Thanks for the video. I agree, one of my methods to charge my batteries is to add more modules than my inverter can handle. My charge controllers allow me to limit total current so I can keep the total power within my inverter's capability. The great benefit is that on overcast days I still produce enough to charge my batteries.
Nicolas, thanks to your inspiration I mounted 14 550Wp panels against my west-wall. No strut-mount, but Schletter-aluminium rails, 4x4 cm. Cheaper than Unistrut and better ventilation behind the panels. Last days I made 28kW, even with the sun in a not optimal angle . We wait for a lower sun in winter...Connected to my diy LifePO4 35kW batterypack! I hope to make enough power to run my Nefit heatpump the whole winter. But during summer I run my Long Range with it....Keep up the good vids! Victor
@@paulf3353 I bought them in the Netherlands, were I live. I don't know exactly which mounts, but I can email you a cut-trouhg picture if you are interested. I drilled a hole in them and mounted it directly on the bricks.
at 1:26, you spoke about the shade, and instantly I though, what about those Tigo Optimiser things I read about. And Yes, you did that! Glad to know this because I KNOW that this will be an issue for me too!
Thanks for sharing this. I am in the process of building a similar system for an off grid cabin in Canada . I will not be there for significant periods in the winter when it snows and wanted a way to generate enough power to prevent my mechanical room from freezing. The panels will hang under the eaves as yours do when I am not present. They will swing out to optimal angles when I am there. Didn't think about the birds being an issue , but your experience is certainly useful and I will add bird spikes to mine.
For off grid applications, the more solar modules you can mount the better. Since Canada has lower insolation than most of North America, every little bit helps. Good luck!
I have one wall mounted JA365 solar PV panel with another on order. My current one works really well. I have ten others mounted on the roof (but these are Panasonic). Sometimes my vertical panel outperforms the others!!
The first place I saw vertical mounted solar modules was at the South Pole at the Amundsen-Scott research facility. Fun fact- all of the modules faced north! "Is it worth it?" is such a subjective question when it comes to solar. 15 years ago there were no such conversations here in the United States. People had been installing solar since the 70's because it was the right thing to do. After the big box companies hit the market with solar leasing and financing, they made a big deal about the 5-7 year payback. Now everyone thinks solar has no value unless their payback fits this criterion. It's the dumbest thing that has ever happened to our industry. Are vertical mounted solar modules for residential applications worth it? As with almost all questions relating to solar and storage, the answer is almost always "It depends!" Sometimes $/watt has no bearing on what people do. Thank you for taking the time to make this video and tackle this subject.
Thanks for the video! I'm a Brit living in the US and want to supplement my roof mounted panels, and think I could add quite a few on the walls. As you say, they should do very well, especially in the Winter.
@@nicholashowell I'm planning on putting them on the main south facing wall on the back of our house, which has little to no shade. Pigeons are a huge problem here in Vegas so I'm really glad I saw your video with the bird spike warning
Thanks for this, very useful. I’m looking into a similar setup in Reading UK, south facing wall in the garden, ideal. Most of our energy requirement due to air source heat pump is on the winter when the sun is low on the horizon, so that makes wall mounted solar actually more viable than roof mounted. Of course roof system will generate more energy year round but wall system will generate more when the energy requirements are higher. I just want to do my system in such a way so that there is least amount of wall damage/ drilled holes for one day when we sell the house, as this sort of thing is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Nicholas, great inspirational video. I have 8 Pearlight Delta 295W panels on my garage roof (4 north and 4 south) connected to 8 Enphase microinverters. But in addition, I have one Longi 410W Himo 5 panel on the west wall of the garage connected in parallel with a north facing panel and does take good advantage of ambient light during the winter and setting sunlight in the summer. It looks like I have a giant TV mounted on the garage wall. It would be great to be able to stick a set of panels on the front of the house (south facing) but it would look a bit out of place and like a patchwork quilt. But I am looking at making some custom panels that look like bitumen cladding tiles. These can replace the awful pebble dash we currently have and provide some much needed extra winter power.
Good video. I’m looking to install an extra DIY wall and roof mounted solar to supplement my existing system. I find the most interesting information to me is always left out of videos like these. Installing looks relatively simple but is it possible for you or someone in the chat to explain how a DIY’er goes about understanding what equipment to use? What regulations are relevant? did you process your own G99 application as you now produce to much power? How did you go about finding an electrician to sign off your work? Understanding rules and regulations is a minefield.
You have to adhere to planning, I think I put a link in my video. You have to get approval from you DNO. You can either apply yourself or your installer can do it for you. I did the mounting work myself but had to get an MCS accredited installer to come and connect it all up to the grid otherwise it's not legal. I asked the installer of my original system if they'd be prepared to do that for me and they said yes. I think I was lucky to some extent not sure how willing they would be now as they are so busy.
thank you for the video. I would be interesting in the vertical solar panels, but I am lacking information when it comes to mounting the system in the facade. could you provide more detail on what you used and how to mount your solar panels please. Thank you
This looks really interesting. How do these panels perform during the summer months? I'm assuming they still work but at a reduced output but would be interested to hear just how well/bad they do perform.
@@nicholashowell Absolutely. I'm in the process of doing many of the things you are myself. I've been kind of winging it these last few months but learning a lot along the way. I'm now about 60/70% off grid with my system. Videos like these are really helpful to me. Keep it up.
HI Nicholas. Thank you so much for sharing. I have PV since 2016 on my main roof and in 2018 I started to realize how much energy panels on my gable could generate, one thing to another I did not action straight away then came Covid. Since April, I have resume this idea which is now becoming a project. I have been struggling like mad to find installers who will understand/be willing to install them. One even said to me that such mounting is not MCS compliant. Another hurdle was what type of authorisation. Again some installer said no problem (without knowing exactiy the why) some said it was not allowed without being able to say why either apart of we have never done that. I have managed to find the regulation though. and what you have done seems to comply. So well done as apparently from your video, it seems you did not know either. Icing on the cake, I finally manage to find one company who have done multiple installation and clearly, they were telling me what I already knew which was good. So hopefully soon, I will also have panels on my wall. Once again thank you for sharing your experience. I am also happy to share mine with you
I did check the regulations before mounting my wall array which is how I knew it was ok. The only issue the electrician had was what zone the array comes under since it can be touched by someone standing on the ground unlike a roof array.
I have 6x 290watt panels on Southwest wall on my system and find the power very useful and the work well in winter when the sun hits the panels at a more effective angle. I am located in Derby in the UK hence the low inclination of the sun in winter.
Thanks for this follow-up video. It is always useful to learn what the actual results have been.. the timelapse graphs you showed allow us to visualise the performance well, and your comments on fitting the optimisers to assist when panels are shaded is valuable feedback. Clearly, vertical mounting is worth considering in some circumstances, especially in higher latitudes, and where a boost in winter output is needed.
