Solar PV with or without battery?

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chris1012

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Greetings, everyone,

After dedicating over a month to researching Solar PV systems, I'm nearly ready to make a decision. I owe my progress to some wonderful individuals who generously shared their time and solar expertise with me.

Currently, my inclination is towards a 7kWh optimized system. However, I'm grappling with the decision of whether to invest in a battery now or wait a few more years, as I have a budget of up to 3k for a battery -
14 x 420w Sharp Panels
2 x 570w Sharp Bifacial Panels
6Kw Solar Edge Inverter
16 x Optimisers

My yearly energy consumption stands at 6000kWh, with daily averages of 12-13kWh in the summer and 20-25kWh in the winter.

My setup will include 16 panels, with 12 facing South (185 degrees) and 4 facing South West (247 degrees). Some of these panels will experience morning shading, but they're unobstructed from 10am to 6pm.

I'm curious about estimating my annual energy generation and export? During summer nights (midnight to 8am), our maximum grid import is 2.5kWh.

The bulk of our energy usage occurs on weekdays from 4pm to 9pm, and during weekends. I anticipate a significant increase in consumption during the winter due to our gas central heating and reluctantly using a tumble dryer from time to time.

Based on my understanding, if I export 75% of my generated power (likely via Octopus Flux), it might make more financial sense to delay the battery investment until I can afford a 13kWh+ battery.

One of the calculations shared with me suggests: "A 7kWh system should generate 7K kWh per annum conservatively. You will sell 75% of that for export at 22p via Flux = £1150 earned. Offset 25% of your consumption = £450 saved. Total = £1600 p.a."

Any suggestions and advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
 
Does the shading of panels warrant 16 optimisers? Maybe the money would be better spent on batteries rather than optimisers for every panel?

Battery storage to carry you through 24 hrs during adverse weather in winter time is a really good money saver, a good off peak tariff to charge them from the grid is also a good move.

Locked to prevent being resurrected (again)
 
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