Welcome to my channel, Gary Does Solar. My mission is simple - to empower individuals with a deeper understanding of solar energy and related technologies, enabling them to actively contribute to a sustainable future powered by renewables.
My Patreon channel is available here: www.patreon.com/GaryDoesSolar
And you can access to my most popular solar utility here: garydoessolar.com/utilities/dailymodellingutility/
i really like your videos and has helped me a lot to understand various concepts. I am planning to setup a solar at home and have been going through your videos; On the Tesla Powerwall i am keen and interested to have one but i have been comparing it to datasheet. (1) In the video you mentioned 6 parallel inputs supported but in the technical sheet i see MPPT : 3; (2) in the video you mentioned that upto 11kW of power output but i dont find this in any of the technical databasheet - also i am unable to compare it with any other battery provider because its not clearly mentioned anywhere. I hope i am looking at the correct values but i dont find them atleast. Can you help clarify?
Great to hear that my videos have been useful to you - thanks for that feedback. Ah, yes - this was new information for me also. In the US a PW3 will have 6 MPPTs but in other countries, like the UK, it only has 3. I explain why in my follow-up video to the PW3 being released tomorrow. Regarding the power output, here is the PW3 data sheet quoting that value (look for 'Maximum Continuous Discharge Power'): service.tesla.com/docs/Public/Energy/Powerwall/Powerwall-3-with-Gateway-3-Installation-Manual-NA-EN/GUID-EC527BC7-4750-4425-BBC4-DB8C000339B3.html
@@GaryDoesSolar thanks for this looking forward to the explanation; on the power output unfortunately I only see the 11kW on the US site on the Europe site (Germany) I only the emergency power supply 4,6kW Fast emergency power switchover. On the US site it has 11kW with seamless backup transition. I was really considering this as an option but with these limitations I’m wondering how much it’s worth
I have watch so many videos & read so much and am still of the mind that not only is solar overpriced but that it is STILL NOT worth having unless you know you are staying put for many, many years.
Yeah, a solar and battery installation is most definitely a considered purchase for anyone. And unless you plan to stay in the same property for 10-15 (or more) years, there is a chance that you'll lose part of that investment. But, I'd argue that in a property sale, the solar and battery installation would have a clear monetary value, evidenced by reduced bills over the years.
So this webpage might answer. It says that Fixed Outgoing Octopus can be linked to Intelligent Octopus Go: octopus.energy/export-tariffs/ Now, for plain Octopus Go, unfortunately, they only offer Outgoing Lite, which is 8p/kWh
Gary. I may be wrong but I thought i read the new Tesla powerwall 3 comes with its own inverter so it will not need the "3" conversion and lost of 12% you mentioned at 20mins
Hi Steve, so the PW3 does have a built-in inverter and if you make use of it, there should only be one conversion from DC to AC. But it's not clear from the Powerwall documentation as they quote an 89% round trip - I would have expected a 96-97% round trip in that case. I'll try to find out more...
Do you know if pw3 would seamlessly link upto you car as a backup for your home. Solar into the battery, then car and then in reverse if you had a week of clouds
@@SteveMoore1969 so today, it won't unless you have a Cybertruck, but it is expected that future Tesla mainstream cars (e.g. 3, Y) will have V2G capability. What would be really nice is if they are able to enable that for existing deployed vehicles with a software update (but it might be an impossibility, who knows?)
In Canada, solar doesn't work very well, however, even if it did work, the eyesore and the replacement of panels and batteries, and whatever maintenance they require are far from desirable. With much better options out there, convincing people to fork over a fortune pre-paid for this system is a heavy "no" for me. Plus what's the markup on the battery? I'm not going to overpay by 6000% for batteries. Give me fuel instead.
@@GaryDoesSolar don’t have your Patreon but I was curious how many panels/watts you have and your inverter capacity with a 48kWh peak day. Is there a reason you haven’t posted it for your RU-vid subscribers?
@@stephenrussell6074 Hi Stephen, my Patreon is really for people who are interested in supporting my work, and on there I regularly post videos of a more personal nature, including details about my setup etc. In summary, I have a 7kWp South-facing array with a 5kW hybrid inverter and 19kWh batteries.
@@GaryDoesSolar hi Gary, thank you, just knowing the basic figures really helps put some of your videos in context. I do understand the need for Patreon and if I were not retired I almost certainly would have joined to support you and your channel. I wonder have you considered doing a quarterly production report with how generation went and the effectiveness of your tariff choice.
