Solar Energy Concepts

My Components

In-depth reviews and performance insights from the actual components in my solar setup.

Three ways to optimise — DC optimisers (Tigo, SolarEdge) and microinverters (Enphase, Hoymiles) each suit different roofs and budgets.
On clean unshaded roofs, optimisers may not help — independent research shows they can slightly reduce output when there is no shading to recover.
Microinverters are a serious alternative — for complex or heavily shaded roofs, they often match or beat optimiser setups.
Choose by your situation — retrofit = Tigo, new SolarEdge system = SolarEdge, complex new build = compare microinverter quotes.

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~10% capacity loss after 3 years and 600 cycles. Well within the 4,000-cycle warranty. At this rate, 80%+ capacity at the 10-year mark.
You can add a pack later, even at different cycle count. The BMS recalibrates. I did it, and the readings have since converged.
How I charge: Octopus Go + Solar Assistant automation. Saves £1,668/year. The setup details are in this article.
Honest drawbacks included. Winter balancing drift, BMS firmware update, and how the fix works.

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Best DIY inverter in the UK — hybrid, 3.6kW AC, dual MPPT, battery-ready, G98 compliant. Around £750.
Owner since May 2023 — running two strings + 16.1kWh Fogstar battery + Solar Assistant automation.
Generator port trick: connect a second string inverter or microinverters to expand beyond 3.6kW DC input.
Drawbacks: app data refreshes every 5 min (use Solar Assistant instead), CT clamp inaccurate beyond 15m, SOC reporting quirks with parallel batteries.

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