Balcony solar PV

[Moxi]

I don't get eye rolling, or maybe I do and I don't catch on?....... but I do get very helpful verbal correction when I occasionally stray from the path of matrimonial happiness (as defined from the other half's perspective which is really the only perspective that carries any weight )

That said she generally likes the outcome of my efforts, most especially the batteries, the induction hob and of course the heat pump tumble dryer, I am waiting for the benefits of Kirkhill to come forth before asking if i can have more panels in the garden across the road and more batteries

Moxi

[Joeboy]

Hopefully they are well on with turbine 4, get you going with that KH moolah! I can see SWMBO's point. Our electricity bills mid Aug to mid Oct out here averaged at £11.50 per month.

Nothing shows me the benefits of a benign climate better than that.

[ecogeorge]

Joeboy .....sorry for delay in replying...... A google search (saves me going to btm of garden) reveals this.......



Age unsure -apparently were the remains of (undamaged) solar system from a fired council housing block ------- one is smoke stained..... several were scrapped as burnt ..........
George

[Joeboy]

Joeboy .....sorry for delay in replying...... A google search (saves me going to btm of garden) reveals this.......



Age unsure -apparently were the remains of (undamaged) solar system from a fired council housing block ------- one is smoke stained..... several were scrapped as burnt ..........
George

No worries, phone is limited here. Sounds good though!

[Tay]

So, cut to the chase, bought me some cheapy 435w panels, maybe there is a reason for that, we'll see ^^

Said I'd collect, "boom" no stock for 6 days, doh, so I switch to delivery cuz I'm impatient and they can deliver in 4 days for free!! - erm, snap their hand off - £195 delivered thank you very much.

Gonna have to jury rig some device to get these ones up on the pergola with the newly made risers to keep the Clematis off the panels and alive, not really a 1 man job and my sons family is heading back today (sun) doh. I was thinking about leaving the 295w's up there too ^^ - they might be too dangerous to remove !!! nudge nudge wink wink, I'll hold them down with these 2 cables I have lying around !

Will be nice to see a little more juice flowing into the battery, dodgy weather + 2 grandkids and son + wife = too much juice being used !!!
I will need to bang the 295's to being in series again (If I leave them there) to save cables then the 2x 435's can run independently to cater for the shading on the pergola.

The Pergola/Balcony solar only been in 10 days and mostly chucking it down and running on a single panel, so near on 5KW not too bad I guess. Bigger panels next week if I can find a window to fit them should cheer me up a tad.

[Joeboy]

Single panel lifts are made easier with a couple of timber anchored angled ground rails and a g clamp brake if more than one shove high. That's how I do them. Over 400W and they start to become unwieldy at height carrying them up a ladder.

Any links to source of panels?

[Tay]

Due to the way I've raised the panels off the pergola to give them some height over the beams and Clematis itself this presents the problem of getting fresh ones up there.





As I said before there was two of us previously, for the fronts (lower) we just rested the top part of the panel on the beam and plonked the risers on the beams, then once secure, lifted the risers and screwed them on.

For the rears we just slipped the wooden frames over the beams to the edge whilst the panel rest on the original pergola beam, we connected the hinges then raised/screwed them in one fell swoop. The clematis has plenty of room to grow and wont be leaping up the panels anytime soon, I hadnt considered that I might be changing the panels quite so soon.

I think building a 2 panel wide single horizontal beam then 2 verticals raising it above the current hinges might be the safest, I dont fancy sticking a hinge through the back of the panel. This would then keep the panel well above the metal hinges/risers, I can then remove and reposition them.




Linky
https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/c/produc ... c/1870007/

[AGT]

What a cracking price for panels!

Pergola is a cracking idea, I saw a guy on you tube bootsowen make a car port type install, second hand wood, panels etc.

[ALAN/ALAN D]

The panels do come in massive cardboard boxes.
It takes longer to rip up the boxes and put the cardboard into Pink plastic bags than it takes to install the panels.

[Tay]

When I saw those prices for the panels I thought they must be second hand or something.. I paid more for my 295's several months ago and delivered for free... bargain..

The pergola is a best of what I currently have available, I tried the flat roof (to the left of the pergola) and it spent most of the day in shade, I tried rotating it to the SW and then WSW but that late in the day the generation was a bit pants. If I can do it without killing Clematis even better.

Whats good is that Both neighbors houses end in front of my pergola, so I'm pretty much able to do whatever I want with it, as I replaced both verticals on the pergola in the last couple of years so should have some life left in those.

Now to utilise the nice City Plumbing people for a new Fernox Magnetic filter that just decided to start a slow leak today (First test of GFCH for a while) after the British Gas service man said it was fine after he tightened it up due to a leak at the last service a month and a bit ago.