Nice. Ive just started tracking mine but yours seems simpler so ill run the two in parallel for a while and see which i prefer. It will still need some adjustments though. One thing that is different between my set up and yours is that i have an EV. This means that some of my non EV usage was already subject to lower off peak rates so what im currently doing is estimating what my cost would have been. This comes down to, i was using aprox 60% off peak household now its 99% off peak so I have to do a back calculation to work out what my bill would have been on my EV tariff rather than just referring to a standard fixed tariff. This also means i need to split out my EV usage which has to be done manually as though i do have givenergy i dont have a GE charger and my system isnt set up so it sees the EV usage as a seperate category. I can get it from the charger though. So ill have a play with your spreadsheet and maybe pu an EV column in to let me do the back adjustment easier.
Cheers Joe - I'd love to hear how you get on with the comparison. Now, you're right about the EV and how to handle that. I'm of the mind that it should be kept as separate as possible, but I need to think about it more...
Thanks for your kind words, Andrew. If you wish to join my Patreon, the utilities there allow different currencies: garydoessolar.com/solarazma_pro_intro/
Surely the companies will want to get paid for all these facilities and add it to the monthly bills,also as in Australia where they are now starting to CHARGE for feedback to the grid at peak supply of feed in, and people are unable to use it themselves at that time and it has to go into the grid, this sun dependent action is universal to all those with panels.
It's interesting to see how tariff rates (including export rates) will change over time with ever-increasing solar and wind capacities. The opportunity for consumers will be to have a large enough battery to store solar and export back when the grid needs it most...
I have ANO permissions on a G99 and will go ahead very soon with Octopus Energy. However the biggest sticking point that might stop me from going ahead is that I require a power out whole house back up so that an outage does not stop everything.I live in an old Farmhouse but require the backup. Octopus will not allow the island mode during outages. this it seems is a policy decision not a physical reason. In the US and Australia the same system does allow for complete disconnect from the mains during outside causes like flood or bushfires etc which can last for days. What is the additional requirements equipment wise, and I am told that the gateway controller is not being allowed in UK. Can you tell me why this should be as it really is the sticking point on spending so much without getting the facility. Octopus also refused that facility on their string system offering as well, so It must be a policy and not mechanical/electrical. Have you any comments about this or is the person I was talking to Just misunderstanding what I need.
I have a couple of options from octopus, I have a g99 approval but they are offering a givenregy 5kw invertot or a micro inverter system. I require an emergency power out let for use during outages and the say it cannot be done on either, I feel it is their policy only that requires the restriction. The micro system is emphase for both inverters and battery. They do it in the US and show the wiring but octopus say it is not available in UK . Can you advise?????
@@GaryDoesSolar I am in Dover Kent, they are only offering the panels without any EPS at all, I have freezers full of stock and cannot loose them, at the moment I have standby lead acid batteries and inverters for the freezers so if it goes off I can plug the sockets into the inverters. The whole idea was for a total island back up. They were adamant that it could not be done, so I cancelled. Now they are going to Enphase micro inverters from go energy, so I am waiting to find out if they use Mk7 or 8 micros. It make a difference but I understand that Enphase do not supply the necessary pieces of epuipment to enable island operation in the UK. Getting a qualified answer is a nightmare , as to whether it is possible and I am not going to waste £12000 if it doesn’t do what I need to have. I also have a backup generator to run the house once the mains are isolated during a long outage of which a few have occurred last year, on the mains between us and the sub station 1/4 mile away.
I am on IOF and i would seriously consider IOA if it became available, would like to see if it competes with fixed outgoing though as agile outgoing is rather low.
Trying desperately to get onto Intelligent Flux tariff since I had new Octopus meter and GivEnergy inverter and battery system installed last month. No matter if I try on laptop or Octopus app it will not accept my request to put me on Intelligent Flux!! I am in contact with Octopus via email but still no luck😢 Any advice gratefully accepted. Thanks for all the videos. Sincerely Capt. G Small.
Black Belt Barrister on RU-vid nearly got his finger burnt chosing a roof panel solar system. Well worth a visit, especially if you're considering a home presentation. The same applies if you're considering double glazing windows.
@@wheresswitzerland Ah ok. I don't know too much about the Swiss market, I'm afraid. Worth looking on local solar online forums there to see if there is discussion about energy providers having innovative smart tariffs...
What do you think of wind turbines based on the archemedies screw like the Liam F1 that I’m seeing videos for? Maybe you can do a video about whether there’s a place for turbines in our homes too.
