Hounslow Solar Panels Installation : Background
In July2014 we were asked to reinstall poorly performing solar panels in Hounslow. There were numerous problems with this system including a burnt out d.c. isolator, an incorrectly wired generation meter and a single string spread across three different roof pitches. Needless to say the customer was not receiving the performance he had expected.
Having replaced the damaged isolator and rewired the generation meter, we then turned our attention to addressing the poor system design which had seen 16 panels, spread across 3 different roof pitches, having been connected in a single string. A basic principle of designing solar PV systems involves ensuring that all the panels in any one string are at the same pitch and orientation. With multiple pitches and orientations, module level power point tracking is required in order to ensure that the shaded panels are not dragging down the output from those bathed in sunshine.
Our solution was to install independent power optimisers from Solar Edge to each panel. This approach now means that the output of each panel is independent from every other, and from an energy yield perspective, poorly performing shaded panels are no longer dragging the output of those in in direct sunlight.