Solar options for home in 2022.

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#3068668 28-Apr-2023 08:16

Finally, just a little over 4months wait since we applied for the HomeGen application with Genesis for solar buyback, our smart meter is now setup for automated excess solar credits moving forward. We can now also move providers if we want to and we won't have to go through this wait again as any new providers will start paying back from day one now that the meter has the correct parameters set. GST is removed by Genesis, so the rate credited for is 12c/kWh excl GST and not 13.8c. Genesis also waived off the $127 homegen application fees and provided $50 credit extra for the delay so credit to them there!

This month we also happened to receive our yearly line charges credit from Waipa networks. The $30 and $10 odd credits are my further 18% monthly corporate deal discount for electricity and gas, respectively. With the $558.63 credit balance we have left, it has paid off the last 3 months of electricity + gas invoices we had to pay while homegen application was being processed and still left us in the green with some credit left. Out last 4 months of electricity and gas has been completely free. Incredibly happy with Solar PV investment. With the current prices we are paying which are due for review in June 2023 when our contract expires, ROI is 6.8 years for Solar PV investment.

Do whatever you want to do man.

No4

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#3075891 13-May-2023 18:43

Given that this is in the diy forum, does anyone know how possible it is to do you own panel installation? I know people do their own off-grid installs, but a grid tied one may be encumbered by rules/warranty issues about must be carried out by a professional installer etc. I'm thinking more about the physical mounting of the panels, and perhaps siting of boxes and running of cables. I'm perfectly happy to pay a ticketed sparky to connect the whole thing.

HarmLessSolutions

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#3075895 13-May-2023 18:50

No4:

Given that this is in the diy forum, does anyone know how possible it is to do you own panel installation? I know people do their own off-grid installs, but a grid tied one may be encumbered by rules/warranty issues about must be carried out by a professional installer etc. I'm thinking more about the physical mounting of the panels, and perhaps siting of boxes and running of cables. I'm perfectly happy to pay a ticketed sparky to connect the whole thing.

We did our own construction of mounting structures and ran our own cabling to a ground mounted PV installation at a previous property. For the actual installation of the panels it was just a matter of attaching the aluminium rails and bolting the panels to them. Likewise the cabling just required terminations and the mandatory permitting before we were good to go. Roof mounted systems would probably present more of a challenge for DIYers.

I'm guessing that your biggest challenge will be to find an installer who is happy to work in with you.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

neb

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#3075918 13-May-2023 21:50

HarmLessSolutions:
I'm guessing that your biggest challenge will be to find an installer who is happy to work in with you.

Meaning taking something that someone with unknown skills and qualifications has put together, adding their own stuff, and then signing the CoC/ESC for it...

HarmLessSolutions

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#3075964 14-May-2023 09:42

neb:
HarmLessSolutions:

I'm guessing that your biggest challenge will be to find an installer who is happy to work in with you.

Meaning taking something that someone with unknown skills and qualifications has put together, adding their own stuff, and then signing the CoC/ESC for it...

More along the lines of an installer that's happy for their customer to undertake a good portion of the 'dog work' rather than being charged electrician's rates for doing so. Trenching deep enough and structures fit to hold up against the next cyclone is hardly CoC threatening stuff and easily able to be checked if the installer is concerned.

My stepson has recently completed significant house renovations and a shed erection. He ran all the cabling himself and had an electrician do the terminations and sign off. Not too different to what we did on our previous PV installation in that respect.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

No4

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#3076318 15-May-2023 12:39

Thanks for the responses, that sounds hopeful. I'm a mechanical engineer who paid close attention when working with industrial sparkies so know my way around cabling. I did the wiring for my basement extension and had it inspected and signed off. So I can plan on doing the install myself, which will take longer but at least I'll get the details exactly how I want them, for future inspection & maintenance.

