, a "brick" between 13AMP plug and device. Actually, for the Bricks, presumably I could replace them as they have general cylindrical-connectors.

Put 20 miles into the car off the PV today, and charged up both PowerWalls ... happy days

I've been using PoE as much as I can. Mini switches and access points in key places and all powered from the central rack. Whole lot Inc router, FW, switching and server now running at ~80w.

 

[RedMod3]

Do the inverters make noise? Sounds like a few horror stories online, but no baseline of successful installs to compare against? Am trying to decide where to stick ours - in the entrance hall above the electric cabinet seems a likely place (behind the door so out of sight mostly), but if its going to make noise its going out side somewhere!

Our 9 year-old Fronius 3.6TL makes a fair bit of noise at times, but my 1.5kW Solar Edge SE1500M inverter is fanless and silent.

 

[RedMod3]

I've been using PoE as much as I can. Mini switches and access points in key places and all powered from the central rack. Whole lot Inc router, FW, switching and server now running at ~80w.

I use POE for our CCTV, except two cameras that need a 24V AC supply. APs are not POE as my 24port 10Gb switch doest provide power.

 

[HenryT]

My 5 pylontechs sit in a server cabinet in an un heated garage wrapped on a thermal blanket. Apparently they like 25c but can operate close to zero and up to 50c. At the moment the lowest I've seen them operating at is about 10 c on a -7 night and up to 21c on an 18c day on charge. I plan on removing the blanket for may to august, but can't see them getting much above 30c.
They only Hest up to peak on a full fast charge otherwise sit about the mid teens c.

Interesting idea - I have Pylontech batteries in a garage too but it never occurred to me to use some insulation - the installer just said as long as it doesn't get below zero they will be fine.

Is the thermal blanket you use of the foil/mountain rescue type?