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

Diesel to Electric ! My 70 yo parents are switching to Full EV :)

Finally, after several years of EV discussion following the purchase of our LEAF back in 2011, my parents got their own Electric Car back in October 2015, a Peugeot iOn - Mitsubishi i-MiEV -

Helped by French government incentive of 6,300 EUR for the purchase of a new EV, and an additional 3,700 EUR for the destruction of their 15 years old - or more - diesel car - a total of 10,000 EUR ! -, plus a big commercial discount of 6,300 the original price tag dropped from 26,900 EUR to 10,600 EUR, a real bargain !! :)  I remember this i-MiEV being sold for 35,000 EUR back in 2010 when it came to market in France ... what a difference !

Here is a little summary video of the car delivery at the local Peugeot dealer, few kilometers from their house, and the first charge at home; For more details, continue below ... 

For this event, my son and I rode there on my BMW Evolution Electric Scooter to join them for the afternoon



The last time we see this old Renault 21 GTD - diesel- from 1993 if I remember well


On our way to the Peugeot dealer, in the old Renault 21 diesel ...




The iOn is ready to be picked up





A little paperwork to sign, including the destruction of the old diesel car


The salesperson had trouble finding the lever to open the "engine compartment", since they do not sale many of these


Time to go now :)


Last advices, but actually my father knows more than him on the car


A beautiful symbol : my parents are finally switching from diesel to Electric this very moment, so we took few pictures of the old and the new


Behind the wheel of their new EV, heading home ...


My father wants to change gears, a 50 years old habit ! but there is no need for this in an EV :)


Fits perfectly in their busy garage


The week before, my dad installed a new electric line dedicated to charging at 14A, using the 6mm2 wires, to cover the 70 meters distance from the house - and the electric meter - and the garage
A regular line was already there, but not sufficient to hold this any amperes (on the right); The new line ends on the left with a Legrand Green'up reinforced outlet, that carries 14A under 230V, charging the car at 3,2kW


Here he explains to my son how the Green'up outlet works: it has and hall effect sensor inside, detecting the magnet inside the plug, and if present allows 14A charge, otherwise it is 8A by default with a regular plug -no magnet -


Their house, 70 meters away


The house meter


the dedicated line for charging starts here, with this 30mA RCBO breaker


The flexible black electric conduit runs down the the basement and then outside along the garden, up to the garage

Towards the end of the day, we headed back home, in the sun ...

The end ...

I really hope more and more people will do the switch, for them and for the others, we have too many polluting diesel cars on the road here in France !