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Solis Charge at cheap rate and export at peak rates possible?

peatoire

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Joined
Aug 23, 2022
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Let's say I go on a Tariff such as Octopus Agile, in theory I could charge the 10kw of battery storage up on a cheaper rate and then export at peak times, generating some income. I know how to set the discharge time but how would I stop the batteries from being used by the house until it's time to export the charge?
 
I think you need to explain your system and setup a little, but I understand what you want to do, as many are doing this in the UK on E7 or Octopus Agile.
 
Thanks,
I'm on Octupus standard variable now so it's not something I want to do yet but have been exploring Agile as a possibility if prices make it worthwhile in winter when there's hardly any PV coming in. I have a 6kw array and a 5Kw Solis Hybrid Inverter. Batteries are 3 x Pylontech 3.5kw. (no EV)

Was just wondering of I change the storage set to Feed In priority, it might prioritise grid over the house ( I know it does this when coming from the panels, not so sure about the change in priority from batteries) , then I release it to the grid using the timer.
 
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I'd be interested to see your calculations to see if the rates make it worthwhile. As far as I can see the difference between export and import rates don't really make it worthwhile holding back on the batteries like that. I'd rather use them to save costs.
 
I have a feeling you are right. I've attached a pic of what the app is telling me are the import and export prices from Agile at the moment.
At 16.30 the outgoing is 57p. import is a constant 33p.
I've probably misunderstood this but would it be worthwhile filling the batteries with 33p import, spitting it out at 16.30 and getting 57p/kw?
Obviously in summer I'll use as much as I can for the house and export the remaining as Octopus have a descent flat rate of 15p/kwh
 

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That does look worth it. I guess this is a side effect of the energy price caps. The import is capped, but the export isn't. It seems silly, but true.

I'm on a mix at the moment. Import from Bulb on their EV tariff so I charge my batteries between 2am and 6am at 10p. Export to Octopus on their SEG tariff at 4.5p fixed. When Octopus take over Bulb I'll switch to a better export rate. At present it isn't worth me exporting from battery at all.
 
All you need is 2 supplies, lol.

I too, think it would work, but even if you charged your battery to full say 10kwh at a cost 33p a unit and resold at 57p £5.70- £3.30= £2.40, and that's with zero losses, So is it worth doing a deep discharge and a full recharge every day for that much? Then you need to take into account battery degradation costs.

My plan is going with Octopus E7 to charge my batteries at 15p unit off-peak and use solar and the bank as needed, and use their normal export tariff for excess generated power mainly in the summer, but sadly it's only 4.5p right now.
 
All you need is 2 supplies, lol.

I too, think it would work, but even if you charged your battery to full say 10kwh at a cost 33p a unit and resold at 57p £5.70- £3.30= £2.40, and that's with zero losses, So is it worth doing a deep discharge and a full recharge every day for that much? Then you need to take into account battery degradation costs.

My plan is going with Octopus E7 to charge my batteries at 15p unit off-peak and use solar and the bank as needed, and use their normal export tariff for excess generated power mainly in the summer, but sadly it's only 4.5p right now.
Good point about the deep discharge could well be false economy.
I'm just looking at setting up my SEG and Octopus do a tariff called Outgoing Octopus Fixed and they are paying 15p/kWh as a flat rate for exported energy. Way more than anyone else currently. Not sure how long it will last! (Obviously you need a smart meter though). All things considered I'd prefer an E7 meter.
 
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The cost per cylic discharge and the toll on the battery packs isn't worth it in the long run, I did this very thing when I had my grandfather Go tariff at 5p import with agile export which they no longer allow you to have both. The SOH of the battery being constantly hammered at full rate to make a few Pence just isn't worth it. I have 32kWh of LFP DIY storage, 22kWp of panels and three Solis RHI 6kW inverters, I was charging up cheap overnight and or on Solar and dumping 70% back to grid, my calculated reduction in battery life was four years if I did this everyday out of the ten years estimated battery life if used normally. I now just export my PV to grid during the decent months and have earnt £1500 back this year on the old 7.5p export tariff with Octopus which recently changed to 15p. I'm hoping with a decent summer and the new export rate I may see £2000 export income in 2023 which is good enough for me.
 
The cost per cylic discharge and the toll on the battery packs isn't worth it in the long run, I did this very thing when I had my grandfather Go tariff at 5p import with agile export which they no longer allow you to have both. The SOH of the battery being constantly hammered at full rate to make a few Pence just isn't worth it. I have 32kWh of LFP DIY storage, 22kWp of panels and three Solis RHI 6kW inverters, I was charging up cheap overnight and or on Solar and dumping 70% back to grid, my calculated reduction in battery life was four years if I did this everyday out of the ten years estimated battery life if used normally. I now just export my PV to grid during the decent months and have earnt £1500 back this year on the old 7.5p export tariff with Octopus which recently changed to 15p. I'm hoping with a decent summer and the new export rate I may see £2000 export income in 2023 which is good enough for me.
That’s good info and puts it into perspective for me. (And one less thing to get obsessed about). Nice one. ??
 
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