ᐅ March 16, 2016: Start of Photovoltaic System Installation

Created on: 16 Mar 2016 10:51
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T21150
Today at 10:00 AM, the installation of our new photovoltaic system began.

The approval from the city was granted last week.

Currently, the substructure (Schletter) is being installed.
Tomorrow, the panels will be mounted and the strings routed into the house.

Further electrical installation / inverter setup has not yet been scheduled.

I will keep you updated.

This is an info thread to show how long this process takes, from the first bracket on the roof to commissioning.

Best regards,
Thorsten
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T21150
10 Apr 2016 11:11
Addendum:
In the last few weeks before the installation, we drew about 13 kWh per day from the grid.

Since the installation, it has dropped to 6.

I think and hope that with the battery, I can reduce it to 3-4 during the months from April to September.

I’m really curious. Of course, I will report back here later with more detailed data. At the moment, just quick checks of the display don’t provide a complete picture.

Currently, 1.4 kW is being fed in, and only 3.7 kWh were generated today.
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toxicmolotof
10 Apr 2016 12:12
Well, the system should ALWAYS be designed for maximum yield, even if that yield is used for self-consumption. A photovoltaic system is not a luxury purchase meant for showing off in the city.

It’s simply a waste to lose 1 kWp out of 6.6 kWp. The broader distribution of energy generation throughout the day never compensates for the lower output around midday. Unfortunately, that’s the case. Therefore, I find especially shallow (not in your case) east-west systems only useful when the goal is to maximize yield per area.

However, once the house is finished, there is usually not much you can do about the roof pitch and orientation. These factors must be decided during the planning stage.
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T21150
10 Apr 2016 14:16
toxicmolotow schrieb:
But you can’t really change the roof pitch or orientation once the house is finished. That needs to be decided during the planning stage.

That’s correct. I had to position the house as it is; I wasn’t able or allowed to rotate it. The same goes for the roof.

At the time, a photovoltaic system wasn’t my focus. The idea came later, after the house was already built.

As I’ve mentioned here before, the photovoltaic system is purely a personal decision, not one based on financial returns. There are definitely much better investment options than a photovoltaic system.

I’m living with the enjoyment and also the drawbacks. I expect to break even at best – which is still quite good.

Best regards,
Thorsten
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Elina
10 Apr 2016 17:30
Do you have a Solarlog or another monitoring system? This is my analysis for the current day. The display nicely shows the additional benefit due to the flexible interpretation of the 70% rule – as well as the consumption indicator (consumption shown in green).

Tagesübersicht eines Energieverbrauch-Diagramms mit Balken- und Kurvenverlauf
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T21150
10 Apr 2016 18:16
Hi Elina,

I don’t have exactly something like this yet. A small but essential system component is still missing. It was not available at the time of installation. Nevertheless, it was decided to put the system live as it is for now.

This component is called the SMA Energy Meter.

Without this device, I don’t have any portal data. The system cannot connect to the LAN or the internet.

The battery cannot be charged, and the only display option I currently have is the screen showing error messages and very limited general information. Because of the errors, I cannot access other menus. All I see are flashing lights on the display.

If the missing component is hopefully integrated next week, I will have the kind of data you are showing and, as mentioned, know more then.

Best regards
Thorsten
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T21150
11 Apr 2016 14:02
Well. Great weather today.

Peak sun position or not, this east/west system basically has no real peak.

It starts working around 7:15 AM in this season, supplying the basic load with 400-600 watts, then reaching about 3.5-4.0 kW by 10:00 AM and keeps running steadily. The display values are almost frozen. It’s more like a constant power source. I expect it will go slightly over 4 kW in the afternoon.

No disappointment, that was the plan for this house, which I can hardly reorient towards the south anyway (especially with the injured leg, but also because it would be difficult and against the building regulations/planning permission). The system provides enough power from early until late, and even with the washing machine and dishwasher plus two computers running, I still have excess feed-in to the grid right now.

All good.