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[Sticky] Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures

 
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Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
Last Post by Toodles 2 days ago
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 Papahuhu
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02/01/2026 12:23 pm  

@toodles 

You are lucky you don’t have nosy and interfering neighbours. If I so much as approach a TPO tree with a pole saw I get them taking photos of me. We have a massive horse chestnut on our boundary that was suffering from the newly invasive horse chestnut miner moth. So I hoisted a pheromone trap into the tree to try and limit the damage, the next day I had the planning department knocking on my door to investigate.



   
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Toodles
 Toodles
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02/01/2026 12:27 pm  

@papahuhu They came to ‘axe you’ what you were up to?


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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Majordennisbloodnok
 Majordennisbloodnok
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02/01/2026 12:56 pm  

Posted by: @papahuhu
↑

@toodles 

You are lucky you don’t have nosy and interfering neighbours. If I so much as approach a TPO tree with a pole saw I get them taking photos of me. We have a massive horse chestnut on our boundary that was suffering from the newly invasive horse chestnut miner moth. So I hoisted a pheromone trap into the tree to try and limit the damage, the next day I had the planning department knocking on my door to investigate.

I can't help but feel the answer to that is to do a daily "adjustment" to or "investigation" of that pheromone trap. After a few days of the same report from your neighbours, I'd imagine the planning department'd become a little slower to pop round. Crying "Wolf" can work in your favour....

 


105 m2 bungalow in South East England
Mitsubishi Ecodan 8.5 kW air source heat pump
18 x 360W solar panels
1 x 6 kW GroWatt battery and SPH5000 inverter
1 x Myenergi Zappi
1 x VW ID3
Raised beds for home-grown veg and chickens for eggs

"Semper in excretia; sumus solum profundum variat"


   
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 Papahuhu
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02/01/2026 1:37 pm  

@majordennisbloodnok 

Lot of retired folk round here, unfortunately for them and me, with nothing better to do. If I really wanted to get rid of the trees (or perhaps the neighbours too 😀) a couple of copper nails is all it would take.



   
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Toodles
 Toodles
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02/01/2026 1:48 pm  

@papahuhu Driven into their feet?!


Toodles, heats his home with cold draughts and cooks food with magnets.


   
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Transparent
 Transparent
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02/01/2026 2:03 pm  

@editor - here's my take on your December generation figures:

image

Save energy... recycle electrons!


   
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 Papahuhu
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02/01/2026 2:13 pm  

@toodles I was thinking along biblical lines, I’ve got some fence posts that would make a sturdy cross. I could put it in the front garden to remind the others.



   
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 Sheriff Fatman
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02/01/2026 2:21 pm  

Full year 2025 figures per the Sunsynk app are 4,326kWh PV generation and 1,594kWh of export.  The system was installed in December 2022, and the 2023 PV generation of 4,425kWh remains the best figure achieved, but I'm at 97.8% of that total and I have a general expectation that the system will become less efficient with age, so it could be that plus weather variation that are potential causes.  We have tree shading in the garden due to mature trees with TPO's on them, so the production will always be compromised to an extent.

The export figure of 1,594kWh is (only just) the highest one yet, vs 1,549kWh reported in 2023.  Octopus have paid me for 1,710.94kWh of export, so Sunsynk seems to be under-reporting the figure, presumably as it doesn't register the background trickle of constant export that I believe is a protection built into the system, but it at least provides me with a consistent comparative figure.

There's no forced discharging built into our configuration.  We simply charge the batteries overnight on the Intelligent Go 7p rate and let the system discharge the excess during the day at 15p when the batteries are full from solar recharging.


130m2 4 bed detached house in West Yorkshire
10kW Mitsubishi Ecodan R290 Heat Pump - Installed June 2025
6.3kWp PV, 5kW Sunsynk Inverter, 3 x 5.3kWh Sunsynk Batteries
MyEnergi Zappi Charger for 1 EV (Ioniq5) and 1 PHEV (Outlander)
User of Havenwise (Full control Jun-Dec 2025, DHW only from early Dec)
Subscriber to MelPump App data via CN105 Dongle Kit


   
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Mars
 Mars
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Topic starter 02/01/2026 2:23 pm  

@transparent, excellent observation... my issue with batteries is still the massive capital expense... I'm still struggling with the maths. Maybe in the next house when we have a smart meter.


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Transparent
 Transparent
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02/01/2026 2:49 pm  

You could relocate a storage battery to a new house if you wanted to!

Although Fogstar seem to no longer offer DIY Assembly options,
battery enclosures with the Jikong BMS (2A active balancing) are available from sellers on Alibaba, for as little as $320 (+carr +VAT)

image

The LiFePO₄ cells are available from the same suppliers, and are often supplied from stocks already in EU warehouses.
That reduces shipping costs and time.

The overall cost for the enclosure and a set of sixteen 314Ah cells should be around £1680 incl carriage and tax.

Unlike buying from AliExpress, you should directly contact sellers on Alibaba and ask for 'a package deal'.
They can give you various options for both delivery times and for who does the import paperwork.

'DOD' means that the Supplier handles all the administration, and includes UK taxes, which they pay to HMRC on your behalf.

 


Save energy... recycle electrons!


   
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Mars
 Mars
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Topic starter 02/01/2026 2:54 pm  

@transparent, this is where my DIY inability hampers me... would definitely consider the cheapo route and install myself, but don't have the skills 🙄 

Not sure there's any electricians around here I'd trust to do this for me... hmmm.


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 Papahuhu
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02/01/2026 3:01 pm  

@editor 

i can’t believe you run a heat pump without being on a time of use tariff. I’m sure your power bill would make my toes curl. 



   
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