Anyone gone down the max self consumption route?

[Alan Ambrose]

By which I mean large overcapacity of panels. Object being to provide almost all power in the summer & shoulder seasons - only using imported power in the winter?

 

[mistake_not]

Yes, have a 7.5kw generation capacity - could do with more in winter. Have space to get some more panels on the garage so might do that. 

 

However with hindsight the thing that actually has quickest payback is battery and night charge in winter at cheap rate.

[G and J]

59 minutes ago, Alan Ambrose said:

By which I mean large overcapacity of panels. Object being to provide almost all power in the summer & shoulder seasons - only using imported power in the winter?

 

Yes.  Ish.  I’d not call it overcapacity, even though we can’t export quite all we generate, even after we've refilled the battery.  The numbers made it an easy win.

[JohnMo]

57 minutes ago, Alan Ambrose said:

only using imported power in the winter?

Not sure only importing in winter is practical, rainy days generation is pants any time if the year. We import all year, but export more than we import most of the summer.

 

1 hour ago, Alan Ambrose said:

By which I mean large overcapacity of panels

Yes we have lots more panel capacity compared to inverter capacity. The inverters rarely run at max capacity anyway. But we have tried to optimise for winter rather summer as summer you over produce anyway.

 

But with big arrays you really need to export and import most the year - we do in NE Scotland, maybe different 500/600 miles further south.