How to Upgrade an Existing 5kW Solar System to 10kW?
If you have already installed 5KW solar system same you want to upgrade in to 10 kW Solar, So Yes you can upgrade the with following steps mentioned below. Also there are two possibilities /condition in regard to update your existing system.
Step 1: Site Survey
Site survey is always important part before installation of solar system and same you need for system upgrade. During the site/field survey following check points will identified by field inspector.
- Space availability for additional 5kW solar PV modules installation type of required arrangement.
- Cable routes for new solar PV Modules.
- DCDB type
- ACDB capability will check (can we use the same with some modification or need to replace with new one).
- LA requirement (Is exciting LA can protect the new Solar PV Module zone or not?).
- For tentative BOQ estimation like (DC cable No. of MC4 Connector requirement, required material for modification in existing DCDB ACDB).
Step 2: Analyze the Existing Solar System Inverter Capability
After the site visit and technical discussion with Loom Solar Expert team you need to review with your existing solar system, we assume here the installed Inverter capacity in existing solar system is on high side as mentioned in condition-I.
Now for example one of case detail and parameters considered for already installed 5kW solar system are:
- Solar Panel: 375W, 15
- Solar Inverter: 12.5kVA
- Solar Battery: 150Ah10
- DCDB: 3-in-1-out
- DC Wire: 6 sq. mm. 10 sq.mm.
- Earthing Wire: 10 sq. mm. dc wire
- LA: ……. meter
Step 3: Inverter Specification
Installed Inverter in existing Solar system is 12.5kVA (Luminous make- Nxi Model) with following specification are,
(Note, if you have installed low watt output PV modules like 300Wp or 375Wp in existing solar system and want to use higher watt PV modules available in market like Shark 440W Bifacial solar panel introduced by LOOM SOLAR in New system, than Yes you can use the higher watt PV modules with less No. of panel as shown in typical layout.
12.5 kVA Solar Inverter:
Step 4: Required System Components for Upgradation
| Components | Specifications |
| Solar Panel | Shark 440W 10 |
| Panel Stand | High Rise Structure for 10 Panels |
| DC Wire | 4 sq. mm. 1 Pair 15 mtr. |
| MC4 Connector | 1-in-1-out, 6 pcs. |
| ACDB | 5-in-1-out |
Step 5: Solar Wiring Instruction in Existing (String 1-3) with New Module (string 4-5)
One String output will be
Voltage: 200V – 215V
Ampere: 50A – 55A
System Upgradation Cost: 5kW in to 10kW Off Grid Solar System
A consumer which has already 5kW solar panel system with 12.5kVA solar inverter and 150Ah10 solar batteries, then he needs to add the following components to upgrade solar systems. Avg. cost of 10kW solar system is Rs. 3,00,000 excluding previous solar system and installation cost.
Shark 440W – 540W Solar Panels 10
System Upgrade: Installation Cost of 10kW Solar System in India
As the required components for system upgrade are listed above, hence based on the requirement you can estimate the tentative cost. However if you are upgrading 5kW solar system to 10kW solar system, then the avg. cost of 10kW solar system in India is Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000. It can vary depend upon plant capacity, rooftop convince, other scope of installation work (house wiring, civil work, etc.).
Space Requirement
The required spaces for 10 Nos. of Loom Solar Shark 540Wp Solar PV modules are, Shark 440W Solar Panels (WH): 3.4 6.9 ft
Load Distribution
After installing all solar system, the consumer can add up to 80% load on this solar system. In some situation, if load will be go more than 80%, a solar inverter will show warning message and giving beep sound. In that time, we should switch off some loads, so an inverter will never overload.
Conclusion
Upgrade your system with combination of old technology with updated shark PV module systems without any troubles. Also both conditions are defined here if the installed Inverter capacity is higher than no need to purchase additional Inverter if the installed Inverter is only sufficient to cater existing load than one additional Inverter will required for new PV modules connection. Please book site visit request on Loom solar for better clarification and specific requirement.
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Should you upgrade your solar panels?
Take a stroll through almost any neighbourhood and chances are there will be solar panels shining in the sun on at least a few roofs.
A third of Australian households. roughly 3.2 million. now have their own solar system, according to research by Roy Morgan late last year. And the rate of adoption has boomed in recent years, with ownership rates jumping from 14% in 2018 to over 32% in 2022.
This recent solar rush is by no means the first, though. As Vanika Sharma, a lecturer in power engineering from the University of South Australia, explains, government incentives and generous feed-in tariffs offered at the start of the previous decade kicked off the first wave of installations.
The very first instance of residential solar in Australia was in the 1980s, but that was a unique case. Uptake really started from around 2001 to 2010, although it was very slow to start off, so the extremely Rapid growth actually took place from 2010 to 2013.
