We decided to install a small scale Solar Photo Voltaic system to cover the standing load of our house. This standing load ranges between 240w and 400w depending on if Fridges and Freezers are running.
Most importantly the system had to be affordable. We are not looking for at the payback time in this instance only that we can afford to cover the power used by the house during the day. Excess power whilst is desirable is not an absolute requirement.
A little research on the Internet showed a vast choice in components and finding the right mix could prove to be a challenge. We started by looking for systems sold as kits. This was a good place to start as we could get a feel for what works with what. We found the following kit: Solar Power Kit - BillBuster 1 Inverter: We decided that the inverter we would want to use would be the ‘ Mastervolt Soladin 600’. We chose this because it was low cost and easily installed. I know we could have found a cheaper unit on eBay (made in china), but we wanted something that Guernsey Electricity would allow us to connect to the Grid. MasterVolt seem to be a large manufacturer of inverters and micro generation equipment so there would be little chance of a problem connecting it to the grid.
Panels: Once we had chosen the inviter we knew that we would need around 700w of panels. The supplier would be able to advise you on the best mix of panels. We decided to use Kyocera panels. We chose these for the main reason that we have experience with Kyocera’s through a friend.
We sized the system for 4 panels at 215w each giving us a total of 860w. Whist this is above the amount that the inverter will convert it’s not so much higher that we will be not using a significant amount of power. Purchasing: We were going to install the system ourselves so we were able to find the cheapest internet price. We ordered the inverter from www.mysolarshop.co.uk and ordered panels from Energy & Environment Limited. The cost of the Inverter was £355.11 The panels were £473 each, pastage was £100. Adsditional components purchased added a cost of approx £150 for power wire, nuts & bolts and metal rods and strips to mount the panels on the roof.