Have you considered mounting your solar panels so that they are on the wall vertically, but slightly angled down. The lower part of the solar panel is connected to the wall and the upper part of the solar panel is connected to the spouting board on the eaves. At first this seems strange to aim the panel slightly towards the ground, but you won't get any snow on them, and pigeons don't go on top of them and in the winter you get the reflection of the snow on the ground as well as light from the sky. In summer you still get light because there is no shadow and unless you live on the equator you will still get directly sunlight all year.
So, first of all, brilliant! I live in a 70yr old house, I did 12 large panels on the new addition, I did the other 30 out in the back field, did not want the weight, also a 170yr old live oak tree was in the way for the roof, I have a south wall that's nothing but a death valley. I'll be talking to the Mrs tonight..ha Again, brilliant, thanks for sharing.
A couple of points : earthing ? You mentioned connecting the panels together but what then? Did you take it back to the DNO (mains) earth? And position of DC isolate switch. Mine are going above a flat roof so easily accessible by say window cleaner, so I’m thinking an isolator wheee I can just reach out of the windows. Or would you have one near the battery/inverter? Or are two the ultra safe option. They are only 12v panels. Thought appreciated.
The rails are earthed to the main DNO earth. Though the electricians had some debate about the need for earthing or not. The DC isolator is located near the inverter, the same as with my roof mounted panels. Your situation is probably different though so you should get an electrician to check it over. I mounted the panels myself but in cooperation with an electrician. The electrician came and connected up the panels and inverter to the grid.
Hi, I've got a house with a northeast ridgeline. The panels on my north facing roof work between 9:30 am to around 4 pm. I have a large dark brown brick wall facing the west that loves to soak up tons of heat during the summertime, baking the west end of my house for the next 24 hours. (The fish tank in my bedroom reaches 36 degrees Celsius, which is not good for my fish.) I'll like to mount as many panels on the west wall to collect as much of the afternoon sun as possible. The added benefit would be to provide a bit a shade for my dark brown brick wall. (More power, lower summer temperatures.) Also on the west side of the house, against the west wall, there is a flat cement floor that was part of a failed shade cloth area. If I was to paint the cement white, even more light would be directed onto the vertical panels. When it comes to adding another invertor for the extra vertical panels, can it be added to work alongside of the existing invertor or will the current invertor (that already runs the two older banks of panels) need to be replaced to make it compatible with the new invertor?
Thanx for the info, I’m installing a wall mount on south and east walls, hoping to get 16 345 watt panels mounted . sets two panels each wired in series then paralleled to the eight sets with a 48 volt inverter. I’ve have mounted two 300 watt panels vertically one on my ice shack and one on the garage and was overly impressed with their performance and I’m glad to know that you did this. I know the performance isn’t the best so I’m adding lots of panels.
They work best when the sun is lower in the sky (not summer) but that's also when the days are shorter. Total output is highest in spring and autumn. The key is to not get any shadows on the panels (from trees or anything else) as that drags the whole string down (unless you are using micro inverters/dc optimisers).
Thx. I have a flat roof but neighboor roof at noon shades it. Will use microconvertors. In NL you see them more and more. But convertor must be not in rain directly.
Very good video. Can I just ask.. you mentioned that all the rails have to be bonded together with earth cable. Where does the earth cable get terminated? Is it the consumer unit earth or somewhere else? Also what guage was the bonding cable?
It was terminated at the main earth terminal at the incoming supply. It was 10mm2 cable. The electricians were in some debate about the earthing due to the fact that the rails can be touched by a person standing on the ground. I think there was a potential issue around a PEN fault.
@@nicholashowell vertical might be better near the equator since they will run cooler, I have 4*248 panels on my fence since I was more interested in catching the winter sun but these will be shaded in the summer since they are behind some pear trees but I should see how the perform in the summer
I’m thinking of using Unistrut and notice you fixed them horizontally. Was there a technical reason for this or just the optimal for your wall space? I’m putting 2 panels each side of a window so would only need 4 rails vertically but 8 (shorter) rails horizontally. Thanks
Great video! As panels become more affordable, why NOT collect free energy? You neglected to include the Smart DC Optimizers and bird spikes in your summary.
Would it be a good idea to close the gap around the perimeter of the solar panels? My thoughts are that birds or wasps might think the cavity behind could be an attractive nesting site.
I've done that with my roof panels as birds started trying to nest under them. The wall panels don't seem to have any issues, don't think there is enough space behind them.
In my experience, at least in the US, those things are not very effective against rodents and bugs. The damn squirrels just chew through it anyway. Plus, you restrict the airflow underneath the modules which would decrease production. Monthly inspections are sufficient.
I'm planning a wall mounted off grid kit -diy. Looking at your mounting system with unistrut it looks as if the weight of the panels is only borne by clamps on the sides. Is this strong enough with nothing holding the panels underneath? I was planning to buy plain alum.angle 40mmx40mmx5mm so that there would be a ledge to rest the panel on which is surely going to make it easier to lift into place. Or am I missing something? Wind damage in the future is an issue for me.
It is strong enough. They've been up for years now and have never moved, even in stormy conditions. It was hard to put them in place though so using the alum.angle would probably be easier.
Alas I can't come and do yours. I have a full time job outside of what I do on TH-cam. I think I mentioned what brackets I used for the walls in the video. I've also put links to the brackets I used to mount the panels to the wall in the comments as someone else asked about those. Probably worth getting a roof system fitted first.
Certainly a good idea for used panels or if you upgrading your existing solar. Is there any problems with planning. Do you need planning to do this. For the shading issue you can blocking diodes on each string and bypass in between panels in the strings I don't know If there as effective as optimises tho never tried them.
@@UpsideDownFork Yes. You can do it under permitted development but you have to stick to certain rules. I think you can find them online somewhere, possibly here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance#class-a--enlargement-improvement-or-alteration
Only for about 1 month at the very height of summer, after that the suns angle means the shadow from the eaves just misses them. I don't really need the power at the very height of summer as my roof panels provide more than enough so it isn't a problem.
Hi Nicholas, graet channel! Just busy mountinng my vertical panels, and I wonder where did you order the mounting brackets, fitting into the strutrail? I cannot find these in the Netherlands.... Thanks, Victor
I ordered them from a company in the UK called midsummer energy. They sell them with Unistrut bolts I think or if they don't you can get them with standard rail bolts and then just buy your own Unistrut bolts and substitute them.
The answer is it depends. Under some conditions you don't. It depends on how far out from the wall the panels protrude as well as things like being in a conservation area, house listing status etc. There was information about it on the planning portal once though I can't seem to find it now.
Hello again Nicholas, Why didn’t you consider angling them to capture more sun. There are brackets on sale for this purpose. I asked my solar installer to add some panels on my solar facing wall. From your experience Do you think it’s a good idea or shall I just stick to what I have Good stuff
In order to comply with building regulations the panels cannot stick out of the wall more than a certain amount. To angle them would have made them stick out too far. Wall mounted panels can be a great way to get more capacity so long as they are South facing and not shaded.
