Outbuildings and why they're great. (Vanport)

[Joeboy]

Another 8kWh (grabbed from the air but based on knowledge of set up) would be 250 peak April to Sept type days to pay back the 4 panel investment.

I would have to skew my grid charging times to start lower soc. The thing is and this is the seductive bit. All the gear I need to do this is already here or in transit....

Bought so far
3 of 6"x6" posts 4.8mtr treated £105 (recycled)
14 bags postcrete £84
Timber & roofing materials £745
(7of 5.3 mtr galvinised roofing sheets (recycled)
25 of 150x20 3.4m boards (local sawmill)
18 of 4x2” 4.8m (local sawmill)
2 of 6x2” 6m) (local sawmill)
16 3'x2' dense concrete slabs £0 (recycled)
Fixings, wood preserver etc £240
Double gate hinges £60 (old stock)
Big brass padlock From Turkey £2
4 of 550W JA solar panels £300 (local private pallet deal)
30 of 2' x 2' slabs £30 (recycled)
Impact drill, battery, charger & masonary bit £90
Sharp sand, bits n bobs £10 (recycled)
300mm wood drill set £15
No5 70 & 80mm woodscrews £22
3 of solar PIR LED lights £30
Driver bits £5
More roofing screws & sealer £27
6mm DC cable, isolator & mc4's £76

Project cost to date £1,851

[Stinsy]

Another 8kWh (grabbed from the air but based on knowledge of set up) would be 250 peak April to Sept type days to pay back the 4 panel investment.

I would have to skew my grid charging times to start lower soc. The thing is and this is the seductive bit. All the gear I need to do this is already here or in transit....

Bought so far
3 of 6"x6" posts 4.8mtr treated £105 (recycled)
14 bags postcrete £84
Timber & roofing materials £745
(7of 5.3 mtr galvinised roofing sheets (recycled)
25 of 150x20 3.4m boards (local sawmill)
18 of 4x2” 4.8m (local sawmill)
2 of 6x2” 6m) (local sawmill)
16 3'x2' dense concrete slabs £0 (recycled)
Fixings, wood preserver etc £240
Double gate hinges £60 (old stock)
Big brass padlock From Turkey £2
4 of 550W JA solar panels £300 (local private pallet deal)
30 of 2' x 2' slabs £30 (recycled)
Impact drill, battery, charger & masonary bit £90
Sharp sand, bits n bobs £10 (recycled)
300mm wood drill set £15
No5 70 & 80mm woodscrews £22
3 of solar PIR LED lights £30
Driver bits £5
More roofing screws & sealer £27
6mm DC cable, isolator & mc4's £76

Project cost to date £1,851

The additional panels are also an insurance against the world changing. Maybe ultra-cheap overnight electric will go? Maybe we'll have extended power outages? Maybe something unforseeable.

Now I don't think either of those things will happen, but if they did you'd be grateful for every single panel facing upwards!

[Joeboy]

Another 8kWh (grabbed from the air but based on knowledge of set up) would be 250 peak April to Sept type days to pay back the 4 panel investment.

I would have to skew my grid charging times to start lower soc. The thing is and this is the seductive bit. All the gear I need to do this is already here or in transit....

Bought so far
3 of 6"x6" posts 4.8mtr treated £105 (recycled)
14 bags postcrete £84
Timber & roofing materials £745
(7of 5.3 mtr galvinised roofing sheets (recycled)
25 of 150x20 3.4m boards (local sawmill)
18 of 4x2” 4.8m (local sawmill)
2 of 6x2” 6m) (local sawmill)
16 3'x2' dense concrete slabs £0 (recycled)
Fixings, wood preserver etc £240
Double gate hinges £60 (old stock)
Big brass padlock From Turkey £2
4 of 550W JA solar panels £300 (local private pallet deal)
30 of 2' x 2' slabs £30 (recycled)
Impact drill, battery, charger & masonary bit £90
Sharp sand, bits n bobs £10 (recycled)
300mm wood drill set £15
No5 70 & 80mm woodscrews £22
3 of solar PIR LED lights £30
Driver bits £5
More roofing screws & sealer £27
6mm DC cable, isolator & mc4's £76

Project cost to date £1,851

The additional panels are also an insurance against the world changing. Maybe ultra-cheap overnight electric will go? Maybe we'll have extended power outages? Maybe something unforseeable.

Now I don't think either of those things will happen, but if they did you'd be grateful for every single panel facing upwards!

True enough, we can't have enough panels. Clockmanfra said to me about the 1kW minimum he was trying to achieve even on the worst days in France. That sentence went straight in and took up residence in my brain! Didn't know it at the time or I'd have thanked him more. I may split some 4x2" tomorrow for rails...

[Stinsy]

Another 8kWh (grabbed from the air but based on knowledge of set up) would be 250 peak April to Sept type days to pay back the 4 panel investment.

