Anyone thinking of installing SPanels… just check with your Mairie… can’t hurt.
I know that a few years back, the SP Reps would regularly visit our Mairie to check that a new-client’s dossier/order would be OK to process …
Hi Peter,
I would not be connecting solar supply to the grid or using a grid tied inverter. The transfer switch swaps the supply to mains if the battery voltage drops below the pre set level.
Energis would not need to be involved as I am not feeding into their grid so in the case of a power down for them to service none of my power would back feed which is where Energis would be concerned over safety of their electricians.
Yes a small abbonment would still be in place for backup.
The Bluetti power packs seem well made from a report I viewed.
1 Like
Hi,
With regards to selling electricity to EDF does anyone know what the rate is? And do the panels need be mounted on a building (house or shed) to be paid for the electricity supplied to EDF or could be on a metal frame.
Thanks
Paul
There is a limit to how many panels/power you can have on a roof, more if its ground mounted
From Autoconsommation et Revente totale ou de surplus | Mon Kit Solaire
and from Autoconsommer et revendre le surplus à EDF OA | Mon Kit Solaire
Thanks Peter, for your helpful link.
Do you know how it would work if I consumed 5000 KW from EDF (e.g. during winter) and during the year (summer) I sent 5000 KW to EDF. Would my bill bye zero (plus subscription charge), or would I be charged the going rate and paid 10c x 5000 be EDF.
Paul
1 Like
Hi Paul
Sorry, I do not know since I installed the array myself so any of my excess is returned to the grid free of charge. I surmised you will be charged the going rate and paid the smaller rate for your excess.
The third option is to use a “virtual” battery to store your excess electricity so your summer excess is stored for you as credits to be used in winter however there is a small standing fee, and you have to pay for the electricity to use the grid network for it to be returned to you. You also have to pay for an inspection once you have self-installed.
There are (or used to be a few years ago) two ways to sell to EDF. The first is autoconsommation, where energy usage in the home comes first from any generated solar and then the grid. Any surplus solar is sold to EDF at 10 cents per KWh. The second is where all generated electricity is sold to the grid and all consumption comes from the grid. You get a higher price per KWh from EDF for this. I have 4.1Kw of solar and use autoconsommation. There is no tying in of prices paid by you and the price you charge for surplus. They are two separate items, both billed separately. Which option has a better payback is not that easy to calculate as it depends on many factors.
1 Like
Sorry, pedant here.
You meant to say 5000 kWh (kilowatt hours) i.e. a load of 1kW for 5000 hours, or a load of 50kW for 100 hours, etc.
Precision is important in matters electrical.
1 Like
Sorry, I didn’t explain myself well. I mean I will consume over the year 1 KW for 5000 hours (around 1KW for 400 hours per month).
Hi Peter,
The virtual battery option is perfect for my needs. And it is good I can install it myself (with the help of a qualified French electrician)
Paul
Wow that seems like alot of electricity 
surely some opportunity there to cut back and save 
Hi Letsmile,
I intend to use a heat pump to heat the house. I will need a 30 KW unit, which will consume on average 12-14 KWh
I assume so. The virtual battery is just a paperwork exercise. They keep track of the excess you send back to the grid and then charge you small amount when you consume it. I haven’t gone down the virtual battery route since I don’t think it is worth my while.
Over the summer, I imported the “blue” power, generated the “orange” power and exported the “purple” power for free.
So, I returned 664kWh to the grid over summer, which is worth 66.4 euros to EDF (@10c/kWh). If I went with the virtual battery I would have to pay extra to register since I have self-installed, the month fee is about 3 euros for 3kW array So that leaves 30 euros worth of electricity and then I still have to pay a nominal amount to have it returned to me.
Ideally, I need to reduce my “blue” imported power, which will be a 2-3kWh battery. But I haven’t looked into that option yet.
1 Like
Thanks Peter, you have been very helpful
Which depends on what type of battery, lead acid has a max of 50% of the stated AH rating lithium iron phosphate much better at 80-90%.
I’ve done some work on this recently, simulating what would happen if I had a battery installed with my
solar. I used the data I have of generation, self consumption, grid consumption and export, broken down into 15 minute segments. I can enter any arbitrary size of battery into the simulation and it will tell me how it affects my consumption from and export to the grid.
The main things to come out of it is that the first 3 to 4Kw of storage make most of the difference, and after that extra storage doesn’t really make a huge amount of extra difference. The other thing is that even having 3-4Kw of storage doesn’t really save me a huge amount, certainly not enough to make it worth while installing. Even with the virtual battery which costs 1 euro/KWh per month, I’m not really gaining a lot.
Interesting, I think my use was around 8kw per day with the water heater using the most but I will have to look back at my readings to be accurate. I was intending around 18kw of batteries as they are lead acid giving me 9kw per day consumption. The virtual battery sounds interesting so that would be 30 days x 9kw/day which works out expensive? Or is it 9kw x 1 euro?
My average daily consumption is about 14KWh with average daily generation at just over 15KWh. Of my total consumption, about 55% is self consumed.
The issues you have here with batteries is that in summer, you have a huge surplus that isn’t self consumed and with only a small battery, it fills up quickly and it doesn’t make a big difference to the amount you send to grid. In the winter, you can have long periods where the battery is always running empty and therefore there isn’t a big impact on what you consume from the grid.
Basically, the ammount you generate, over a year is very ‘lumpy’ with long periods of feast and famine. In this situation, batteries don’t make a huge impact. With a different climate, ideally closer to the equator, with more reliable weather patterns, batteries would work much better in an individual home.
I have to say, I wasn’t expecting the results I got, but when you look at the modified data set created by the simulation, you can see exactly what is happening and why they don’t work particularly well, at least for me.
1 Like