The motivation to upgrade your home to renewable energy isn’t so much about saving money, rather it is about crystallising the possibilities of self-sufficiency within the four walls that we all spend more and more time in with the new "covid normal".
No two solar-and-storage installs are the same. This Balwyn project was more about fulfilling ideological objectives than economical ones.
It is about adding value to the property, using quality equipment that is going to go the distance as well as being sustainable.
The house is big. It has a pool and a tennis court - with average energy usage being around 50-60kWh per day.
Night time consumption in the Balwyn home was estimated to be about 25kWh, so the 27kWh battery bank was felt to be adequate, with a discharge to 90%.
Challenges included making allowances to aesthetics in the architect-designed house, which was completely renovated two years ago. The client didn't want to see one conduit or cable. The difficulties of this installation were as high as they could get from an electrical standpoint.
Panels face east, north and west, in an effort to maximise self-consumption in the morning and afternoon.
System Design:
PANELS: 48 X 315W LG (15.1kWp total)
INVERTER: ABB 1PH 5kW
INVERTER CHARGER: Selectronic SP Pro 7.5kW with 2 X 60Ah Schnieder Maximum power point trackers
BATTERIES: 8 X Simpliphi 528Ah @ 48VDC - 26.9kWh total, depth of discharge to 90% providing 24.2kWh available
Since the installation was completed, the customers haven’t needed to use much electricity from the grid.
The system is designed with AC and DC couplings and 5kW of the 15kW PV array is connected to a grid-tied inverter, so any excess energy can be exported.
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