Finally installed 2 SunPower Flexible Solar Panels by my windows to catch more Solar Energy

Announced 2 weeks ago, I finally purchase 2 SunPower flexible solar panels of 100W each, from the UK for 100 GBP only
After watching their prices for the last 2.5 years I finally found a good deal and got them right away



The panels arrived few days later, with again a low shipping cost of 20 GBP for both with DHL (very reasonable)



So these panels are made with the famous SunPower high efficiency cells, made in the USA


36 cells : 9 x 4, with standard MC4 solar connectors


and the idea is to install them right behind the wall, outside, between my windows, vertically to catch the reflection coming from the south oriented wall of the building in front of us


Ordered also a 1m long MC4 extension cable on eBay


I also got some chain and rapid connectors form the local hardware store



Extension cable arrived, just before last week end, now I have everything to install them


So I did that last sunday morning, and it didn't take long, because I already had big screws and chains installed by my windows back in 2010, when I installed my very first solar panels (13W each, but 3 of them), which have been charging AGM batteries, used to charge iPhones, iPad, and power a battery charger for radio, Wii, or other home devices ... This has been working well by the way and they are staying in place
I just had to attach the new connectors to the existing chains (holding 20kg each, way more than enough)



Of course these panels need a micro inverter and I got several used ones for my DIY ESS V2 experiments last year, so I used one of them


I is screwed to a piece of chain using a bolts, washers, and all this is tighten very well


I had to drill a through hole in the lower corner of the window and that was not too difficult ...


The Enphase Engage cable can now go directly inside my apartment


All the cables are fitted so that they don't block the light coming onto the panels


Now, after everything has been connected and installed, there was absolutely no sun, and it has been like during the whole week almost, very frustrating ... :(

I was watching closely on wednesday from work using my DIY ESS Live Cam, and saw clearly that the overall solar generation was more than usual: maybe 60-70W more (we are still in winter and my max generation when the ESS is empty, is 250W or so, maybe 280 now that the sun is a bit higher, still low compared to the 1100W I see in summer)


This morning (saturday), I am home for the week end and as soon as I saw a little sun (half sunny/cloudy, I looked at the wattmeter installed on this specific new line, and it only showed 15W (!! that's not possible, the Enphase M215 can not produce this little power)

BTW the ESS is empty by

So I siwtch off the main solar array DC input on the solar electric panel and there I saw that the 2 SunPower + Enphase M215 were producing 80W :) that's better



DC breakers OFF on Uni-Solar Array on the roof


Enphase M215 is blinking Orange, so it is producing and Orange is normal since there is no Envoy Gateway


This is the reflection light I got when read the generation figure


This small meter gives me wrong figures I guess ...

15W


235V


0.18A

Finally got 2 100W Flexible SunPower Solar Panels, after 2.5 years of wait

Finally, 2.5 years after its discovery on EVtv in October 2013, I just purchased 2 100W SunPower Flexible Solar Panels :) for 100 GBP each, plus 20 GBP of shipping (a bargain I think compared to all the ones I have seen over this period)



They will replace my very first lower power panels installed in 2009 but won't charge AGM batteries, they will be wired in series and plugged into an Enphase M215 micro inverter to directly feed Power into my home grid, improving low solar generation in winter hanging vertically by my windows



The 100W one is the smallest on the picture, 32 cells 4 x 8, ultra light, flexible, with holes already there to hang it ... You will understand better when I receive and install them ....

Here is the link, because I want to share with others this good deal I found today:
http://www.ebay.fr/itm/NEW-100W-12v-Energy-Semi-Flexible-Mono-Solar-Panel-100-watt-TUV-ISO-UK-/262238997891?hash=item3d0ea98d83

DIY ESS Update : Open Energy Monitor can be used instead of Wattson as an Input

I am thrilled to announce that the famous Open Energy Monitor can used as an input in the build of my DIY Energy Storage System or ESS instead of the original (also famous) Wattson Energy Monitor

From the very beginning back in 2011, I purchased and installed Wattson at home and loved it: I could finally see in real time how much power my appliances use and modify my behaviour to reduce energy consumption at home

Later on I got Solar Panels installed on our building roof and used another feature of Wattson which is Solar Surplus detection: When Usage < Solar, Wattson simply lights up Green to indicate there is free Solar Power to used (and the Net Usage is Negative)

Wattson Solar Surplus (and other color codes): 


Based on these simple lights (Blue, Purple, Red and Green) I built my Energy Storage System back in 2013, had it running for over 2.5 years now with Solar (july 2013), and saved over 650 EUR on my Electricity bills

