Solar Products

We have been designing and installing solar products since 2010 and have built up a wealth of knowledge as to which solar products exceed the manufacturers claims and which don’t. Equally as importantly, we know which manufacturers provide reliable technical support to their local installer base.

We therefore, only recommend quality solar products to clients which meet both these criteria.

The product selection below meets these criteria, and in our opinion and experience, represent value for money over the expected life time of the system.

Please also visit our blog pages for more in depth reviews on many of these products.

Solar Panels

This selection of panels represents a good cross section of high quality products, each with specific attributes, from which we hope you will find a product that meets your requirements. If not, just ask, we have access to all the solar products available in the UK.

In the summary table below, we set out the various key parameters of the brands we recommend and install.

Solar Panel Comparison Table (data as of September 2023)
ClassificationPanelFeatures & BenefitsWarranty terms
(Product)
Warranty terms
(Performance)
URLCountry of Design/ManufactureCost (relative) / 5kWp install
PREMIUMMaxeon Technologies (SunPower)Unrivalled aesthetics & warranty terms40> 88% @ year 40https://sunpower.maxeon.com/int/solar-panel-products/maxeon-solar-panelsFrance/Mexico132%
QUALITYMeyer Burger Glass/GlassExceptional lifetime yields30>93% @ year 30https://www.meyerburger.com/en/solar-modulesGermany121%
QUALITYREC Alpha SeriesExceptional lifetime yields, lead free & high wattage20> 92% @ year 25https://www.recgroup.com/en/alphaSingapore120%
QUALITYSolarWatt Vision (Glass-Glass) SeriesExceptional lifetime yields30> 87% @ year 30https://www.solarwatt.co.uk/Germany115%
VALUEREC Twin Peak 5 Series20> 86% @ year 25https://www.recgroup.com/en/products/rec-twinpeak-5-enSingapore109%
VALUEQ Cells - G11A Series12> 86% @ year 25https://www.q-cells.eu/products/solar-panels.htmlTaiwan106%
BUDGET12> 85% @ year 25China100%

All of the above installed with SolarEdge inverters / Enphase microinverters with a 20 year warranty cf budget inverter systems which offer a 5 or 10 year warranty.

SunPower

The premium panel on the market today. SunPower was established in 1985 in Silicon Valley, USA and so have massive experience and claim to make the highest performing and therefore best solar panels in the world and justify this with three key statements below and back it up with a comprehensive 25 year warranty.

Key Attributes include

  • Trusted durability – SunPower solar panels are engineered to operate flawlessly in real-world environments.
  • Proven reliability – SunPower ensures your solar panels operate with uncompromised performance and dependable results.
  • More energy – SunPower delivers more energy over a system’s lifetime, powering your path to more predictable savings.

REC

Norwegian manufacturer REC sets the industry benchmark for quality and third party certification. We have been installing REC panels since 2012 and are an accredited REC Solar Professional Installer.

Key Attributes include:

  • Lowest embodied carbon products of any solar panel manufacturer
  • Europe’s largest solar panel brand with > 38 million panels manufactured, with principal manufacturing facility a state of the art facility in Singapore.
  • One of the highest quality range of products available with internal testing procedures 3 times more stringent than the industry standard.

Solarwatt

Solarwatt is the leading German manufacturer of solar panels and Europe’s leading manufacturer of glass – glass modules. Solarwatt also manufacturer battery storage systems. Majority shareholder is Stefan Quant of the BMW family.

Key Attributes include:

  • Longest product warranties on the market at 30 years for the glass – glass ‘Vision’ product range
  • Best performance warranty on the market with 87% of rated output warrantied after 30 years.
  • Extremely strong product with increased fire protection due to absence of any backing sheet.

Inverters

Let’s begin with what the inverter does: the brain and heart of any solar power system, it’s a small box with a big job, sitting between the roof panels and fuse board. Without it, your system won’t work. Its role is to convert electricity from DC to AC household current as efficiently as possible. One of the very important solar products to choose.

