Another DIY solar install

[Motmcgee]

Hi everyone , I am new to the forum , just recently purchased 10 x 235w panel with 3.6kW hybrid sofar inverter. I am starting small by hooking up just six of the panels in the garden on top of a summer house roof ( easy access for now ) and then connect up appliances which will consume the equivalent kW to my house, run this through the winter and see how it performs before eventually connecting to the house. I was hoping to get peoples thoughts on the sofar inverter and the pros n cons between using lead acid or lithium ion batteries ? I know the DOD is way better on lithium ion but the price of these batteries is crazy and I am kinda on a budget plus still experimenting.


Please do NOT hi-jack posts, it causes confusion. Your post has been split

 

[johnb2713]

Hi everyone , I am new to the forum , just recently purchased 10 x 235w panel with 3.6kW hybrid sofar inverter. I am starting small by hooking up just six of the panels in the garden on top of a summer house roof ( easy access for now ) and then connect up appliances which will consume the equivalent kW to my house, run this through the winter and see how it performs before eventually connecting to the house. I was hoping to get peoples thoughts on the sofar inverter and the pros n cons between using lead acid or lithium ion batteries ? I know the DOD is way better on lithium ion but the price of these batteries is crazy and I am kinda on a budget plus still experimenting.

It may have been better to start a new thread than adding to this one. (You are right, I have split his post)

Lead Acid 'v' LifeP04
Lead acid you should only discharge to 50% so the 100a/h battery can only give yo 50a/h. The life span of lead acid is nowhere near as good as LifeP04 and the voltage curve isn't as good during discharge i.e. LifeP04 holds the voltage up until the end. You could go the route of building your own battery from ex laptop batteries, loads on youtube about that. A source for new LifeP04's in the UK I have found is Fogstar which seem to have good prices and discount codes are available.
One final point, testing a system through winter isnt really the best time for testing.
Good luck, hope you enjoy the experience.

 

[Motmcgee]

Thanks johnb2713 I'll be sure to check out fogstar for the batteries. is there any mileage in making my array adjustable so I can change the angle for summer / winter? Has any one got experience in or measured the performance of a pivoting system Vs a fixed system

 

[johnb2713]

The generation in winter is abysmal compared to summer. Tracking systems are good at following the sun across the sky but it seems an awful lot of complexity compare adding a few more panels. I don’t know the actual figures though.

 

[binky]

Thanks johnb2713 I'll be sure to check out fogstar for the batteries. is there any mileage in making my array adjustable so I can change the angle for summer / winter? Has any one got experience in or measured the performance of a pivoting system Vs a fixed system

There's some links posted on another thread to solar calculators, put in the roof pitch at different angles and they should give you some idea.

Realistically, making the angle alterable isn't going to be easy, but if you are installing a ground array, you could opt for a steeper pitch to improve winter performance. If you are installing on a roof then you are basically stuck with whatever that is.