Last friday, inquiring on the Open Energy Monitor and their interesting open source work over the last years, I realized that their emonGLCD, the equivalent to Wattson Display, is actually using the same Color Codes, in a simplified version:
- Green: Solar Generation > Usage
- Red: Usage > Solar Generation

OpenEnergyMonitor emonGLCD Solar Surplus :


Simply wiring the pins of one of the bi-color LED pins to the input terminal block of my DIY ESS, it will get the color codes and perform exactly like if it was a Wattson display :)

OpenEnergyMonior solution is open source, meaning it will be improved over time (and you can participate too)

It is also now possible to get a ready to use emonPi, meaning there is nothing to solder and build, just clip your CT Sensors (or clamps) on usage and generation wires, plug them in the device, power it up, and you're good to go !




But there's one more thing ...

Connected to you home internet router, OpenEnergyMonitor will post data to Emoncms.org, allowing you to see great graphs of your usage, generation, temperature, etc ... All this for free, so I think it's just perfect :)

Links:

OpenEnergyMonitor : http://openenergymonitor.org
OEM Graphical Display emonGLCD : http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/emonglcd
Solar with the OEM : http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/applications/solarpv

DIY ESS Kit : http://www.diyesskit.com or http://www.StoreYourEnergy.com
Real Time DIY ESS Cam : http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chris75sf
DIY ESS Real Time Graphs on EnergyHive : http://wattson.energyhive.com/dashboard/diyesskit

TWIDO - Efficient Hot Water at Home

Yesterday I went to a huge international show called Batimat - IdeoBain - InterClimat+Elec close to Paris to see Twido, an innovative product from 2&Go, a French company I have been following for 6 months now


Olivier Cocheteux, Founder & CEO


Their idea is simple: Lower your the Energy used for producing hot water at home



Why: Because regular Electric Water Heaters / Boilers are just not that efficient
These water heaters have been around for several decades and have not (or slightly) been improved ever since: They always heat up the full volume of water 200-300 liters of water, past 60°C to kill bacteria, whatever volume of hot water is actually used; The hot water that is not used slowly lowers in temperature, which is a waste of energy. The average static heat loss is 1.5 to 3 kWh every day, depending on the volume of the tank, even more if it is not a tempered room - witch is my case -

A New Idea : Heat up only the volume of water that will be used, not the rest !

How ? : In smaller tanks connected in series and heated or not depending on your needs ...




Like a Nest Thermostat in a way, it learns your habits from your Real Hot Water Consumption, and heats up the right amount of water throughout the week

WiFi Connected, you are in Control : The online Portal myTwido.com lets you follow the Energy dedicated to hot water, see the Temperature of each individual tank in real time, program manually the amount of water for the desired day/hour, and you can decide to heat up more water if some family or friends show up in the last minute to spend the night let's say (Boost Mode)



Design: Their slim design allows space saving, and now your water heater can even be decorative :)

Sturdy & Long lasting Design:
- Heavy duty frame/chassis
- Scalable: Tanks come in different sizes and you can get a 3 to 4-tank system, with 120 to 320 liters
- Stainless Steel Tanks : No Galvanic Corrosion (there is only water in a tank), No Limestone Deposit because heating is performed on the outside of the tank, no inside like it is done with regular water heaters' immersed heating elements, they come with a15 years warranty (tanks should last 30-40 years !, instead of 5 years on average)





But wait, there's more :)
Twido in its latest version becomes Solar !
The external heating pads of each tank can be powered from Solar Panels at low voltage under 50V - 1 panel or several wired in parallel - through regular MC4 connectors, and of course 230V AC like on the regular version (2  resistive wires in the same heating pad)



The more Solar you get through your panels, the more free hot water you get ...




After several years of using the Wattson Energy Monitor and the real time & daily graphs on the Energy Hive portal, I can see that my water heater is the most energy consuming appliance at home, by far
 Water heater Power used is 1500W during 4 or 5 hours at night

So a switch to their innovative technology would improve even more the overall modifications I made at home for the last 10 years:
- LED lights
- Heat Pump
- Electric Car & Scooter
- Solar Panels
- Energy Storage System
It's just the next step for me


Also I have to relocate my regular water heater downstairs (in 2008 it has been put in the building attic by mistake by my contractor too early because we were about to buy this extra space, and ended up not doing so and buying the apartment underneath instead), and the only spot I found in the upstairs kids bathroom is where the towel dryer is ... There is absolutely no room for a huge round water heater, and Twido's depth is only 25cm with a width of 86cm, just Perfect !




See the Full Photo Album of the Show (click the link)

Their website: http://www.twido.fr
Online Portal: http://mytwido.com


Video shot by French TV France2 team the day before: