Harrisons Solar vs Other?

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#2886836 16-Mar-2022 07:37

eonsim:
Krullos:

...

The garage is detached and about 10M from the house at the front of our property, so I'm not sure how easily we could add panels to the house and feed them into the Powerwall, etc. that will be located in the garage (power from the street comes through the main board in the garage and the house is on a sub-board). I'd be open to increasing the capacity of panels onto our house too, if that's easy to do?

The LG panels are nice and should perform a bit better than the JA ones, though possibly if you can get a second inverter and more panels on the house that might be a better option.

I'm not sure if it's possible with a subboard, but it may be worth asking Harrison's about the possibility of adding a second smaller inverter on the house with some panels, even a couple of KW's there would help offset your house usage and leave more power for charging the battery.

As opposed to a second inverter, what about using micro-inverters on the roof of the garage?

Klathman

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#2887066 16-Mar-2022 11:38

Chris00: Just a side note: now we have changed our metre, here is some numbers with flickeletric:
If you hav solar you want to stay with flick peak and off peak, during the day from 0700 to 2100 are peak, they charge 30c per unit, but also they buy back 18c around per unit. So if you do all your dish washing and washing mechine also your hot water during the day, you should not use much of grid power, also xtra power sell back to grid. We got 18 panels so we sell back more then enough for us to cover our night useage. At night 2100 to 0659 and weekend are off peak, they charge 12c per unit. So my thought was right, sell at a higher price and use on a lower price. Is much better option.
Last week, we did not get full week of sunny day, we paid for $5 of of power.

You got a good rate with them. I just had a look and they're offering us 36c peak and 23c off-peak rates incl GST. Not sure what that will mean for the rate they buy at though.

insane

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#2887118 16-Mar-2022 12:44

uppynz:
Chris00: Just a side note: now we have changed our metre, here is some numbers with flickeletric:
If you hav solar you want to stay with flick peak and off peak, during the day from 0700 to 2100 are peak, they charge 30c per unit, but also they buy back 18c around per unit. So if you do all your dish washing and washing mechine also your hot water during the day, you should not use much of grid power, also xtra power sell back to grid. We got 18 panels so we sell back more then enough for us to cover our night useage. At night 2100 to 0659 and weekend are off peak, they charge 12c per unit. So my thought was right, sell at a higher price and use on a lower price. Is much better option.
Last week, we did not get full week of sunny day, we paid for $5 of of power.

Wow that's good!!!! I'm having to chase the Harrison's rep here in North Auckland. Hasn't been a good experience to date. Almost to the point we might just pre wire and worry about install at a later stage on our new build

Oh really, Guy has been very responsive for me. If that's not who you have been dealing with then let me know and I'll flick you his details. Their quote is still fairly expensive IMO - so might just go with a friend of mine who can get equipment direct and try find a friendly installer. It's 2/3 to 1/2 the price, and then I could afford batteries.

Krullos

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#2887129 16-Mar-2022 13:06

As a brief update, I've had a new quote from Harrisons of $45.5K installed for:

- 23 x 410W Q Cell MAXX panels (9.43kW) - 15 panels on our garage roof and 8 on our house roof's north facing area (we could fit an extra 7 on our North-East facing area if we wanted to)

- 2 x Fronius Primo 5.0kW Inverter (one for the garage, one for the house)

- 23 x Tigo TS4-A-O Retrofit Optimisers

- Neurio Meter with 2 CTs for the Tesla Powerwall

- 1 x Tesla Powerwall 13.5kWh battery and Gateway

(if we increase to 30 panels and optimisers the price goes up to just over $50k)

Our power is currently split into two phases - one powers the garage (with constant load from the server rack, and daily EV charging), the other powers the house.

We'd be looking at having the 15 panels on the garage cover the existing base load of the servers, plus EV charging, while the 8 panels on the house would be covering house consumption and charging the Powerwall with any excess.

This isn't ideal, but the Powerwall can only supply one circuit, and we've deemed the house to be the priority load in a power outage - the Servers are on UPS that will safely shut them down in a power outage.

Can anyone see a better way we could set that up?

insane

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#2887131 16-Mar-2022 13:17

At 45K I'd seriously run the numbers and see whether you will ever break even, per location.

Might get a better return by investing your 45K into shares/Bitcoin/Power company :D

Unless you're doing it for the feel good factor.

Is there no way to join the two sites together, or at least some of the circuits?

eonsim

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#2887443 17-Mar-2022 00:16

Krullos:

As a brief update, I've had a new quote from Harrisons of $45.5K installed for:

- 23 x 410W Q Cell MAXX panels (9.43kW) - 15 panels on our garage roof and 8 on our house roof's north facing area (we could fit an extra 7 on our North-East facing area if we wanted to)

- 2 x Fronius Primo 5.0kW Inverter (one for the garage, one for the house)

- 23 x Tigo TS4-A-O Retrofit Optimisers

- Neurio Meter with 2 CTs for the Tesla Powerwall

- 1 x Tesla Powerwall 13.5kWh battery and Gateway

Our power is currently split into two phases - one powers the garage (with constant load from the server rack, and daily EV charging), the other powers the house.

We'd be looking at having the 15 panels on the garage cover the existing base load of the servers, plus EV charging, while the 8 panels on the house would be covering house consumption and charging the Powerwall with any excess.

This isn't ideal, but the Powerwall can only supply one circuit, and we've deemed the house to be the priority load in a power outage - the Servers are on UPS that will safely shut them down in a power outage.