I would have to skew my grid charging times to start lower soc. The thing is and this is the seductive bit. All the gear I need to do this is already here or in transit....

Bought so far
3 of 6"x6" posts 4.8mtr treated £105 (recycled)
14 bags postcrete £84
Timber & roofing materials £745
(7of 5.3 mtr galvinised roofing sheets (recycled)
25 of 150x20 3.4m boards (local sawmill)
18 of 4x2” 4.8m (local sawmill)
2 of 6x2” 6m) (local sawmill)
16 3'x2' dense concrete slabs £0 (recycled)
Fixings, wood preserver etc £240
Double gate hinges £60 (old stock)
Big brass padlock From Turkey £2
4 of 550W JA solar panels £300 (local private pallet deal)
30 of 2' x 2' slabs £30 (recycled)
Impact drill, battery, charger & masonary bit £90
Sharp sand, bits n bobs £10 (recycled)
300mm wood drill set £15
No5 70 & 80mm woodscrews £22
3 of solar PIR LED lights £30
Driver bits £5
More roofing screws & sealer £27
6mm DC cable, isolator & mc4's £76

Project cost to date £1,851

The additional panels are also an insurance against the world changing. Maybe ultra-cheap overnight electric will go? Maybe we'll have extended power outages? Maybe something unforseeable.

Now I don't think either of those things will happen, but if they did you'd be grateful for every single panel facing upwards!

True enough, we can't have enough panels. Clockmanfra said to me about the 1kW minimum he was trying to achieve even on the worst days in France. That sentence went straight in and took up residence in my brain! Didn't know it at the time or I'd have thanked him more. I may split some 4x2" tomorrow for rails...

The challenge with solar is that you'll get more than you can use on the sunniest days and as-good-as-none on the worst days. Additional capacity is about the bright-overcast days and about days when the sun shines for a brief period.

[Joeboy]

The additional panels are also an insurance against the world changing. Maybe ultra-cheap overnight electric will go? Maybe we'll have extended power outages? Maybe something unforseeable.

Now I don't think either of those things will happen, but if they did you'd be grateful for every single panel facing upwards!

True enough, we can't have enough panels. Clockmanfra said to me about the 1kW minimum he was trying to achieve even on the worst days in France. That sentence went straight in and took up residence in my brain! Didn't know it at the time or I'd have thanked him more. I may split some 4x2" tomorrow for rails...

The challenge with solar is that you'll get more than you can use on the sunniest days and as-good-as-none on the worst days. Additional capacity is about the bright-overcast days and about days when the sun shines for a brief period.

It had crossed my mind (they were in the basket) to buy another set of batteries when fogstar had the deep cut. Maybe next year.... I'll go old skool and dump the excess into the HWT via the ashp. Even on really poor days we were pulling 500W from the big reactor. Probably down to about 10 days per year when it's really really poor (snow covered).

I suppose with hindsight that the excess in Summer is now solved via paid export and the poor generation in Winter by maximising panels and tightening up on the tech and insulation. Beyond that it's a big move South (Morroco).

The whole make hay while the sun shines simplicity of export and the VB for Winter is excellent.

[Joeboy]

New PB for the Victron system for 2025.



Zero float.

It will be June before I hoy the 3 of 550W panels aloft and onto the Victron system. The remaining single 550W will go into a bastardised 3 panel string, defaulting to the lowest common denominator on a Hoymiles 1500W or so AC inverter. I'll accept the panel clipping on that string as it will literally be a throw together string that clears garden space, makes swmbo smile and frees up a couple of Enphase M250's for sale or garden reuse on an older skool panel scale.

It has been a good day, Goodwe has us logged at 50kWh export. Tomorrow will.be the true count for the day. Looks like the small scale change out today has helped reduce resistance (a bit).

[Joeboy]

Export PB for yesterday is 68.131kWh

Generation PB
27.73kWh Victron,
27.7kWh Solaredge
Another 6kWh or so from the Enphase & Hoymiles combined, could be more but I don't track it.

I am SO tempted to run up that string of 550's and see where it leads. Will leave it to contribute towards 2026 PB though.

Interested to see where todays full repaired Victron run goes to.

[Joeboy]

Yesterday was indeed a new export PB (£11.23). That with the late start up on the Victron system too.

I wonder if I can squeak thru to 80kWh with some panel cleaning?

[Joeboy]

I'm pretty sure that's another PB, 65kWh generated today.

7.6kWh Enphase & Hoymiles
27.8kWh Solaredge
29.6kWh Victron

[Joeboy]

Testing the led pir solar lights, excellent throw. This tech has developed nicely.







Old Jeff's getting the money from me! Also a twin fan to help keep the Goodwe hybrid cool. Impressive £12 quiet unit that moves a lot of air.