Solaredge

SolarEdge inverters use a power optimiser on each solar panel so every panel works independently. The current and voltage is adjusted panel by panel to deliver maximum power throughout – a constant optimal 350V d.c. with single phase systems.

  • Optimum power in light or shade
  • Up to 25% more energy
  • Maximum power from individual panels
  • Maximum power point tracking (MPPT)
  • Easily adjustable current and voltage

SMA

SMA, a German company, are the world’s leading manufacturer of grid tied inverters. And let’s face it the Germans do engineering well.
SMA  is a global leader in the development, production and sales of PV inverters.  SMA have a well established technical support team at their UK offices in Milton Keynes.

  • The SMA inverter from the Sunny Tripower or Sunny Boy family is the core of SMA Energy Systems Home.
  • It ensures optimum energy usage so that you have to purchase as little additional power as possible from the utility grid.
  • Even in shady conditions, innovative technology ensures optimum usage of the energy supplied by the modules. Sunny Places (or, in the future, an app) allows you to keep constant track of your energy yields.

Enphase

Solar panels may be on top, but it’s the inverter that does all the real work. Choosing an inverter technology is the most critical decision you’ll make when going solar. Enphase Microinverters offer the most advanced inverter technology on the market, which means higher production, greater reliability, and unmatched intelligence.

Enphase microinverters are proven to produce more energy than other technologies.

  • Microinverters operate independently, so each panel performs to its fullest. One shaded or dirty panel won’t affect the rest of the system.
  • Burst technology lets microinverters produce more at dawn, dusk, and in low-light conditions, for a longer solar day.

Battery Storage

Battery storage is now one of the essential solar products for the renewables sector. All the benefit of generating solar electricity comes from being able to use that energy within the home or business, thereby reducing electricity bills.

In most scenarios, this will require installing a battery, which will store the surplus energy generated during the day, when demand is low, thus making this energy available for use when the panels stop generating (at night) and the demand increases.

Battery storage therefore enables your consumption whilst reducing your energy bills.

We have been installing battery systems since 2016, and have a vast amount of experience across the systems we specialise in. In keeping with our overall approach to all technologies, we only offer products from leading international manufacturers with whom we have longstanding working relationships, and have earned Manufacturer Accreditation.

In the summary table below, we set out the various key parameters of the brands we recommend and install.

ProductUsable Capacity (kWh)Charge Rate (kW)Outdoor RatedBackup Function IncludedInstallation Guide Price(ex VAT) May 2020WarrantyChemistryAC / DC Coupled
Enphase2.4 - 6.0 kWh1NN£3608 - £740010yrs or 3650 full cyclesLiFePO4AC
LG Chem Resu 7H/10H6.6 / 9.3 kWh3.5 - 5.0NN£5600 - £620010yrs or 19.6 / 27.4 MWhLiFePO4DC
Sonnen 9.435 - 15 kWh3.3NN£5300 - £880010000 cyclesLiFePO4AC
Tesla13.5 kWh3.68 / 5.0YY£7550 - £830010yrs (unlimited) cyclesLiNiCd
AC

Tesla Powerwall

Tesla Powerwall is a fully integrated AC battery system for residential or light commercial use. It’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack provides energy storage for solar self-consumption, time-based control, and back up in the event of a power cut.

It’s revolutionary compact design achieves market leading energy density and is easy to install, enabling owners to quickly realise the benefits of reliable clean power.

Sonnen Batterie

Sonnen battery is a premium quality battery system suitable for residential or commercial applications. It is available as either an AC coupled or Hybrid unit.  The all-in-one system allows for an easy installation and can connect to any existing or new solar panels.

The Sonnen battery will help you save money on bills by maximising your solar self-consumption. It also offers time based charging enabling you to charge from the grid using cheap ‘off peak’ electricity.

LG Chem

Part of the LG group, LG Chem offers world class solutions for the photovoltaic storage market with exceptional price performance and warranty.

The LG Chem battery is compatible with the SolarEdge StoreEdge solution which enables customers to monitor their battery level as well as their PV generation from the cloud based software.