I would surely do this, I have a side of the house that gets hammered by sunlight after noon time. So why not put something that will block that heat from hitting the house and harvests it into something I can use. Does it look good...NO but in my case that side of my house is facing the back.
I have panels on the roof that are angled upwards. I wanted something to give me extra in the winter when the sun is lowest and striking the roof panels at such a steep angle that they don't produce much. Being vertical makes the sun hit them at almost the perfect angle in the winter. I could have inclined them slightly but it would have been complex to do and potentially exceeded the permitted planning rules and wouldn't have made that much difference to just vertical.
Hi Nicholas. I am keen to get panels installed on my south west wall but I am struggling to find a company who will quote for such an installation. One firm has told me that it is totally against the NICEIC regulations and that they would lose their MCS certification if they installed panels vertically. Did you come across any such challenge when your electrician connected up your system? Thanks Sue
No I didn't, my installer was fine with it. I did mount the panels myself but got an MCS accredited installer to wire up the inverter and they were quite happy.
Can I ask, where did you get the mounting brackets for unistrut in the UK? I ended up not using the official unistrut mounting kit for my fence mounted solar but would like to find the proper unistrut brackets if I can.
I used a Unistrut clone myself. Not sure what you mean by mounting brackets? Do you mean to mount the rails to the wall or to mount the panels to the rails?
@@nicholashowell I mean mounting the panels on to the rails. I did manage to hack together a bit of a working system for my fence mount but only by process of elimination, ordering so many bits and pieces that didn’t work until this ended up okay. The panels are up there solid but it’s not the intended brackets that you can get for the proper American unistrut systems specifically designed to mount solar panels. Could never find that in UK. (You can see they exist here though strutandsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Unistrut-Solar-Installation-Strut-Supply.pdf)
@@iainkay3630 I think I've left several links on comments about the clamps I used. They are proper solar clamps and just replace the nut with a slotted channel one
Hi - It looks like some slotted channel that is Unistrut compatible, but I cant see from your pictures/video whether they are the 41mm X41mm version or the 41mm *21mm version. Just want to make sure before I buy the wrong one as I need to get the fittings to connect to panel as well. This is by far the best video on vertical panels I have seen and your info on what I can get on a my south wall has been very helpful. Thankyou. malcolm
@@malcolmbooth813 I think you could use either (I've used the 41mm x 21mm on my solar shed roof and that works too) but I used 41mm x 41mm on the wall. I mostly did it to give a bigger gap for air to circulate easily behind the panels. Make sure you get one that is rated for outside (galvanised or similar), you don't want it rusting.
@@nicholashowell Thanks for quick response. I have found somewhere doing the 41 *41 in galvanised so they wont rust too quickly. In terms of the clamps Midsummer wont sell clamps any more on their own due to supply problems but I've found somewhere else with stock. I was thinking of Renusol mid and end clamps. Is that the type you used for your install? Once again thanks for the fantastic vertical wall solar youtube video. Malcolm
@@malcolmbooth813 These look similar to the ones I used: www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/XGS012 You just have to replace the nut with a slotted channel nut (zeb) instead. I got the zebs with springs attached, it makes it easier to keep them in place while you screw in the clamp.
Hi Nicholas, thanks for your video! There’s surprisingly little info online about the effectiveness of wall-mounted solar compared to roof-mounted, but as I imagined, where there’s wall exposed to the sun, there’s energy to be made! I’m thinking of adding panels to my south-facing wall and already have 4kW of panels on the roof with a 3.68kW inverter. Did you have to apply to your local grid for permission to be able to generate more? I gather every locality will be different in terms of the robustness and spare capacity of the grid to accept more than a certain amount of excess power? Also, how does it work practically with two inverters? Do they both just feed into your fusebox and when your house needs energy it just draws from both inverters before drawing from the grid? We have a Tesla PowerWall 2 so we’d obviously want all the panels to charge this before giving any excess power to the grid. I guess it’s key to make sure the system is sized so you don’t generate so much energy that the battery isn’t able to accept it all, or else it’ll go back into the grid (assuming the house isn’t using whatever is left over)? The permitted development regulations that you kindly linked to in a comment below seems to imply that the panels can protrude up to 200mm from the surface of the wall - did you not consider putting the panels on angled racks to give them a better view of the sky / angle to the sun? Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences! PS. The company who installed our roof panels say it’s almost not worth having wall panels put up, but I’m wondering if they’ve actually ever tried it or they’d just prefer not to risk it … I’ve asked them to create a design, as the online calculators I’ve used say a 3kW array of wall-mounted panels would generate around 2MWh per year which would be amazing …
I did have to apply to my DNO to increase my array size. I got approval to go up to 8kW of inverters. I already had 6kW so that meant I could have a 2 kW inverter for the wall panels. I did think about tilting the panels a bit but it would have been too complicated. I mostly wanted more power in the winter when the sun is lowest and the roof isn't generating much. So vertical is ideal. The inverters both just push power onto the line. It's as if you just had one big one. Isn't the Tesla Powerwall AC coupled? Of so it would just work without modification. It wouldn't matter if you generated more than it could hold in summer, just export the rest. In the winter however it will give you more chance to actually fill it.
@@nicholashowell - thank you so much for your detailed reply! Is applying to the DNO something I can do, or is it best to let the installer do this? Not sure what you mean by AC coupled ... other than that the Tesla battery just connects into our fusebox like a load, except it's pushing power in. Yes that's true about generating more than it can accept in the summer as I'd also like to maximise how much I can generate in the winter ... although I hate giving back to the grid 😁 My long term plan is to ditch the gas boiler and switch over the central heating to air conditioner units (I already have 2 and only need 3 more to cover the whole house, and we have an electric-only Mixergy smart hot water tank), so I want to generate as much of my own power as I can. Thanks again for your help!
@@HorizonimagingCoUkPhotography It is something that you can do but it's complex and requires some certificates to be sent once the install is completed. If you can I'd probably get the installer to do it for you. AC coupled ..... check out one of my other videos about battery storage, it explains all 😁. I think the Powerwall 2 is AC coupled so you would be fine. Good luck going all electric, I'm close now myself, update on my "Getting off fossil fuels" series coming soon.
@@nicholashowell - Thanks for your reply! Yes my DNO pointed me to the following page ... which put me right off trying to do it myself 😆 www.ssen.co.uk/our-services/new-supplies/generation-connections/micro-generation-connections/installations-above-3.68kw-per-phase-but-50kw-or-less/ I've sent out requests for 3 quotes so let's see what they say ... I imagine they'll quote for the best system they can fit on the wall, and then apply to the DNO for that, and then the design can be scaled back as required depending on what limits the DNO put in place ... an 8kW limit like yours would be verrrry nice! 😎 Will go and check out some of your other vids 😊 Thanks again!
