Jan was rubbish month for solar

[GaryMG4]

one definitely needs that amount of panels to generate much in this weather - looks like he got the same as we did for Jan But, if he thought Jan was bad, just wait for his next report. It's nearly half-way through Feb and we've only just hit 100kWh

How much generation capacity do you have? We have only generated 25 kWh from a 4kW array so far.
Edit: well added 11 more to the month today.

 

[decrep]

Guess you don't want to see my Jan numbers?

 

[T1 Terry]

Guess you don't want to see my Jan numbers?

Go one, you know you want to

T1 Terry

 

[Everest]

How much generation capacity do you have? We have only generated 25 kWh from a 4kW array so far.

That's consistent then (as we're both in East Anglia) - we have 4 times your capacity. Still not enough though at this time of year!

 

[decrep]

Go one, you know you want to

T1 Terry

OK it's a challenge, have a guess, closest wins, only bragging rights for a prize.

I guess it's fair to give something to go by. We have a 9.x kW array. but only a 5kW inverter.

 

[T1 Terry]

For all of Jan? 1400kwh

T1 Terry

 

[decrep]

For all of Jan? 1400kw

T1 Terry

I don't know how to do just Jan, so I've done a month, it's half Jan half Feb

 

[Everest]

We have a 9.x kW array. but only a 5kW inverter.

Working on it... do you have home storage battery and do you have any export power limitations?

 

[decrep]

Working on it... do you have home storage battery and do you have any export power limitations?

Yep, 10kWh battery 5kW export limit.

But isn't this just how much solar we get? Not what happens to it.

 

[Everest]

But isn't this just how much solar we get? Not what happens to it.

Not really.

If there is nowhere for the power to go an inverter will reduce its solar input. In your case, with your 9kWp of panels, then when your batteries are low SOC, the inverter is likely to be able to put 5kW into the battery and still export 4kW (less house load) - so using all 9kW of solar power available.

But when your battery is full then, with 5kW export limit and 5kW inverter, the inverter will only draw enough current on its PV input to generate 5kW, rather than the 9kW that your panels could generate on a sunny day.

So without knowing your house usage and hence how much energy is being dumped into the battery each day we will be guessing.

I'll guess 1.5MWh for your mid Jan to mid Feb yield (from 10h/day x 5kW x 30 days) finger in the air, though if you're dumping a lot into the EV from battery could be more.

 

[decrep]

Not really.

Of course, makes sense. No very little battery goes into the EV, that only happens when we need to do a calibration charge twice a year and run out of solar.

1.5MWh and 1.4MWH are getting close, can anybody do any better?

 

[JohnV6]

126 kWh in Jan, 40 kWh in Feb so far

 

[decrep]

1.5MWh and 1.4MWH are getting close, can anybody do any better?

No more guesses, so Terry wins, it was 1.3MWh

 

[Everest]

Well done... he did have the 'local' advantage, though!

 

[Rolfe]

February has been pretty rubbish too, but hey, look at today...

28.8 kwh. And there was enough clipping it would actually have been worth exporting some of the battery in the morning, even if only to see how high generation could get at 1°C.

 

[GaryMG4]

Not especially sunny here today but I managed to self consume 6 of the 8.3 kWh generated with 4.6 going into the car at the cost of 400Wh courtesy of the Zappi ECO+. I don't generally bother trying to charge from solar this time of year, todays peak output was 1.7kW so too close to the 1.4 minimum but with the Zappi set at 70% green it worked out OK.

 

[GaryMG4]

Just out of curiosity I thought I'd put some ££s on yesterday's numbers.
We paid Octopus £1.32 for the electricity they supplied, EDF paid me £1.90 for the electric generated and I banked almost 20 miles in the car so not too shabby for a cool February day, shame I used 3l of petrol in the Jazz but at least I gave it a bit of a run before the nephew borrows it at the weekend!

 

[T1 Terry]

This is what the electricity regulator is looking to do in Australia, Submissions Close On AEMC Plan To Raise Fixed Charges
so the MG4 as an additional solar storage unit will be a must and we will go off grid ..... let them see how well that goes for them

T1 Terry

 

[decrep]

Hope we don't follow suit!!!