The battery is automatically charged and discharged to meet consumption needs and reduce the amount of power purchased from the grid. Existing SolarEdge systems can be upgraded to the StorEdge solution too.

Enphase

Enphase is headquarted in California, USA. Enphase designs and manufactures software-driven home energy solutions that span solar generation, home energy storage and web-based monitoring and control.

The AC Battery is a key component of the Enphase Storage System which uses unmatched innovation to create a modular, safe solution for the home delivering the highest lifetime value.

EV Chargers

The key to linking your electric car to your solar energy system so you can refuel from solar. Smart chargers are compatible with all full electric and hybrid cars, and with more and more manufacturers bringing EV’s to market, this is surely the smart way to drive ! Another one of the important accessory solar products to make sure you maximise your usage of your generated energy and refuel with solar.

MyEnergi – zappi

zappi is a smart EV charger with a difference. Not only does it operate as a traditional EV charger, it can also charge your EV using 100% FREE energy generated from your Solar PV or wind generation.

Here’s the SMART bit. zappi can charge for FREE using your Solar PV during the day and be set to charge at the most economical times at night if you have preferred economy rates from your energy provider. All controllable by the myenergi App.

Zappi EV Smart Charger

SolarEdge

SolarEdge’s EV charging single phase inverter enables homeowners to charge their electric vehicles directly from the power of the sun, maximizing their solar usage and further reducing their electricity bills. They will also benefit from the ability to charge EVs up to 2.5 times faster than a standard EV charger through an innovative solar boost mode that utilizes grid and PV charging simultaneously.

By installing the EV charging inverter solar product, you’ll benefit from the reduced hassle of installing separately a standalone EV charger and a PV inverter, as well as integration with the SolarEdge monitoring platform.

Immersion Controllers

An important member of the accessory solar products that uses your generated solar energy to heat your hot water by using an immersion controller. This reduces your cost of imported energy,

MyEnergi – eddi

Myenergi are a British company making a number of interesting products. The eddi is a solar power diverter for free water heating from excess energy from your solar power system

eddi is a solar power diverter for use with grid-tied solar PV. Excess energy from the micro-generation system is used to heat water or rooms rather than exporting it to the grid.

Zappi EV Smart Charger

The SolarEdge inverter increases self-consumption by diverting excess solar energy to the hot water boiler. It minimizes the electricity needed to heat water, for reduced electricity bills.

  • Enables cost-effective thermal energy storage compared to Li-ion batteries
  • Delivers high efficiency of >98%
  • Powers purely resistive loads of up to 5kW
  • Reads water temperature using an optional temperature sensor
  • Connects to SolarEdge residential inverters via wireless communication
  • Integrates easily with the SolarEdge monitoring platform

Iboost

Marlec’s innovative Solar iBoost+ is a solar product that enables you to automatically consume the excess energy generated at your home so you can just sit back and enjoy the extra savings. 

 

  • Cut the cost of water heating in your home.
  • Reduce the use of your boiler.
  • Maximise the use of the free solar energy generated at your property.

Energy Meters & Monitoring Devices

An important part of monitoring and knowing where your energy is being used and which of your solar products to direct it to.

Solaredge

The energy meter is used for production, consumption or import/export monitoring, and for export limitation. The meter has high accuracy readings.
The meter connects to the SolarEdge inverter

  • High accuracy meter readings (up to 0.5%) for production/consumption monitoring
  • Supplies meter readings to the inverter for export limitation
Zappi EV Smart Charger

MyEnergi hub

The hub allows remote control and monitoring of your myenergi devices:

  • Access to the latest firmware updates
  • Device status LEDs
  • Will support time of use tariffs in the near future.
  • Required for zappi OLEV approval

MyEnergi – harvi

harvi is a clever little device that enables the zappi and eddi products to be installed without using a wired current transformer (CT) for measuring the grid and or generation power; instead the CT is connected to harvi.

No power source is needed for harvi – the energy from the CT is harvested and used to transmit the measurement signal to the zappi or eddi. This means batteries or electrical wiring are eliminated!