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Nico934

Posts: 4

Location: Benissa

Joined: 11 Jul 2024

Merry Christmas everyone,


i would like to hear your opinion with the installation of solar panels and batteries.


could you please share how many you got installed and what your prices were?

I have been quoted 16000€ for 

- 12 solar panels

- 6 lithium batteries 


what are your thoughts, I feel it is a bit excessive but than again the idea is to go off-grid.

thank you! 

Edit 1: as per request i have copied the items i am being quoted, any insights are helpful



RonTT

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2024 10:59pm

RonTT

Very helpful member

Posts: 575

547 helpful points

Location: Santa Pola

Joined: 26 Nov 2022

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2024 10:59pm

Bit more detail on the panels and batteries might be helpful, ie wattage /type solar panels, voltage and Ah of batteries, part number also good as they can be priced up, LifePo4 batteries are in general very expensive.

PaulN

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:49pm

Posts: 25

12 helpful points

Location: Javea / Xàbia

Joined: 14 Jun 2024

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:49pm

You should get at least one more quote or even better get two with the same spec as your current price

I would suggest that you also need to get a tarrif that will pay you for any excess that you can feed back to the grid as I'm assuming that you have a connected supply at the moment. Octopus pay me 8 cents a kW for any excess whereas iberdrola change their feed in price to suit them. 

Darro

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 9:24am

Darro

Super helpful member

Posts: 1746

1558 helpful points

Location: Catral

Joined: 8 Sep 2021

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 9:24am

Sounds on the cheap side to me.

How long do you expect to live to achieve payback?

Swimmer57

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 10:25am

Swimmer57

Helpful member

Posts: 399

287 helpful points

Location: Gandia

Joined: 30 Aug 2020

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 10:25am

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/18/if-a-million-germans-have-them-there-must-be-something-in-it-how-balcony-solar-is-taking-off

Came across this article recently. I don't know if balcony solar is taking off here in Spain as well, but it might be worth a bit of investigation...... I'd also be interested to hear if anyone on the form knows anything about it? 

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Darro

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 12:42pm

Darro

Super helpful member

Posts: 1746

1558 helpful points

Location: Catral

Joined: 8 Sep 2021

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 12:42pm

Germany has long had some of the highest prices for electricity in the EU, for the first half of 2024 it averaged €0.40/kWh, so it's not surprising that anything to ameliorate that is bound to be popular!

Flyingduck81

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 2:36pm

Flyingduck81

Helpful member

Posts: 458

438 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 28 Dec 2017

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 2:36pm

As Darro says, Germany has high electricity prices as most green energy is created by wind turbines in the North Sea yet the highest electricity needs are in the south of the country. Sweden has the same problems, dirt cheap in the north, extortionate in the south.

What will you be getting from the installation? Mostly free electricity obviously, maybe a kickback from the grid if you stay connected and hot water but will it produce and store enough electricity to heat your home adequately in the winter?

With two people living in a 140m2 property with all mod cons including an American fridge freezer and a huge chest freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer (barely used but useful), oven, etc, our last electricity bill was €57. We only have one air con unit in the bedroom which is only used when night-time temperatures stay above 23 degrees and this added €20 in one month to our bill. We have bottled gas central heating via a combi boiler which is very economical. This is just to give a comparison but it would take about 20 years in my situation to pay for itself less what we pay for gas. I also imagine a budget for maintenance and/or replacement of parts will come into play.

I also read recently, although of course I can't find it now, about a new technique on an existing hydro electric plant, possibly on the Tajo which will basically recycle the water used over and over again. As you can probably tell, I have no technical or engineering know-how at all but the price of electricity will fall significantly, so the article said. Also Abu Dhabi are investing heavily in Spain's green energy.

All in all, I personally would wait a few years to see how technology advances, and 16k is an awful lot of money!

Again, only my opinion but I would be wary of buying a property which is totally off grid, or that is priced higher because of the solar system as I would see it as a load of technology which could have untold problems but I have no experience in solar whatsoever.

Seven years ago we were quoted ballpark 14k for a solar system to include heating. We bought a combi gas boiler and my husband installed the central heating system instead. He's a plumber and I'm risk averse and like what I know.