Now, domestic wind generation is certainly an option that many are starting to look at, to compliment solar. But (unfortunately) there are a number of factors that limit it’s viability in consumer applications: Wind turbines are not quiet - worse, the noise varies with the wind strength, could drive any neighbours close by insane. They are also nothing like solar panels in terms of reliability - you might find you’re spending a fair amount of time, money and effort keeping them going. And they’re expensive. Like really expensive for one that generates even just a few kW. Also watch out for the advertising. Some retailers talk in terms of kW (power) when they’re actually taking about kWh (energy) - even a cheap 30cm diameter turbine will generate 20kWh given enough time!
I’m now on intelligent Octopus Flux and something I noticed today on the nice sunny day I’m getting 5kW from the solar panels but collectively the battery icon says 70% full, but the IOF software has decided to send to the solar energy to the grid & home hours before the peak export is due to start. I would have thought my the three batteries would be allowed to get to 100% full before the peak export period starts. So I drilled down on the GivEnergy battery icon to inspect the batteries storage , batt one 78%. Batt two 65%. and batt three 62%. Do you only look at the aggregate value? I think it would be better to allow the batteries to maximise the solar energy to the full when outside the peak export rate. Is this something you can fix? Or is a GivEnergy software issue? Or perhaps you could work with them to fix the issue. All my kit is GivEnergy, 5kW hybrid inverter, 3x 95kW batteries and new GivEnergy EV charger. Or served by solar panels. Kind regards
Another thing that surprised me with IOF after the peak export rate, which needlessly continued beyond the peak export time, yesterday evening I noticed that 8:30pm the grid was feeding my house needs but not allowing the battery to feed the house which had about 6.7KW of collective power still stored in the GivEnergy 3x 9.5kW batteries. The residual power could have covered my house needs during that time of night which about 500watts. It’s early days but Octopus’s software seems not to make simple decisions to get the best value of stored energy in my battery array.
I've also noticed strange (unexplainable) behaviour with my IOF setup. I simply trust that Octopus Energy knows what it's doing with regard to my setup, and so I just let them get on with it. I'll make a review after 3 months say to see if there are patterns, and I might reach out to people including yourself for data in support of that, if that's ok?
Great videos! Would love you to look at how wind turbines in particular Skywind and see how they can be incorporated into solar and battery systems in the UK.
Why does nobody factor in that initial sum spent could be put into a cash ISA and earn 5%, £12000 @5% per annum is £600 , and if the £12000 is borrowed there will be interest to pay , or am I missing something ?
Keep an eye on Tim & Kat's Green Walk's channel here as there's a video coming out soon talking about that very topic: www.youtube.com/@TimAndKatsGreenWalk
Haven't used a Kettle since the energy crisis began. I use 680W Instant Kettle Urn. Use cheap rate to heat (charge up) the urn, and then during the day it uses 2W to keep the water hot. It keeps the water at 98C, if you really need it boiling, a few seconds in a jug in the microwave will boil it again. Toaster is 800W, caravan toaster. Hob is a 2 ring 16A induction hob. This has meant that now a 5KW inverter is generally able to supply power from the battery all day without drawing from the grid, even if using the oven.
If you install your home battery outside then they will not work in winter. The working temperature for LiFePO4 batteries is between 10 and 55 degrees. Also, the internal battery temperature will be 10 degrees below ambient temperature. When the temperature drops below 10 degrees the lithium charging will slow down and when it reaches 5 degrees it will probably stop receiving charge. This means that a bright day in January your PV panels could be producing 2,000W but its by-passing the battery and all going to the grid. The battery will still discharge though, so the inverter steps in and shuts it down to stop it depleting below safe levels.
None of this works in Australia because the standing charges are so high. It's the same with your water bill. If you think you'll save money by being careful with water use, forget it. You might as well just waste it, it'll make very little difference to your bill.
So, Tesla make the batteries but they do not do the install. I would expect the free market to bring down install prices overtime, given the ease of installation.
Great video, but if you can have a 5kw invertor or a 7kw invertor on a 6.88kw array for the same price, which is the better option. That's the scenario i find myself in and cant quite work out what's best, East array slightly tilted towards south but not by much.
Thanks - if the two inverters are the same price, then you could look at the higher output one as being the better option. Remember though, inverters work best at their higher output, and there will be fewer occasions when it will reach that given your array size.