Couple of questions:

First do you really need the Tigo optimisers? From what I've read the difference between a modern Fronius inverter vs microinverters or optimises with reasonable shade is less than 2% production. The Fronius MPPTs do a really good job these days. Or do you need them on all the panels, if you are only expecting shade in a couple of places then getting rid of most of those will save you $2,000 or more and they'll happily work on the 4 or 5 panels with substantial shade.

Secondly, is your load high enough that you really need two phases? Potentially you could have both rewired to a single phase, which would then allow the powerwall to cover both. I assume both Fronius inverters will be linked.

Third if your not planning to add extra panels to the house consider dropping the house down to a 3 or 3.5kw Inverter, that could save you nearly a grand.

Fourth, I don't know if Harrisons offers them but maybe ask about the Fronius Gen24 inverter, they offer a 3kw backup circuit without needing a battery. As in if the sun is up they provide a Backup powerpoint that will provide up to 3kw (depending on how much power your panels are producing). It might be possible to change the primo that isn't linked to the battery to a Gen24 which would give you limited daytime backup power in the garage and full battery back up in the house.

Either way, it's a pretty massive system your looking at and ~40% of the price is probably the battery, and another 5-6% is the optmisers. Heck if it was me, I'd probably consider tossing all the optimisers (except maybe a few essential ones if there are areas of really bad shade) and either save the money or use it to add a few more panels on the second MPPT on the north east facing roof of your house...

eonsim

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#2887444 17-Mar-2022 00:23

uppynz:
Chris00: Just a side note: now we have changed our metre, here is some numbers with flickeletric:
If you hav solar you want to stay with flick peak and off peak, during the day from 0700 to 2100 are peak, they charge 30c per unit, but also they buy back 18c around per unit. So if you do all your dish washing and washing mechine also your hot water during the day, you should not use much of grid power, also xtra power sell back to grid. We got 18 panels so we sell back more then enough for us to cover our night useage. At night 2100 to 0659 and weekend are off peak, they charge 12c per unit. So my thought was right, sell at a higher price and use on a lower price. Is much better option.
Last week, we did not get full week of sunny day, we paid for $5 of of power.

Wow that's good!!!! I'm having to chase the Harrison's rep here in North Auckland. Hasn't been a good experience to date. Almost to the point we might just pre wire and worry about install at a later stage on our new build

Harrisons has multiple reps in Auckland, could always approach another one, might give the North Auckland one a kick in the arse...

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Chris00

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#2887446 17-Mar-2022 01:35

Klathman:
Chris00: Just a side note: now we have changed our metre, here is some numbers with flickeletric:
If you hav solar you want to stay with flick peak and off peak, during the day from 0700 to 2100 are peak, they charge 30c per unit, but also they buy back 18c around per unit. So if you do all your dish washing and washing mechine also your hot water during the day, you should not use much of grid power, also xtra power sell back to grid. We got 18 panels so we sell back more then enough for us to cover our night useage. At night 2100 to 0659 and weekend are off peak, they charge 12c per unit. So my thought was right, sell at a higher price and use on a lower price. Is much better option.
Last week, we did not get full week of sunny day, we paid for $5 of of power.

You got a good rate with them. I just had a look and they're offering us 36c peak and 23c off-peak rates incl GST. Not sure what that will mean for the rate they buy at though.

I thought power price is the same all over nz. I might be wrong.

rhy7s

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#2887467 17-Mar-2022 07:57

Chris00: thought power price is the same all over nz. I might be wrong.

There's a big range of power prices in NZ, also off peak times differ by region as well.

Chris00

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#2887613 17-Mar-2022 15:31

rhy7s:
Chris00: thought power price is the same all over nz. I might be wrong.

There's a big range of power prices in NZ, also off peak times differ by region as well.

But if a power company like flick buy and sell on spot price, it should be also be competitIve? If they sell to you on higher price, I think their buy back price also be higher?

CYaBro

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#2887740 17-Mar-2022 16:32

Anyone had any dealings with World Solar?
Good? Bad? Otherwise?

Been given an estimate, site visit still needed to get firm pricing, of just under $14k for a 5.46 KWh system.
That’s 14x 390w panels. 5kw inverter. Power diverter for hot water.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

insane

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#2887799 17-Mar-2022 17:03

CYaBro: Anyone had any dealings with World Solar?
Good? Bad? Otherwise?

Been given an estimate, site visit still needed to get firm pricing, of just under $14k for a 5.46 KWh system.
That’s 14x 390w panels. 5kw inverter. Power diverter for hot water.

That's about the same as my Harrison's quote (with 13x QCells panels 415w panels, 4 tigos, upgraded Fronius inverter 6KW for future proofing and the smart meeter for tracking usage and export.

I guess they all know the going rate and with demand high won't discount much.

No dealings with that company though sorry

neb

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#3040903 23-Feb-2023 15:52

timbosan:
I had a quote from Harrisons (Auckland) and the rep was excellent - provided details to all my questions, was polite and knowledgeable when doing the site visit, made recommendations based specifically on my house, shading, etc.

Do you remember who it was? Would be nice to know who to ask for rather than just the next person off the queue.

timbosan

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#3040989 23-Feb-2023 17:29

neb:
timbosan:

I had a quote from Harrisons (Auckland) and the rep was excellent - provided details to all my questions, was polite and knowledgeable when doing the site visit, made recommendations based specifically on my house, shading, etc.

Do you remember who it was? Would be nice to know who to ask for rather than just the next person off the queue.

Easy one, Nerum Bonesetter. Nerum Bonesetter - Harrisons Solar

He is still there (I asked for a new quote last week as I had to reroof before looking at solar again).

neb

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#3041148 24-Feb-2023 00:25

timbosan: Easy one, Nerum Bonesetter.

Ah, guy whose name sounds like the drummer in a Black Metal band :-). Will ping him tomorrow.

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