Hi Nicholas, well I’ve had my first ‘no’ to even providing a quote from an installer, saying “At the moment this is not something that we would be able to install due to there not being any MCS approved mounting equipment.”. I said that I don’t mind if it’s not MCS certified as I believe this is only required for claiming FIT payments, which have been discontinued anyway … Are there any other disadvantages of not having an MCS-certifiable installation? I’ve sent out requests for quotes from a few other companies now in the hope that at least 1 says they’re happy to quote for it! Thanks again for your help 🙂
@@nicholashowell how many panels do you have on the roof and wall? I can only fit 6 south facing on roof so I'm considering doing some wall mounted too.
These: www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/XGS008 and these: www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/XGS011 though not necessarily from this retailer. I just exchanged the nuts for the ones that work with slotted channel (Unistrut).
@@nicholashowell It does not. The only thing that really matters is the price per module, although small efficiency gains are sometimes there. Now thin film is a different story. You need lots of surface area, usually 2x when compared to mono or poly, to get the same output.
@@nicholashowell So i have had recently a system installed and my house is facing all the wrong way unfortunately, I have 2 arrays, one facing east and one facing north. the north isnt really planned to generate good numbers until April onwards due to the sun position, I have both arrays connected into a Growatt 5500mtl-s, but i see now that during the winter one of my garden fences is facing south and has good sun exposer during the day, so my idea is to mount some vertical panels to boost my production during winter, to do this I can either connect this new array to its own inverter, or unplug the north array and replace with the new south, or extend the north array with the south proposed panels and fit Tigo optimisers to the north panels to maximise the production and stop the shaded north panels dragging down the proposed south panels. but if I fit a new inverter (Growatt) I can see how I can link this to the existing one? I also have a Growatt AC coupler that also has a 6.5kw growatt battery connected to it. I seen in your video you have 2 growatt inverters connected together
@@gaz158 Each inverter can just connect to the same supply lines as the others. However you cannot add any new grid-tied inverters to your house without DNO approval. It's OK if you are using an off-grid inverter (like I have in my shed) as this cannot back feed into the grid and so doesn't require DNO approval. So perhaps your best option is to just plug your new panels into your existing "north" inverter.
The eaves don't. The top row of panels are landscape and so the slight shadow cast by the eave only knocks out a sub string. The one panel that is portrait has a DC optimiser on it otherwise it would cause a big drop because the eave shadow would effectively take out that whole panel which in turn would pull down all the rest in the string. Tree shadows do impact but it only happens at the very end of the day when the sun is low and output is down anyway.
Thanks for that...very interesting and helpful. Now I know vertical orientation is effective. I think bird spikes should be avoided as birds can become impaled on them and suffer a lingering and painful death. Perhaps netting would be better!
These are plastic spikes and not sharp. They just make it impossible for the birds to land there. Netting wouldn't work so well as they could still perch.
Hi, for the wall fit solar did you have any issues with planning permission or was it not necessary? I have a South facing gable wall that I would love to put panels on.
It can be deemed permitted development (depending on your house and area) so long as it conforms to the rules on this page (www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/51/solar_panels/2). Hope that helps.
@@nicholashowell Thanks thats very helpful. I was hoping to angle them out slightly by fitting them to a frame but it sounds like they may have to be flat to the wall.
@@andyxox4168 Shading is the least of this installations worries, if there even is some. Some string inverters have shade-tolerant MPPT, which makes them adept at handling shade.
First, if solar panels watts produce more than a single inverter can manage, installing one more inventor can overcome excessive power. Secondly every investor has a max currency limit and to get max currency for example for 2400 watts possible wire 8 panels in serial made 3 parallel of them.
Thanks for the video. I agree, one of my methods to charge my batteries is to add more modules than my inverter can handle. My charge controllers allow me to limit total current so I can keep the total power within my inverter's capability. The great benefit is that on overcast days I still produce enough to charge my batteries.
The panels also help shade the house walls in the hot summer. So the bricks don’t heat up as much.
Nicolas, thanks to your inspiration I mounted 14 550Wp panels against my west-wall. No strut-mount, but Schletter-aluminium rails, 4x4 cm. Cheaper than Unistrut and better ventilation behind the panels. Last days I made 28kW, even with the sun in a not optimal angle . We wait for a lower sun in winter...Connected to my diy LifePO4 35kW batterypack! I hope to make enough power to run my Nefit heatpump the whole winter. But during summer I run my Long Range with it....Keep up the good vids!
Victor
That's great. I hope it performs as well as mine. Good luck.
HI Victor, which mounts have you used from Schletter? And where did you buy them ?
@@paulf3353 I bought them in the Netherlands, were I live. I don't know exactly which mounts, but I can email you a cut-trouhg picture if you are interested. I drilled a hole in them and mounted it directly on the bricks.
@@Victor-ut4zp Thanks. So you just drilled thru, make sense.
at 1:26, you spoke about the shade, and instantly I though, what about those Tigo Optimiser things I read about. And Yes, you did that! Glad to know this because I KNOW that this will be an issue for me too!
Thanks for sharing this. I am in the process of building a similar system for an off grid cabin in Canada . I will not be there for significant periods in the winter when it snows and wanted a way to generate enough power to prevent my mechanical room from freezing. The panels will hang under the eaves as yours do when I am not present. They will swing out to optimal angles when I am there. Didn't think about the birds being an issue , but your experience is certainly useful and I will add bird spikes to mine.
For off grid applications, the more solar modules you can mount the better. Since Canada has lower insolation than most of North America, every little bit helps. Good luck!
I have one wall mounted JA365 solar PV panel with another on order. My current one works really well. I have ten others mounted on the roof (but these are Panasonic). Sometimes my vertical panel outperforms the others!!
I put 345 JA Solar panels on my fence and it works really well at times. All removable if we move as well.
@@iainkay3630 wish to see pics of your installation
The first place I saw vertical mounted solar modules was at the South Pole at the Amundsen-Scott research facility. Fun fact- all of the modules faced north! "Is it worth it?" is such a subjective question when it comes to solar. 15 years ago there were no such conversations here in the United States. People had been installing solar since the 70's because it was the right thing to do.
After the big box companies hit the market with solar leasing and financing, they made a big deal about the 5-7 year payback. Now everyone thinks solar has no value unless their payback fits this criterion. It's the dumbest thing that has ever happened to our industry.
Are vertical mounted solar modules for residential applications worth it? As with almost all questions relating to solar and storage, the answer is almost always "It depends!" Sometimes $/watt has no bearing on what people do. Thank you for taking the time to make this video and tackle this subject.
Thanks for this. I'm wall mounting half my panels and needed a bit more advice.
Thanks for the video! I'm a Brit living in the US and want to supplement my roof mounted panels, and think I could add quite a few on the walls. As you say, they should do very well, especially in the Winter.
It's great if you have a south facing, unshaded wall. Don't forget the bird spikes though.
