Page 2 of 2

Re: solar panel and the way they might heat ye?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2024 9:13 pm
by Sloop John B
Getting our second quote tomorrow. First quote was after a survey where no notes were taken and a quote with no breakdown in prices at all including something for an immersion where we have air pump heat. And from a big firm recommended by friends.

Any recommendations of companies to get a quote from would be welcome. Ideally one that has a choice of panel and inverter brands.

.sjb

Re: solar panel and the way they might heat ye?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2024 9:56 pm
by hudo
Speaking about solars on hifi forum - are you worried about high frequency noise that inverter produces?
I have 13x400w, no battery, string inverter, installed by ecoplex, price was ~5300€ after grants.
Inverter spec (Solis) says max 2% THD, think Huawei has a bit less.
As far as i can see, solar inverter is basically a class D (pwm) amp (am i wrong?), and spits out lot of noise that can influence sensitive equipment like DAC or streamer. Of course i didn't measure this, there's lot of devices with switching PSU around the house that probably produce much more THD, but didn't see much discussion online about infuence of the inverter or batteries on hifi - maybe nobody did any serious test, measurements, or its really not a problem...

Re: solar panel and the way they might heat ye?

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:24 pm
by Ivor
Sloop John B wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 9:13 pm Getting our second quote tomorrow. First quote was after a survey where no notes were taken and a quote with no breakdown in prices at all including something for an immersion where we have air pump heat. And from a big firm recommended by friends.

Any recommendations of companies to get a quote from would be welcome. Ideally one that has a choice of panel and inverter brands.

.sjb
WizerEnergy are based in Cork but cover the country, simply on recommendations. Martin is a great guy and I still contact him for advice etc. Always prompt informed replies. His teams are out and about all.the time so the distance isn't an issue. If it is, at the time they'll tell you and recommend someone nearer.

Re: solar panel and the way they might heat ye?

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2024 9:58 am
by Fran
In short, I'm not worried about noise coming from the inverter. I have our inverter in my workshop, and this is the same space where I carry out THD measurements on amps, dacs, etc, and well as checking for HF noise and oscillations on amps. I see no noise, and where I see oscillation it is not from outside the unit itself.

My unit is now 6 years old now.

Re: solar panel and the way they might heat ye?

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2024 11:23 am
by hudo
Fran wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2024 9:58 am In short, I'm not worried about noise coming from the inverter. I have our inverter in my workshop, and this is the same space where I carry out THD measurements on amps, dacs, etc, and well as checking for HF noise and oscillations on amps. I see no noise, and where I see oscillation it is not from outside the unit itself.

My unit is now 6 years old now.
Good to know, thanks!

I have that small EMI tester (https://www.aliexpress.us/item/4001296177214.html), didn't notice any change with it. But, not quite sure this is a good tool to test this THD, and it varies throughout the day a lot (from 10-20mV in the late evening/night, to 700-1500mV during the day - and thats before and after solar installation)

Re: solar panel and the way they might heat ye?

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2024 11:27 pm
by HiFiFan
I got a ground based 7kW system put in a few months back. The panels are bifacial, and it makes a small but noticeable difference in the early morning and evening. We have a 5KW battery. It and the inverter are located externally in the garage. The battery basically provides enough power to get us through the night after the sun goes down. In the winter we will charge it overnight on the cheaper rate and uses to augment power in the day. It is a simple setting on the system to set the times you want the battery charged from the grid.