The official TFK solar panel thread

Are there limiting factors on the numbers of panels you can have at a house?

Lets say you had an acre garden, could you fill the entire acre with panels?

Is there limits to the amount you can send back to the grid? What’s the optimum layout?

I think it is all concerned with the size of the inverter you have; your inverter will need to be able to handle more kw to process the production of a larger array of panels.

The grant covers 17 I think

My provider implied the grant was a limiting factor for panels in that people could get way more, do much better in terms of energy they used and sent to the grid but because of the grant rules, they dont optimise it

I think a standard installation you’re limited to 5kw inverter and panels limited by number of strings on inverter, so max panels generally 18.

You can apply to esb for bigger inverter where you can export more, think you might need 3 phase for that.

I’m not sure the grant applies to me yet.

Would be interesting to know what purely optimised looks like at scale.

Like hypothetically, if you had €100k and you could pay off your morgage and push down your monthly payment by say €400-450pm, would you be better served buying €100k in panels and generate more than that a month in credits in power.

Ah, yes, thats a whopper

Isnt there a risk though as more solar comes onboard the less they pay you for sending to the grid

Reductions have already started

If you’re looking at something that big you’d probably need planning, also need to pay tax on electricity exported

Surely the export price should be tied to the price of energy in general?

I think it probably is but the price of energy will be dropping over the next 5 years so it will probably come down if anything

Absolutely no way the government esb or electricity companies want people doing that.The cartels must be looked after.

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Not enough area for what you are talking about not to mind the planning aspect and three phase.

The ESB don’t want small commercial plots, the minimum these commercial companies want is around 80 acres of panels depending on location.

Only would work if you had an energy need adjacent to your site. Like the woodlands hotel for example where theyll consume the vast majority of what they produce.

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They are talking seriously about increasing the standing charges for houses which don’t import much electricity. The absolute cnuts

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Where did you see that? The Standing charge is to cover maintenance of the grid; surely those using less power from the grid should be paying less, if anything.

Indeed they should. But those 4x4s won’t pay for themselves.

I don’t think they buy back surplus from “commercial” set ups

Woodlands does not produce half of what they consume. Big hotels have a massive elec demand

I’d say heating a pool costs a fortune nevermind anything else

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