Hanergy solar panels

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Hello
Been given 12 of these for free. They are not particularly efficient as they are only 120w max and also dish out 90v which is not exactly user friendly.

Is it worth my buying a inverter to make use of these or is it a waste of money as I understand they are a bit poor as far as panels go anyway? (Thin film)

Or could I just dump the energy into a hot water cylinder/immersion?

Thanks
DM
 
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Best option.

Thanks yeah I've just been reading about this. I have electric under floor heating and an electric towel radiator too. I still need a inverter to convert the solar output to AC though right..?

I wonder if the panels themselves are a waste of time though. I did speak to a local installer and he said they were rubbish and not to fit them. Recommended instead I buy 250w panels at approx 1.2k for the panels alone. Now, my maths is telling me 1.2k is a lot of electricity Vs free panels even if these panels are only half as efficient. Cost to install is similar (onto roof).
 
An immersion heater like any resistive heater will "work" on a DC voltage just as well as it will on the same AC voltage supply.

It does not have to be the same as the rated AC voltage but if it is half the voltage ( ie 115 volts ) then the heat produced will be 1/4 of that at 230 volts

Watts = Voltage² divided by Resistance. ( resistance can be considered as a constant )

A 3kW heater has a resistance of 17 ohms and would take 5.25 amps from a 90 volt supply.

A 120 watt, 90 volts panel would supply 1.33 Amps ( 120 / 90 ) so 4 panels in parallel ( may require blocking diodes ) would create 480 watts in a 3 kW immersion heater.

EDIT Switches for a DC supply MUST be suitable for switching DC currents. A switch rated for AC current may not have enough separation between it's contacts to prevent a continuous arc forming when the switch is switched OFF

he said they were rubbish and not to fit them

There was a problem with them and some types of invertor.

The product types affected are "SL1", "SL1F" (or "Q.SMART UF", "Q.SMART"), product batch "SL1" to "Q.SMART UF G1.3" or "SL1-F" to "Q.SMART G1.3" with serial numbers
1080501000000000100 to 1110724001028475100. This corresponds to the production period May 2008 to July 2011.


https://solibro-solar.com/fileadmin/_migrated/content_uploads/Solibro_Product_Information_EN_01.pdf
 
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Thanks. The panels I've got are SL2-120F

Going to lay a few out in parallel and see if I can get them to boil a kettle.
 
Make a cup of tea first to drink while you wait for the kettle to boil :D
Best to find an old fashioned one that doesn't have a switch. Firtsly as mentioned above, any switch may not be suitable for DC. Secondly, a lot these days use a solenoid to hold the contacts closed - and it probably won't hold on that low a voltage.
 
I'd be tempted to run a pair in series then 6 pairs in parallel and use a 2 or 2.5KW immersion, but the 'standard' thermostat will not be suitable for DC, alternative arrangements will be required. Just as Bernard states.

Having said this, the original suggestion of 480W will keep a tank piping hot but will take a long time to recover after a lot of water is drawn for a bath.
 
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If you normally heat the water with gas, the cost is so low that savings will not repay the cost of wiring a new immersion.

You can't connect those panels to the grid or to any if your mains-fed circuits.

If you have a shed they could charge a battery for lighting. There are power supplies for that purpose used on boats and caravans

You could wire them to feed a simple electric heater such as an oil-filled radiator or second-hand storage heater e.g. if you have an unheated porch.

There isn't much sun in winter so sadly you won't get much benefit.
 
Depending on the pipe work around you hot water cylinder "alternatively generated" electrical energy can be used to heat water in the cylinder without the need for a second immersion.

One option is to remove the thermal insulation from the base of the cylinder and wrap an appropriate length of insulated resistance heating wire ( such as Nickel Chromium in fibre glass sleeving ) round the cylinder. The replace the thermal insulation.

Another option is

0x102.jpg

An apparently sucessfull installation from scratch was to stand the cylinder ( a smallish one ) on a copper plate to which several high wattage resistors had been bolted.


upload_2019-9-26_13-24-15.png
 

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