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If you DIY PV can you still sell the surplus production assuming of course one has a export meter? Does anyone know of a reason why not to DIY.

Lots going on in such a short question!

As with anything there will be reasons to, and reasons not-to do something.

The easy bit is that you cannot sell electricity to the grid without your installation being MCS certified and the DNO being correctly notified. Plenty of “professionally installed” solar arrays fail this test. You get very little for selling power to the grid, so exporting the electricity and getting paid is irrelevant to many people. It is better to “self consume” even if that is just putting the power into your DHW tank via your immersion, but the best way is to store the power in batteries even if these are expensive.

Next you have the problem of physically installing the panels. Ground-mount is less of a problem. If roof-mounted: are you confident scrabbling about on your roof without falling to your death? Can you be sure you won’t make your roof leak?

After that you need to consider the electrical connection. Your solar system should be connected via a new, dedicated circuit. Adding a new circuit is “notifiable” meaning you need either a qualified electrician or to involve building control.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re pro-DIY in these parts. But in answer to:

Ken wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 8:43 pm Does anyone know of a reason why not to DIY.

I’d have to say: yes, lots of reasons. But there are lots of reasons not to do pretty much anything.

Thanks for that but it was really about the export. I am quite happy to work on my roof and have as its a bungalow and the certified electrics is bread and butter to an electrician.

Ken wrote: ↑Mon Dec 20, 2021 9:04 am Thanks for that but it was really about the export. I am quite happy to work on my roof and have as its a bungalow and the certified electrics is bread and butter to an electrician.

Do you have a pal who is MCS certified that you can pay a fee to for a post installation survey and certification?

Without the cert you won't be able to register on the database or apply for an generation contract.

From a personal point of view I would always do it myself.

My first install was done by a so called professional company and was the worst ever install. They came back and redid it which I now regret. That install was then redone by another company and they couldn't do it right either. In the end I accepted a payment from the insurance company to put it right myself.

My second install I did myself and paid to have it all inspected, certified etc. The company that did that commentated on the quality of the install and offered me a job their and then!

The guidance document for SEG from OFGEM is here,

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/ ... cation.pdf

Interestingly a SEG provider is allowed to pay you SEG for an uncertified system if they wish, not that I know of any who do.

1.14. If you are unable to demonstrate that your installation is suitably certified, a SEG licensee is not obliged to offer payments under the SEG, but they can make payments if they wish.

Ken,

They are not interested in the power from small individual suppliers but the ROC's from MSC accredited installs are valuable to them as witnessed by the recent fines and penalties that OFGEM imposed for the twenty odd companies that overstated their position with regard to ROC's.

Somehow its become more important to appear to be green than to actually buy and sell green energy harvested sustainably ?

Best option IMHO would be store it and self consume. If you have enough close neighbours who you get on well with and f you really really want to sell power, set up a local micro grid that is separate from the national grid and export to a dedicated ring that they can access, again on a dedicated circuit. (which to me seems unlikely and a big faff).

Moxi

I did a diy install last year 1.2 kw system.
Put the panels on a field shelter shed, so trapizoidal roof. With the inverter on the back of the summer house. Got the DNO approval after the install. Not worth going mcs would have cost £300-400 more, and I wouldn't get that back with selling the exported electricity.
Try to use as much as possible. Didn't look at batteries as I still don't think that they are the way to go.
Family of 4 electric cooking plus tumble dryer in the winter. We use about 1800KWh per year.
Best thing that we have done here is cavity wall insulation, before the grants came in.
Went from 16500 KWh to just over 9000 for space and water heating.
We repurposed a rain water harvesting system from our other house cost about £25 in new bits but is saving 4-5 m^3 per year. Nearly £4 per m^3 down in Devon with the sewerage.

Peter,
Well done. What do you use the rainwater for ? presumably its off a roof, cant be too clean?
Ken

Down stairs toilet.
At the old house all 3 toilet and washing machine were run off of it with a 12 volt pressure pump set up with filter. Quite a lot to maintain.
Here like I said down stairs toilet via a small header tank with float switch and small 12volt pump. No filters much simpler, and not so much power required.