@@nicholashowell I'm planning on putting them on the main south facing wall on the back of our house, which has little to no shade. Pigeons are a huge problem here in Vegas so I'm really glad I saw your video with the bird spike warning
Thanks for this, very useful. I’m looking into a similar setup in Reading UK, south facing wall in the garden, ideal. Most of our energy requirement due to air source heat pump is on the winter when the sun is low on the horizon, so that makes wall mounted solar actually more viable than roof mounted. Of course roof system will generate more energy year round but wall system will generate more when the energy requirements are higher. I just want to do my system in such a way so that there is least amount of wall damage/ drilled holes for one day when we sell the house, as this sort of thing is not everyone’s cup of tea.
I understand. I tried to do mine in such a way that when I take them all down, there will be little evidence that they were ever there.
How did you get on with your wall set up? I'm looking at this too.
Nicholas, great inspirational video. I have 8 Pearlight Delta 295W panels on my garage roof (4 north and 4 south) connected to 8 Enphase microinverters. But in addition, I have one Longi 410W Himo 5 panel on the west wall of the garage connected in parallel with a north facing panel and does take good advantage of ambient light during the winter and setting sunlight in the summer. It looks like I have a giant TV mounted on the garage wall.
It would be great to be able to stick a set of panels on the front of the house (south facing) but it would look a bit out of place and like a patchwork quilt. But I am looking at making some custom panels that look like bitumen cladding tiles. These can replace the awful pebble dash we currently have and provide some much needed extra winter power.
Good video. I’m looking to install an extra DIY wall and roof mounted solar to supplement my existing system.
I find the most interesting information to me is always left out of videos like these. Installing looks relatively simple but is it possible for you or someone in the chat to explain how a DIY’er goes about understanding what equipment to use? What regulations are relevant? did you process your own G99 application as you now produce to much power? How did you go about finding an electrician to sign off your work?
Understanding rules and regulations is a minefield.
You have to adhere to planning, I think I put a link in my video. You have to get approval from you DNO. You can either apply yourself or your installer can do it for you. I did the mounting work myself but had to get an MCS accredited installer to come and connect it all up to the grid otherwise it's not legal. I asked the installer of my original system if they'd be prepared to do that for me and they said yes. I think I was lucky to some extent not sure how willing they would be now as they are so busy.
thank you for the video. I would be interesting in the vertical solar panels, but I am lacking information when it comes to mounting the system in the facade. could you provide more detail on what you used and how to mount your solar panels please. Thank you
Interesting. I've just started looking into this down here in NZ. It's nice to see that others have looked into it too.
This looks really interesting. How do these panels perform during the summer months? I'm assuming they still work but at a reduced output but would be interested to hear just how well/bad they do perform.
Perhaps I should make another video about their performance through the year?
@@nicholashowell Absolutely. I'm in the process of doing many of the things you are myself. I've been kind of winging it these last few months but learning a lot along the way. I'm now about 60/70% off grid with my system. Videos like these are really helpful to me. Keep it up.
HI Nicholas. Thank you so much for sharing. I have PV since 2016 on my main roof and in 2018 I started to realize how much energy panels on my gable could generate, one thing to another I did not action straight away then came Covid. Since April, I have resume this idea which is now becoming a project. I have been struggling like mad to find installers who will understand/be willing to install them. One even said to me that such mounting is not MCS compliant.
Another hurdle was what type of authorisation. Again some installer said no problem (without knowing exactiy the why) some said it was not allowed without being able to say why either apart of we have never done that. I have managed to find the regulation though. and what you have done seems to comply. So well done as apparently from your video, it seems you did not know either.
Icing on the cake, I finally manage to find one company who have done multiple installation and clearly, they were telling me what I already knew which was good. So hopefully soon, I will also have panels on my wall.
Once again thank you for sharing your experience. I am also happy to share mine with you
I did check the regulations before mounting my wall array which is how I knew it was ok. The only issue the electrician had was what zone the array comes under since it can be touched by someone standing on the ground unlike a roof array.
I'd be interested to know how well yours performs once it's installed. Good luck.
@@nicholashowell happy to share but first I need a response from DNO to see what design will be installed. Please bare with me.. :)
@@nicholashowell do you know EV puzzle he has panels on his gable, EV puzzle is his channel.
I have 6x 290watt panels on Southwest wall on my system and find the power very useful and the work well in winter when the sun hits the panels at a more effective angle. I am located in Derby in the UK hence the low inclination of the sun in winter.
They are really useful in the winter aren't they. It was the reason I added mine, to give a bit more kWh during the short winter months.
Thanks for this follow-up video. It is always useful to learn what the actual results have been.. the timelapse graphs you showed allow us to visualise the performance well, and your comments on fitting the optimisers to assist when panels are shaded is valuable feedback.
Clearly, vertical mounting is worth considering in some circumstances, especially in higher latitudes, and where a boost in winter output is needed.
Glad it was helpful.
In the UK you would have to vertical mount when wall mounting regardless due to planning considerations (unless yo u apply for planning permission).
Have you considered mounting your solar panels so that they are on the wall vertically, but slightly angled down. The lower part of the solar panel is connected to the wall and the upper part of the solar panel is connected to the spouting board on the eaves.
At first this seems strange to aim the panel slightly towards the ground, but you won't get any snow on them, and pigeons don't go on top of them and in the winter you get the reflection of the snow on the ground as well as light from the sky.
In summer you still get light because there is no shadow and unless you live on the equator you will still get directly sunlight all year.
We don't really get much if any snow here in the winter so it isn't really a consideration. The plastic "spikes" have stopped the pigeons completely.
So, first of all, brilliant! I live in a 70yr old house, I did 12 large panels on the new addition, I did the other 30 out in the back field, did not want the weight, also a 170yr old live oak tree was in the way for the roof, I have a south wall that's nothing but a death valley. I'll be talking to the Mrs tonight..ha
Again, brilliant, thanks for sharing.
Wow, how big is your array with 42 panels?
@@nicholashowell~ 16.25' x 33.5' that's the 30 in the field, 12 are on the garage
@@75ohmHAM Cool. What's the total Wattage?
A couple of points : earthing ? You mentioned connecting the panels together but what then? Did you take it back to the DNO (mains) earth?
And position of DC isolate switch. Mine are going above a flat roof so easily accessible by say window cleaner, so I’m thinking an isolator wheee I can just reach out of the windows. Or would you have one near the battery/inverter? Or are two the ultra safe option. They are only 12v panels. Thought appreciated.
The rails are earthed to the main DNO earth. Though the electricians had some debate about the need for earthing or not. The DC isolator is located near the inverter, the same as with my roof mounted panels. Your situation is probably different though so you should get an electrician to check it over. I mounted the panels myself but in cooperation with an electrician. The electrician came and connected up the panels and inverter to the grid.
Hi, I've got a house with a northeast ridgeline. The panels on my north facing roof work between 9:30 am to around 4 pm.