Hello Gary I'm sending you a message from the United States I like your show very much I have a quick question.. I have a standard home has backup I have a 14,000 watt Kohler generator.. I want to backup everything.. what's a Powewall 10.000 wstts.. I have limited space too many trees how many solar panels would I need to put on a Christmas tree.. array to keep.. the Power Wall charged
Hi Lawrence, thanks for your kind words about my channel. Now, I'm not able to answer your question. Your best course of action is to get a solar installation company in to have a look at your situation and provide guidance. Good luck with everything!
Hi Gary, I wonder if you could give me a little advice please with regards to invertor size. I have been given so much conflicting info with regards to what size i should go for. Im having a 6.88 kw system with a 10.64 kw Sunsynk battery and Sunsynk invertor. I have been recommended 5,6 & 8kw versions from different installers. Which size would be best out of the 3? I was thinking the 7kw would be best? Many thanks
Hi Greg, this video on sizing your solar array against your inverter might be helpful to you: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5y2dJ8S6zDU.htmlsi=P-BcUXliu74c1rLw I get asked for advice a lot, and so to manage this, I recently set up this service which is being trialled with my Patreon members: garydoessolar.com/chatwithgary/
Hey Gary, just signed up to Octopus and used your code, so hopefully you will get the £50 added. Many thanks for your advice and guidance. Much appreciated.
Gary, could you not add a second inverter to your system, increasing the available AC power to 6 kW? Then you don't need AC-side batteries. Second, when you have multiple AC sources, how do they stay in phase? Thanks!
Hi Steve, you can certainly add a second inverter to your system, and this is something your installer can advise on. Each AC source (inverter) who converting DC into AC, will automatically synchronise with the home AC sine wave.
Gary, help me out. Enphase with its microinverters versus regular solar panels: While the individual micro inverter is a great idea and I'm completely on board with it, I have to agree with the critics that the extra AC/DC invert step is very costly for efficiency. (7-10%?) Are we going through all these expensive electrical acrobatics so we can keep to only one wire traveling down the side of the house to the powerwall? Who cares? If you had, say, 20 panels, why not just run 20 individual, isolated wires down to the basement, (separated in case one panel goes dark) hook them straight in via some kind of regulator to the battery, and save a conversion step? A wire conduit is ugly regardless of whether you've got 20 wires inside it or just one. I need a reality check here.
You have to be careful with long DC cable lengths (especially 20 of them) as the losses could mount up. If you feel your idea has merit, you could have a chat with one or two solar installers to see what they think. Generally though, there are standard ways to wire up a string inverter and the same for microinverters, and I'm not sure many installers would want to deviate from that...?
I love your vidoes Gary, learning so much before my install takes place. I had been considering a second battery to my system to benefit from a very good 12 month SEG agreement of 40p. What I am now calculating is not purchasing a second 9.5kwh battery but instead using the 12:00 to 07:00 off peak period to fully charge, discharge and then recharge to 100% at an inport rate of 6.9p and an export rate of 40p. My 7.4kwp solar system to do it's thing and export throughout the day.
Hi Nathan, thanks for your kind words! It's really good to model these strategies with utilities like Solarazma Suite. Please message me on Patreon if you'd like assistance with that.
We have 30 enphase inverters, 8 years on and no service needed. Monitoring panels, a quick look on the app every 6 months shows any dud panels, so far so good I think it's worth the extra cost and the additional 2 year payback time.
I wonder if GivEnergy 13.5kw All-in-One go down in price given PW3 has superior features including water submersible bottom half, 11.5kw inverter, better app integration i think?!
Yeah, I reckon all of the major home battery manufacturers will be looking at their product offerings and how they stack up against the PW3. What I would say about GivEnergy is that they already have a good quality offering with a great price, so they may not need to do much. But I know that GivEnergy is always pushing the boundaries, which is great to see!
Gary, thanks for Vid. I have 38 Enphase solar panels and 2 X Tesla Power wall batteries at home. But the discharge is a problem as we have a Tesla model Y and would like to get a second EV soon. The discharge of the battery is a disappointment as we often need 14 to 17 Kwh when we are charging the car and at home using appliances. Can you link powerwall 3 to a sting of powerwall 2 batteries?
You’re most welcome - thanks for watching! 😊 Now, is there a way to wire your EV charger(s) so that your Powerwalls don’t see their usage (via the CT Clamps)? That is the key, I think, but an electrician will know better than I do… I’ve been told that with an up-coming software update, the PW3 will become compatible with PW2 👍🏻