Nico934

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 4:07pm

Nico934

Original Poster

Posts: 4

Location: Benissa

Joined: 11 Jul 2024

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 4:07pm

RonTT wrote on Wed Dec 25, 2024 10:59pm:

Bit more detail on the panels and batteries might be helpful, ie wattage /type solar panels, voltage and Ah of batteries, part number also good as they can be priced up, LifePo4 batteries are in general very expensive.

Hi RonTT,


thank you for your reply. I was quoted on the following items.

INSTALACION AISLADA 6KW MONOFASICA PREMIUM

1,00

MODULO MONO PERC HI-M 06 580WP LONGI SOLAR

12,00

ESTRUCTURA DE SOPORTE ALUMINIO

12,00

VICTRON MULTI RS SOLAR 48/6000/100-450/100

1,00

MODULO LITIO PYLONTECH US5000 48V-4,8KW

6,00

ARMARIO RACK U15

1,00

CABLEADO, CONEXIONES, PROTECCIONES Y MATERIAL AUXI

1,00

MONOTORIZACIÓN CERBO GX (WIFI)

Look forward to hearing your thiught
TonySmith

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 8:20pm

TonySmith

Very helpful member

Posts: 670

527 helpful points

Location: Torrevieja

Joined: 1 Mar 2022

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 8:20pm

Solar energy for beginners (this fools guide)

There are 2 types of solar energy 1) Solar Thermal to heat water at 86% efficency

                                                          2) Solar Photo-Voltaic at 26% efficiency.

For water heating use No.1 (ABSOLUTLEY THE BEST VALUE)

For energy, this is where it becomes difficult to work out, but here goes.

Panels (465W+) cost only €70 each, an inverter (battery capable) about €1000 and batteries start about €1500 for 5kwh and ancillaries like mounts and cables etc  add another €1000.

The biggest cost will be labour and the profit for the installation company.

Where Spain differs from most other EU countries is the dynamic pricing of electricity (price changes every 30min to reflect demand). In Ireland for example, with smart meters being pushed, we only have 3 time tariffs, 11pm to 8am (night) 5pm to 7pm (Peak) and 8am to 5pm And 7pm to 11pm (Day) BUT you can also sign up for a special Electric Vehicle tariff (from 2am for 2/3/4/5 hours, depending on company.

Now comes the simplistic juggling where you try to outwit the electric companies.

Bigger is always better but mind the cost

In Ireland the biggest inverter you can install is 5.5kw (NI is 4kw I think), Spain allows bigger. This means in Ireland the max number of panels is 22-24 (voltage calculations and math) and the max number of batteries is 3 (before you need to add more BMS (control units which cost as much as batteries).

Now the idea is that you fill as many batteries at night (where costs can be as low as 5c per kw) and use this stored energy throughout the day (so you do not pay for any electricity at up to 40c per kw) and use your panels to generate electricity that you sell back to your electric company (in Ireland rate is 20c per kw).

The maths are where you have to concentrate. Work out your initial costs, see where you can save or make a profit and judge if it is for you.

You really need to start with 1 full years readings of your usage to be able to make any headway  (if high usage you need more batteries therefore more charging at cheap rate but your batteries can only charge at a set rate (varies by battery) so 2/3/4 hours may not be enough to fill your batteries and you will have to forgo some of your sell-back energy to top them up (rate depends on your number of panels and the size of your inverter)

So how was that for starters?

Welcome to Solar PV for beginners 

TonySmith

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 8:22pm

TonySmith

Very helpful member

Posts: 670

527 helpful points

Location: Torrevieja

Joined: 1 Mar 2022

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2024 8:22pm

Nico934 wrote on Wed Dec 25, 2024 9:14pm:

Merry Christmas everyone,


i would like to hear your opinion with the installation of solar panels and batteries.


could you please share how many you got installed and what your prices were?

I have been quoted 16000€ for 

- 12 solar panels

- 6 lithium batteries 


what are your thoughts, I feel it is a bit excessive but than again the idea is to go off-grid.

thank you! 

Edit 1: as per request i have copied the items i am being quoted, any insights are helpful



JUst to add, if you are considering selling back electricity to the grid/your supplier then YOU CANNOT GO OFF-GRID and will always be paying standing charges and supply fees

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interior building work
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POSITIVE BELIEFS
Thy Will Be Done
Jennifer Cunningham Insurances SL
Espana Dream Properties
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Airport Service Taxi Mil Palmeras  Torre de la Horadada
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