Solar Panels

[peterboat]

Hi, Over the last few weeks solar panels have been producing so much power that when I leave for work in the morning I turn on my immersion heater and when I get back batteries still charged and a tank full of hot water how good is that? I have also been using my dishwasher and washing machine as well.

 

Peter

[leeco]

That's great.

[p6rob]

That sounds pretty good.

I'd love to install solar, it's third job on the list of improvements to make to the boat. Right behind smoke free, cool running engine and replace bathroom. Might get round to it in time for winter darkness.

[Sunsoup]

There's a lot of talk about how good solar panels are. My question is are they expensive?

[Justme]

There's a lot of talk about how good solar panels are. My question is are they expensive?

 

 

Not as much as they use to be. Budget on 50p per watt (we paid £2.70 just 4 or 5 years ago) for the panels & then allow for decent cables & controller (they are more like a fixed cost to some extent).

[LEO]

 

 

Hi, Over the last few weeks solar panels have been producing so much power that when I leave for work in the morning I turn on my immersion heater and when I get back batteries still charged and a tank full of hot water how good is that? I have also been using my dishwasher and washing machine as well.

 

Peter

 

Hi,

 

Good news, I'm just about to install a 4kw system on my house roof, seems expensive but the panels are well made (not Chinese).

 

Just had the energy assessment on the house came back category 'D' so should get the 'fit' tariff.

 

Anybody else had the installed on property roofs?.f

 

L.

Edited July 21, 2013 by LEO

[tiresias]

 

 

solar panels have been producing so much power that when I leave for work in the morning I turn on my immersion heater and when I get back batteries still charged and a tank full of hot water

 

We have an immersion heater via the inverter and it draws about 80 amps which rapidly dragged the batteries down on the one occasion when it was switched on by accident. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm a bit nervous of putting that amount of load on the batteries on a regular basis.

 

We have solar panels too. What I'd like is some system that would start by charging the batteries to full, AND THEN start heating the water tank using the solar power that would otherwise be wasted for the rest of the day. In other words, the battery charging would take priority, and any water heating would just be a bonus. Then I'd arrive back to full batteries, and water that was as warm as it had managed to get. But I'm not sure that this could be done.

[Justme]

 

What I'd like is some system that would start by charging the batteries to full, AND THEN start heating the water tank using the solar power that would otherwise be wasted for the rest of the day. In other words, the battery charging would take priority, and any water heating would just be a bonus. Then I'd arrive back to full batteries, and water that was as warm as it had managed to get. But I'm not sure that this could be done.

 

 

Easy peasy IF you pay good money for a quality controller. I know that the Outback FM 60 & 80 have controllable relays that could switch loads via a contactor depending on a few settings. Or you could use a Victron Multi (with a solar controller) as that too has a controllable relay that can activate a contactor. Another option could be a on grid load control type device.