Self fit Ground mounted Solar

[Neddy flanders]

anyone know a company who will supply panels and stands for DIY fit on ground and then who will come back and make connections. ?

 

[rollestonpark]

where abouts are you?

 

[Neddy flanders]

where abouts are you?

Peterborough.

 

[rollestonpark]

A decent (commercial) electrician will wire it.
Might be able to provide a contact on PM for supply only of panels and fittings.
What the array size?

 

[Puff]

This guy on eBay has been around a number of years selling DIY kits at a reasonable price - https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/tonee_t

He will also give you advice about putting it all together and plans for making ground mounts.

 

[Still Farming]

Navitron

Solar Hot Water, Equipment and Systems for Installers and Homeowners. Go Green with Navitron, leading the UK in renewable technology.

www.navitron.org.uk

Look on its forum pages also

 

[steveR]

anyone know a company who will supply panels and stands for DIY fit on ground and then who will come back and make connections. ?

I used concrete sleepers to provide a base for my installers to fit my domestic 5KW array on with off the shelf mounts.

 

[Stump Grinder]

This guy on eBay has been around a number of years selling DIY kits at a reasonable price - https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/tonee_t

He will also give you advice about putting it all together and plans for making ground mounts.

Have you bought from this seller? How do we know good pannles from bad ones buying on ebay?

 

[Speedstar]

I used concrete sleepers to provide a base for my installers to fit my domestic 5KW array on with off the shelf mounts.

Any photos of how you made the base for them

 

[steveR]

Crap pic from the build in 2015. If the ground had been dead level, I could have got away without the base runs of sleepers, but it wasn't. The field in question has a ground loop under it for the house GSHP, and there is/was some subsidence from them, so the base sleepers ironed out the imperfections for a few quid more.

I'll grab a pic of the panel mounts later.

 

[steveR]

Here you go

 

[steveR]

From the back showing mounts.

Sleepers were drilled with a masonry bit and chemset Stainless bolts used, with Stainless washers used to level each mount. The installers were very taken with the whole system and took lost of pics, as they had someone also wanting a ground mount system.

 

[steveR]

Part of the reason for using sleepers, was they are temporary from the PP perspective.

Although I am of the view now, that the local Planners would not have been bothered in that location...

 

[Puff]

Have you bought from this seller? How do we know good pannles from bad ones buying on ebay?

No I have not but I have spoken to him a couple of times and likely will when I get to that stage of my build.
Its like anything on the internet, do your own research, speak to the guy, review the kit he offers, check the feedback and so on - as you would for any capital purchase. My own opinion is that his expertise and equipment is good enough to make a purchasing decision on for myself. There are cowboys on eBay but there's also good people but that is true of the whole internet.

 

[Speedstar]

Here you go

Thanks for that we have some to put in

 

[bobk]

Thanks for that we have some to put in

Do you get sun in Scotland ?

 

[Speedstar]

Do you get sun in Scotland ?

sun been out all day but it was -8 last night

 

[bobk]

This guy on eBay has been around a number of years selling DIY kits at a reasonable price - https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/tonee_t

He will also give you advice about putting it all together and plans for making ground mounts.

So this is an in grid system , does that mean it doesn't store electricity ?

 

[Exfarmer]

Just some ideas if you are doing it yourself.
it would be lovely having tracking panels, but I am unaware of a system which would be cost effective.
however 2 points.
it would be well worth considering adjustable panels, so you can raise the panels to 40-50 degrees in winter and lowering to 20 in summer
It also is well worth considering having east west panels.
you get far more usable power, in most situations if you place them like this, although output will be 15% lower

 

[steveR]

Just some ideas if you are doing it yourself.
it would be lovely having tracking panels, but I am unaware of a system which would be cost effective.
however 2 points.
it would be well worth considering adjustable panels, so you can raise the panels to 40-50 degrees in winter and lowering to 20 in summer
It also is well worth considering having east west panels.
you get far more usable power, in most situations if you place them like this, although output will be 15% lower

I have seen this elsewhere, but never seen the "usable power" quantified... Any idea??