I have a large dark brown brick wall facing the west that loves to soak up tons of heat during the summertime, baking the west end of my house for the next 24 hours. (The fish tank in my bedroom reaches 36 degrees Celsius, which is not good for my fish.)
I'll like to mount as many panels on the west wall to collect as much of the afternoon sun as possible. The added benefit would be to provide a bit a shade for my dark brown brick wall. (More power, lower summer temperatures.)
Also on the west side of the house, against the west wall, there is a flat cement floor that was part of a failed shade cloth area. If I was to paint the cement white, even more light would be directed onto the vertical panels.
When it comes to adding another invertor for the extra vertical panels, can it be added to work alongside of the existing invertor or will the current invertor (that already runs the two older banks of panels) need to be replaced to make it compatible with the new invertor?
You shouldn't need to replace your old inverter, you can just add another for the new panels.
I'm looking into a south side vertical wall mount. There would be high visibility from the street, so I'm modeling an image to verify placement.
That sounds like a good idea. They are worth it.
Thanx for the info, I’m installing a wall mount on south and east walls, hoping to get 16 345 watt panels mounted . sets two panels each wired in series then paralleled to the eight sets with a 48 volt inverter. I’ve have mounted two 300 watt panels vertically one on my ice shack and one on the garage and was overly impressed with their performance and I’m glad to know that you did this. I know the performance isn’t the best so I’m adding lots of panels.
They work best when the sun is lower in the sky (not summer) but that's also when the days are shorter. Total output is highest in spring and autumn. The key is to not get any shadows on the panels (from trees or anything else) as that drags the whole string down (unless you are using micro inverters/dc optimisers).
@@nicholashowell thanx
Thx. I have a flat roof but neighboor roof at noon shades it. Will use microconvertors. In NL you see them more and more. But convertor must be not in rain directly.
I think Microinverters are the way to go if you have shading problems.
Great video! What clamps did you use to mount the panels onto the unistrut?
What would your thoughts be if you only had a east wall to use? Thanks.
Could maybe be worth it if you need extra power in the morning. Not sure if it would make financial sense though.
Very good video. Can I just ask.. you mentioned that all the rails have to be bonded together with earth cable. Where does the earth cable get terminated? Is it the consumer unit earth or somewhere else? Also what guage was the bonding cable?
It was terminated at the main earth terminal at the incoming supply. It was 10mm2 cable. The electricians were in some debate about the earthing due to the fact that the rails can be touched by a person standing on the ground. I think there was a potential issue around a PEN fault.
Great video . I’m try to get part wall mount and roof mounted panels as all south facing roof and wall and no shading. 😅
Sounds like you have the ideal location.
Will this be practicable for places like Nigeria and around that region?
Less so near the equator.
@@nicholashowell vertical might be better near the equator since they will run cooler, I have 4*248 panels on my fence since I was more interested in catching the winter sun but these will be shaded in the summer since they are behind some pear trees but I should see how the perform in the summer
Many thanks for this nice video. How easy to find a company to do the final wiring and certification. In my opinion that’s a problem
Thanks. You might be right, from what I have heard. I used the company that fitted my original solar so I think they were happier to do it.
Wall mounting is a really great idea! Thanks for sharing this information!
Glad it was helpful!
I’m thinking of using Unistrut and notice you fixed them horizontally. Was there a technical reason for this or just the optimal for your wall space? I’m putting 2 panels each side of a window so would only need 4 rails vertically but 8 (shorter) rails horizontally. Thanks
@@zenthor13 Yes, this was optimal for my wall space.
@@nicholashowell Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
Great video! As panels become more affordable, why NOT collect free energy? You neglected to include the Smart DC Optimizers and bird spikes in your summary.
Would it be a good idea to close the gap around the perimeter of the solar panels? My thoughts are that birds or wasps might think the cavity behind could be an attractive nesting site.
I've done that with my roof panels as birds started trying to nest under them. The wall panels don't seem to have any issues, don't think there is enough space behind them.
In my experience, at least in the US, those things are not very effective against rodents and bugs. The damn squirrels just chew through it anyway. Plus, you restrict the airflow underneath the modules which would decrease production. Monthly inspections are sufficient.
I'm planning a wall mounted off grid kit -diy. Looking at your mounting system with unistrut it looks as if the weight of the panels is only borne by clamps on the sides. Is this strong enough with nothing holding the panels underneath? I was planning to buy plain alum.angle 40mmx40mmx5mm so that there would be a ledge to rest the panel on which is surely going to make it easier to lift into place. Or am I missing something? Wind damage in the future is an issue for me.
It is strong enough. They've been up for years now and have never moved, even in stormy conditions. It was hard to put them in place though so using the alum.angle would probably be easier.
Hi would you come and do my wall mounted panels , could you do a video about wall mounted eg brackets cost Thanks Robert in Edinburgh
Alas I can't come and do yours. I have a full time job outside of what I do on TH-cam. I think I mentioned what brackets I used for the walls in the video. I've also put links to the brackets I used to mount the panels to the wall in the comments as someone else asked about those. Probably worth getting a roof system fitted first.
We’re you able to buy a single wall panel at a time?
What’s the manufacturer’s name?
I bought 7 and then later another 2. I could have bought them one at a time but the delivery charge is quite high so not really worth doing that
@@lmeredeemed5043 Perlight.
I want to put 2 180 wat panels on wall of my garage. Does it hurt the panels if unplugged and still in the sun?
No, it doesn't hurt them so far as I know.
Certainly a good idea for used panels or if you upgrading your existing solar. Is there any problems with planning. Do you need planning to do this. For the shading issue you can blocking diodes on each string and bypass in between panels in the strings I don't know If there as effective as optimises tho never tried them.
So long as the panels don't stick out from the wall more than a certain distance you have deemed planning consent.
I wonder if you could tell which panels are doing better than others via software
You can get panel level monitoring but the cost is hard to justify.
Got any good links for where you sourced your items? Especially the panels and the inverter.
I think I got the panels and inverter from midsummer energy.
@@nicholashowell thanks for the quick reply. Any planning permission or anything to consider?
@@UpsideDownFork Yes. You can do it under permitted development but you have to stick to certain rules. I think you can find them online somewhere, possibly here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance#class-a--enlargement-improvement-or-alteration
Does being under the overhang put them in some shade?
Only for about 1 month at the very height of summer, after that the suns angle means the shadow from the eaves just misses them. I don't really need the power at the very height of summer as my roof panels provide more than enough so it isn't a problem.
Hi Nicholas, graet channel! Just busy mountinng my vertical panels, and I wonder where did you order the mounting brackets, fitting into the strutrail? I cannot find these in the Netherlands....
Thanks, Victor
I ordered them from a company in the UK called midsummer energy. They sell them with Unistrut bolts I think or if they don't you can get them with standard rail bolts and then just buy your own Unistrut bolts and substitute them.
you could always add actuators so the angle alters for them to stay in the sun
In theory, yeah. In practice it would then probably stick out from the wall enough to be subject to full planning application (UK).