Now I just need to find some good bifacial panels. They seem a little hard to come by in NZ.

neb

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#3076887 16-May-2023 17:13

I'm still waiting for either of the SMA-approved installers, sigh. Power Technologies keep saying they'll get back to me in a couple of weeks whenever I ping them for an update, and Reid Technology haven't replied to my inquiry yet.

I can understand it if a company is flooded with work, but at least set a calendar alert for X weeks to ping the customer and let them know it's still being worked on.

Aucklandjafa

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#3076904 16-May-2023 18:26

That’s usage is out the gate. Are you sure there’s no fault on the meter? My last bill was 188kw/h ($54 with octopus) sure, we have gas for water AND cooktop but 1100kw a month is nuts!

neb

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#3077290 17-May-2023 21:28

So I got a reply from Reid Technology today, exchanged some details with them and they recommended that, as the SMA can get pricey, I look at the AlphaESS Smile S6. Does anyone have any experience with AlphaESS gear? It seems a bit dubious, the best reviews more or less say "buy it if low price is your prime concern", less positive reviews report all sorts of problems and mention that they used to use GoodWe inverters (which I'm not keen on) but then switched to "their own Chinese knockoffs" which are presumably even less impressive. They also make a big deal out of the fact that it's German technology but unless Germany now includes Jiangsu, China it comes from somewhere a lot further east than Germany is.

Edited to add: More horror stories about Alpha ESS. I realise those ones are all from Australia but it sounds like a company you want to avoid at all costs.

Newtown

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#3077297 17-May-2023 22:38

@neb – Have you checked in with YHI Energy (SMA supplier) to see which installers they recommend for SMA gear?

neb

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#3077298 17-May-2023 22:46

Newtown:
@neb – Have you checked in with YHI Energy (SMA supplier) to see which installers they recommend for SMA gear?

Yes, it was Power Technologies and Reid Technology.

Newtown

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#3077353 18-May-2023 07:38

I thought it was AC Solar you got those two installers from?

Another option would be to work your way through the list of companies here: https://www.seanz.org.nz/directory

neb

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#3077543 18-May-2023 14:01

Newtown: I thought it was AC Solar you got those two installers from?

Ah, yeah, it was AC Solar. I thought they were the SMA distributors in NZ? YHI look distinctly don't-deal-with-the-public-ey.

Newtown

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#3078238 21-May-2023 11:25

Looks like SMA is about to announce two new products at Intersolar 2023 in June.
Source: https://www.sma.de/en/intersolar-2023-neu

Single-phase hybrid inverter Sunny Boy Smart Energy
Not much info about this inverter, apart from:
https://www.sma-america.com/products/solarinverters/sunny-boy-smart-energy

SMA eCharger with bidirectional charging and vehicle to grid support
SMA’s eCharger wallbox that has been optimized for solar power charging. The charging station is able to do without standardized support rails. Instead, it features a single printed circuit board with both communication and power components, resulting in cost advantages, simple and sustainable production, and a simplified calibration process. With future updates the wallbox is capable of bidirectional charging and compatible with the ISO 15118 vehicle to grid communication interface for road vehicles, and therefore also with plug & charge. A self-learning algorithm helps optimized the user’s self-consumption. The SMA eCharger will support the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) for a backend connection, enabling dynamic load management. New features can be added via over-the-air updates.

Source: https://www.thesmartere-award.com/en/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame

neb

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#3097507 30-Jun-2023 04:00

The latest update with SMA is that after a lot of phoning round it appears to be impossible to get anyone to install it in Auckland. Having gone through a few more options I've been told by another company I contacted that they've moved away from SMA due to issues with support and they recommended Victron instead. Problem is all the Victrons seem to be indoor-use-only, which will be a problem as the (indoors) battery location has next to no airflow while the (outdoors) PV location has natural air flow so would be ideal for the hotter-running PV inverter.

In any case, is SMA stuff really that problematic? Looks like I won't have much choice in the matter, but given that several other people here had recommended it I wondered if it's really that bad.

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