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I’ve had mine for about 14 years and I was under the impression you couldn’t change the panels, inverter etc for anything newer. I understood that you couldn’t change replace a broken panel with a similar size panel and the same with the inverter but I was on YouTube the other day and uncovered the clip below. It basically says that you can change the panels for new ones and the FIT payment will be based on a percent of your original system compared to the new system.
For instance I have my original 3.68 kWh system and I could now virtually double that to over 7.5kwh. So my FIT payment would be based on 50% of the total output of the new system. I have contacted Octopus Energy to confirm this but they haven’t came back to me yet.
I am seriously considering this change but I wish I had known this 5 months ago as I would have done it then rather than fitting panels to my garage roof and my North West facing roof. If it all goes ahead I’ll be looking at a total system output of 14 kwh gulp.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.
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I need a new roof and looking at in-roof solar.
Just starting to look at FIT’s so thanks for the info.
Skoda Enyaq Race Blue
I need a new roof and looking at in-roof solar. Just starting to look at FIT’s so thanks for the info.
Feed in Tariff (FIT) has been replaced by a lesser Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
I’d really do your research on in-roof systems before committing 🙂
Ideally you need air flow around your solar panel, solar panel become less efficient in very hot weather, ideally cool sunny day for maximum efficiency, unfortunately in built roof system have very limited air flow.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
DumfriesDik if I was giving advice I would go for battery storage rather than solar. If your budget allows then get both but a battery gives you more bang for your buck.
I am getting 48kwh of battery storage and of course you don’t need anywhere near that but getting a battery that covers your daily use, excluding charging your EV battery, will allow you to charge your battery at night for 7p per kWh and run your house all day at 7p.
Solar will pay for itself over the years and in the short term you can get 16.5 p per kWh from Eon or 15p from Octopus.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.So Octopus Energy have came back and said they are 80% certain I will be able to do as I’ve suggested although OFGEM will have the final say.
My proposed installer arrived today for his first site visit, everything had been done by email and telephone. He notices I have a plug in hybrid and air source heat pump. I tell him it’s an 11kw heat pump but it never uses anymore than 4kw, he says it doesn’t matter it’s all down to the potential to use 11kw, he then asks how much solar I have on the roof (all info I had previously given him). Sharp intake of breath, eyes closed as he carried out some mental arithmetic. “I don’t think the DNO will accept what you’re proposing I think you’ll be at or near your 100Amp fuse limit”. He went on to explain why but to be fare I had no idea what he was talking about. So it looks like my next solar phase has been cut short, he says he will apply for a G99 approval but he wants me to pay the £300 if it gets knocked back.
As a reminder I have a 3.68kw system and inverter that generates a FIT payment. I also have a 7.2kwp system together with an 8.8kw Sunsynk hybrid inverter. As I noted above I was looking to replace the 3.68kw system with a 7kw system and a further 8.8kw Sunsynk inverter.
Just to be clear I told him I would need G99 approval but he said as I got one last year I wouldn’t need another. As it turns out he didn’t pick up on the need for a second inverter so as soon as I spoke to him he realised his mistake.
So unless Kezo can work his magic it looks like I’ve finished my solar adventure for now.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.“if your are really that close to meeting G99 /G100 your crap installer should have picked up on this prior commencing the install and an application made to the DNO. Its not necessarily the size of the the array DNO are interested in, it’s the inverter and it meeting type approved to meet G99 say. Many a time I’d regularly ask if the network would take more than 16A back feed and most of the DNO staff were very helpful, except you always get one, who was a right jobsworth and would continually state 16A maximum, but if your limited to 16A they can’t stop work commencing and any network issues that arise are not chargeable.
There are ways around it G98 is based round export limatation, options include G99 but, also workarounds such as reducing panel size to 4kWp with a view of adding panels and battery storage at a later stage, with the involvement of the DNO or a bigger inverter (fotget what size yours is) and limit it to around 3.68kWp export but, there is no escuse for bad workmenship, only finding out at this stage the DNO should have been involved from the start, if you are actually close to the limit.
Most DNO’s are helpful if you approch them however alot rests on the upstream downstream limits your local transformer can hand which might be what the other guy was talking about but, if there’s no issue with capacity, Ive known DNO’s to carry the work out withou charge.
Might be worthwhile reading the Engery Networks association on G98/G99.“
Im not sure I described my situation clearly. I have G99 approval for my original system installed October last year which has the air source heat pump, 11840 kWh solar together with an 8.8kw Sunsynk inverter and a 4kw Aurora string inverter, which is part of my FIT payment set up.
I was looking to add a second 8.7kw inverter and an additional 4kw of solar however after speaking to my new installer and considering my options I’ve decided to stick with the two inverters, meaning no need to get another G99 approval, and just accept that with the additional 4kw of solar I will have some clipping of the output on really sunny days.
I have sent this to my new installer but he hasn’t came back to me yet so don’t know if he’s ok with what I’m proposing.
There are two array that feed my 4kw inverter for the FIT payment, with the increased panel output, 240watt original to 480watt replacement, only one array will now be associated with the FIT payment and will be connected to the 4kw inverter. The other array will be connected to my 8.8kw hybrid inverter meaning 12,000kw, probably about 10,000kwp, will go through the 8.8kw inverter meaning I will have some clipping but only on really sunny days.
kezo if you see anything completely incorrect with the above let me know.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.What your suggesting is limit/clip the export of your 2nd array to stay within spec and feasably what bits left on the brightes of days can be fed into your battery or for charging the car?
Yes that’s correct.
The only person who got all his work done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe.
Anything i post over three lines long please assume it is an article lol.I see nothing wrong with tha me old friend, as long as your system can be set up to do that, which I don’t see why not 🙂
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