@@nicholashowell thats prob true they love to screw us for everything in the uk
That would add more cost and complexity to the system, although it would be cool.
Hello Nicholas, do you need planning permission to install solar panels on walls?
The answer is it depends. Under some conditions you don't. It depends on how far out from the wall the panels protrude as well as things like being in a conservation area, house listing status etc. There was information about it on the planning portal once though I can't seem to find it now.
Are those panel fixings work well in unistrut? Or did you buy some special ones?
They are standard panel fixings, they work fine with unistrut.
Hello again Nicholas,
Why didn’t you consider angling them to capture more sun. There are brackets on sale for this purpose. I asked my solar installer to add some panels on my solar facing wall. From your experience Do you think it’s a good idea or shall I just stick to what I have
Good stuff
In order to comply with building regulations the panels cannot stick out of the wall more than a certain amount. To angle them would have made them stick out too far. Wall mounted panels can be a great way to get more capacity so long as they are South facing and not shaded.
@@nicholashowell thank you very much for bringing the issue of regulation. Didn’t cross my mind
I would surely do this, I have a side of the house that gets hammered by sunlight after noon time. So why not put something that will block that heat from hitting the house and harvests it into something I can use. Does it look good...NO but in my case that side of my house is facing the back.
Yeah, you can hardly see mine from the street at all.
Update please
Did you think of angling them upwards? And why or why not?
I have panels on the roof that are angled upwards. I wanted something to give me extra in the winter when the sun is lowest and striking the roof panels at such a steep angle that they don't produce much. Being vertical makes the sun hit them at almost the perfect angle in the winter. I could have inclined them slightly but it would have been complex to do and potentially exceeded the permitted planning rules and wouldn't have made that much difference to just vertical.
Hi Nicholas. I am keen to get panels installed on my south west wall but I am struggling to find a company who will quote for such an installation. One firm has told me that it is totally against the NICEIC regulations and that they would lose their MCS certification if they installed panels vertically. Did you come across any such challenge when your electrician connected up your system? Thanks Sue
No I didn't, my installer was fine with it. I did mount the panels myself but got an MCS accredited installer to wire up the inverter and they were quite happy.
Can I ask, where did you get the mounting brackets for unistrut in the UK?
I ended up not using the official unistrut mounting kit for my fence mounted solar but would like to find the proper unistrut brackets if I can.
I used a Unistrut clone myself. Not sure what you mean by mounting brackets? Do you mean to mount the rails to the wall or to mount the panels to the rails?
@@nicholashowell I mean mounting the panels on to the rails. I did manage to hack together a bit of a working system for my fence mount but only by process of elimination, ordering so many bits and pieces that didn’t work until this ended up okay. The panels are up there solid but it’s not the intended brackets that you can get for the proper American unistrut systems specifically designed to mount solar panels. Could never find that in UK.
(You can see they exist here though strutandsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Unistrut-Solar-Installation-Strut-Supply.pdf)
@@iainkay3630 I think I've left several links on comments about the clamps I used. They are proper solar clamps and just replace the nut with a slotted channel one
Did you need planning for vertical installation? Thanks
No, it's permitted development so long as it doesn't stick out too much. You can check what is permitted on www.planningportal.co.uk/permission
Great video - Which rails did you use and where did you get them from?
I used a Unistrut clone. It's just called slotted channel and you can get it from most electrical shops.
Hi - It looks like some slotted channel that is Unistrut compatible, but I cant see from your pictures/video whether they are the 41mm X41mm version or the 41mm *21mm version. Just want to make sure before I buy the wrong one as I need to get the fittings to connect to panel as well. This is by far the best video on vertical panels I have seen and your info on what I can get on a my south wall has been very helpful. Thankyou. malcolm
@@malcolmbooth813 I think you could use either (I've used the 41mm x 21mm on my solar shed roof and that works too) but I used 41mm x 41mm on the wall. I mostly did it to give a bigger gap for air to circulate easily behind the panels. Make sure you get one that is rated for outside (galvanised or similar), you don't want it rusting.
@@nicholashowell Thanks for quick response. I have found somewhere doing the 41 *41 in galvanised so they wont rust too quickly. In terms of the clamps Midsummer wont sell clamps any more on their own due to supply problems but I've found somewhere else with stock. I was thinking of Renusol mid and end clamps. Is that the type you used for your install? Once again thanks for the fantastic vertical wall solar youtube video. Malcolm
@@malcolmbooth813 These look similar to the ones I used: www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/XGS012 You just have to replace the nut with a slotted channel nut (zeb) instead. I got the zebs with springs attached, it makes it easier to keep them in place while you screw in the clamp.
Hi Nicholas, thanks for your video! There’s surprisingly little info online about the effectiveness of wall-mounted solar compared to roof-mounted, but as I imagined, where there’s wall exposed to the sun, there’s energy to be made!
I’m thinking of adding panels to my south-facing wall and already have 4kW of panels on the roof with a 3.68kW inverter. Did you have to apply to your local grid for permission to be able to generate more? I gather every locality will be different in terms of the robustness and spare capacity of the grid to accept more than a certain amount of excess power?
Also, how does it work practically with two inverters? Do they both just feed into your fusebox and when your house needs energy it just draws from both inverters before drawing from the grid?
We have a Tesla PowerWall 2 so we’d obviously want all the panels to charge this before giving any excess power to the grid. I guess it’s key to make sure the system is sized so you don’t generate so much energy that the battery isn’t able to accept it all, or else it’ll go back into the grid (assuming the house isn’t using whatever is left over)?
The permitted development regulations that you kindly linked to in a comment below seems to imply that the panels can protrude up to 200mm from the surface of the wall - did you not consider putting the panels on angled racks to give them a better view of the sky / angle to the sun?
Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences!
PS. The company who installed our roof panels say it’s almost not worth having wall panels put up, but I’m wondering if they’ve actually ever tried it or they’d just prefer not to risk it … I’ve asked them to create a design, as the online calculators I’ve used say a 3kW array of wall-mounted panels would generate around 2MWh per year which would be amazing …
I did have to apply to my DNO to increase my array size. I got approval to go up to 8kW of inverters. I already had 6kW so that meant I could have a 2 kW inverter for the wall panels. I did think about tilting the panels a bit but it would have been too complicated. I mostly wanted more power in the winter when the sun is lowest and the roof isn't generating much. So vertical is ideal. The inverters both just push power onto the line. It's as if you just had one big one. Isn't the Tesla Powerwall AC coupled? Of so it would just work without modification. It wouldn't matter if you generated more than it could hold in summer, just export the rest. In the winter however it will give you more chance to actually fill it.
@@nicholashowell - thank you so much for your detailed reply! Is applying to the DNO something I can do, or is it best to let the installer do this? Not sure what you mean by AC coupled ... other than that the Tesla battery just connects into our fusebox like a load, except it's pushing power in. Yes that's true about generating more than it can accept in the summer as I'd also like to maximise how much I can generate in the winter ... although I hate giving back to the grid 😁 My long term plan is to ditch the gas boiler and switch over the central heating to air conditioner units (I already have 2 and only need 3 more to cover the whole house, and we have an electric-only Mixergy smart hot water tank), so I want to generate as much of my own power as I can. Thanks again for your help!
@@HorizonimagingCoUkPhotography It is something that you can do but it's complex and requires some certificates to be sent once the install is completed. If you can I'd probably get the installer to do it for you. AC coupled ..... check out one of my other videos about battery storage, it explains all 😁. I think the Powerwall 2 is AC coupled so you would be fine. Good luck going all electric, I'm close now myself, update on my "Getting off fossil fuels" series coming soon.
@@nicholashowell - Thanks for your reply! Yes my DNO pointed me to the following page ... which put me right off trying to do it myself 😆 www.ssen.co.uk/our-services/new-supplies/generation-connections/micro-generation-connections/installations-above-3.68kw-per-phase-but-50kw-or-less/
I've sent out requests for 3 quotes so let's see what they say ... I imagine they'll quote for the best system they can fit on the wall, and then apply to the DNO for that, and then the design can be scaled back as required depending on what limits the DNO put in place ... an 8kW limit like yours would be verrrry nice! 😎
Will go and check out some of your other vids 😊 Thanks again!
Hi Nicholas, well I’ve had my first ‘no’ to even providing a quote from an installer, saying “At the moment this is not something that we would be able to install due to there not being any MCS approved mounting equipment.”. I said that I don’t mind if it’s not MCS certified as I believe this is only required for claiming FIT payments, which have been discontinued anyway … Are there any other disadvantages of not having an MCS-certifiable installation? I’ve sent out requests for quotes from a few other companies now in the hope that at least 1 says they’re happy to quote for it! Thanks again for your help 🙂
do you have roof panels and wall panels? or just the wall panels?
I have both.
@@nicholashowell how many panels do you have on the roof and wall? I can only fit 6 south facing on roof so I'm considering doing some wall mounted too.
@@mutton_man I have 22 on the roof and 9 on the wall.
What mounting brackets did you use
These: www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/XGS008 and these: www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Item/XGS011 though not necessarily from this retailer. I just exchanged the nuts for the ones that work with slotted channel (Unistrut).
Which panels would be better for use on the wall? Mono or poly? Or does it matter?
I don't think it matters.
@@nicholashowell It does not. The only thing that really matters is the price per module, although small efficiency gains are sometimes there. Now thin film is a different story. You need lots of surface area, usually 2x when compared to mono or poly, to get the same output.
How do you link the two growatt inverters? I have a system and looking to put some additional panels on my fence line that’s south facing
In what sense link? Electrically or communications?
@@nicholashowell So i have had recently a system installed and my house is facing all the wrong way unfortunately, I have 2 arrays, one facing east and one facing north. the north isnt really planned to generate good numbers until April onwards due to the sun position, I have both arrays connected into a Growatt 5500mtl-s, but i see now that during the winter one of my garden fences is facing south and has good sun exposer during the day, so my idea is to mount some vertical panels to boost my production during winter, to do this I can either connect this new array to its own inverter, or unplug the north array and replace with the new south, or extend the north array with the south proposed panels and fit Tigo optimisers to the north panels to maximise the production and stop the shaded north panels dragging down the proposed south panels. but if I fit a new inverter (Growatt) I can see how I can link this to the existing one? I also have a Growatt AC coupler that also has a 6.5kw growatt battery connected to it. I seen in your video you have 2 growatt inverters connected together
and I if i go for 2 inverters, I would need to connect them electrically and comms too
@@gaz158 Each inverter can just connect to the same supply lines as the others. However you cannot add any new grid-tied inverters to your house without DNO approval. It's OK if you are using an off-grid inverter (like I have in my shed) as this cannot back feed into the grid and so doesn't require DNO approval. So perhaps your best option is to just plug your new panels into your existing "north" inverter.
Can i know what kind rack system did you use ?
Just slotted channel (Unistrut clone).
How do you link the panels,series or parallel?
Is this grid tied too?
In series, some with optimisers. Yes it is also grid tied. Only my shed inverter is not grid tied.
THATS THE BEST PRODUCT TO STOP THOSE PESKY PIGONS .
Good to know do it with a micro inverter
Do the eaves or tree shadows create big drops in watts??
The eaves don't. The top row of panels are landscape and so the slight shadow cast by the eave only knocks out a sub string. The one panel that is portrait has a DC optimiser on it otherwise it would cause a big drop because the eave shadow would effectively take out that whole panel which in turn would pull down all the rest in the string. Tree shadows do impact but it only happens at the very end of the day when the sun is low and output is down anyway.
why have you earthed your rails?
They are earthed because they can be touched by someone standing on the ground.
@@nicholashowell Who will then get electrocuted if there is ever a PEN fault because they are standing on the ground
@@nicholashowell
I bet your panels are class II insulated as well. Along with the DC cables.
Nicholas Howell: Can't believe people would complain about your panels
No-one has to date but some people just dislike change.
@@nicholashowell I hear you on that one, especially on changes that make sense!!
Thanks for that...very interesting and helpful. Now I know vertical orientation is effective.
I think bird spikes should be avoided as birds can become impaled on them and suffer a lingering and painful death.
Perhaps netting would be better!
These are plastic spikes and not sharp. They just make it impossible for the birds to land there. Netting wouldn't work so well as they could still perch.
@@nicholashowell Thanks for that...makes every sense!
Birds have sharp eyes.
Hi, for the wall fit solar did you have any issues with planning permission or was it not necessary? I have a South facing gable wall that I would love to put panels on.
It can be deemed permitted development (depending on your house and area) so long as it conforms to the rules on this page (www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/51/solar_panels/2). Hope that helps.
@@nicholashowell Thanks thats very helpful. I was hoping to angle them out slightly by fitting them to a frame but it sounds like they may have to be flat to the wall.
@@michaelmelwani7752 That's what I understand. Good luck.
So note do it with micro inverters
Brilliant 😎👍🏼
Finding it useful to water spray the Pigeons and after a couple times they leave for a year.They don't like water lol!
Great tip!
You need microinverters perhaps instead although optimizers work well too.
String inverters work just fine!
@@SnarkySolarGuy… not with shaded panels, they’re not the optimum solution!
@@andyxox4168 Shading is the least of this installations worries, if there even is some. Some string inverters have shade-tolerant MPPT, which makes them adept at handling shade.
First, if solar panels watts produce more than a single inverter can manage, installing one more inventor can overcome excessive power. Secondly every investor has a max currency limit and to get max currency for example for 2400 watts possible wire 8 panels in serial made 3 parallel of them.
damn pigeons
👍
🌎🇪🇨🙂👍🏻