There have been some considerable changes in technology over the past decade, the first of which is the increased efficiency of solar cells and the amount of sunlight they can convert into electricity.
At the very beginning, efficiency could be around 10% to 15%, says Sharma. Then with time, efficiency has improved, so the panels that are available at the moment tend to be more than 20% efficient with a maximum of around 25% or 26%.
Solar systems have also grown in size over the decade. Data from the Australian Energy Council shows that the average size of residential and small businesses solar systems jumped from 2.65kW in January 2012 to 9.54kW in December 2021.
Advantages of upgrading your solar panels
Given these advances, households that installed solar in the early 2010s may be wondering whether it’s now worth upgrading to a larger, more efficient system. It’s a question that Finn Peacock, solar expert and founder of SolarQuotes, is often asked, and while he says there are a number of considerations involved, there are a few simple answers.
If your energy bills are higher than you’d like them to be, that is a sign that you should consider upgrading your solar system. And when I say energy bills, that’s not necessarily just electricity bills. that might also include your gas bill, because you may want to swap out your gas appliances for electric ones and to do that you’ll be using more electricity.
The other time is if you’ve ordered an electric car. Australian houses might use 20kW hours a day in electricity, but if you’re buying an electric car with a 65-75kWh battery and you do a reasonable amount of driving, you can quite easily double your household’s electricity usage.
Of course, some people will simply have to upgrade if their older system packs it in.
Obviously it’s usually worth getting a good installer out to see if they can fix it, but some of the systems on roofs are so bad that they’re beyond help. So, it’s much easier, cheaper and better to just rip the whole thing off and start again, says Peacock.
For Heather Cleggett, a homeowner in Adelaide, energy and concerns about the efficiency of her existing solar system were major motivators behind a recent upgrade to a larger system.
I never thought that my old system was working properly and, as it turned out, it wasn’t. I also wanted a battery, so to run the battery I would need more panels, she says.
I’m 72 and hopefully I will retire soon, so I want to make sure that when I do retire, I won’t be faced with huge power bills. I know that I’ll be spending more time at home and I just want to be able to switch on the power and not have to worry about it.
While the upgrade wasn’t cheap, Cleggett sees it as a long-term investment and a hedge against rising energy costs. And the move appears to be paying off already, as she hasn’t had any electricity bills since the new system was installed.
What costs to consider
Putting in a new solar system isn’t an inexpensive exercise, though it will vary depending on the size of the system, as Peacock explains.
At the moment, people are paying about 1.10 a watt so that would translate to about 11,000 for a 10 kilowatt system. Removing an old system is also generally pretty cheap, so it might add 500 to 1000 to the cost of the new system.
I would just say that with an investment in solar or a battery, one of the biggest risks is that if you buy a bad system that fails after a few years, that destroys the economics of it. So don’t go for the cheapest system on the market because it’s very rarely the best option.
Peacock also notes that solar owners receiving generous feed-in tariffs may see them disappear if they upgrade their system.
If you’re on one of the increasingly rare and expiring premium feed-in tariffs, you will lose that if you upgrade your solar system in most cases. Having said that, if your solar system is so small that even with a premium feed-in tariff you’re not happy with your bill, I would say you’ve got very little to lose by putting on a new system that’s actually going to get your bill down.
Is a battery worth it?
As for Heather Cleggett, households looking to upgrade to a newer system will be faced with a decision that they are unlikely to have contemplated a decade ago: is a home battery worth installing at the same time?
For years, the cost has made batteries hard to justify as an expense, but that appears to be steadily changing, with the Clean Energy Council estimating that 34,731 small-scale household batteries were installed around the country in 2021. a 46% increase on 2020.
They have definitely moved from having a really long payback period that would put a lot of people off buying them to being worth consideration, in my opinion, says Peacock. But that’s more to do with how the electricity tariffs have changed than the actual cost of the batteries coming down.
people are being forced from a standard tariff where you pay the same cost 24 hours a day, to a time-of-use tariff where the cheapest electricity will either be overnight or during the day.
So, if you’re on a tariff that really slugs you for that evening peak and your battery can charge on cheap solar during the day and then get you through that expensive peak, the payback of the battery comes right down.
Aside from helping households use their own solar to avoid the expensive electricity, batteries can also provide an additional kind of energy security. a benefit that Cleggett recently found out herself.
I think I had the new system on for about four weeks when we had a power cut in the neighbourhood. Some of the neighbours were running around asking if anyone else’s power was off, but mine wasn’t, because I’ve got a battery.
What’s in the pipeline for solar
The advancements over the past decade are by no means the last in the solar space. As Vanika Sharma, from University of South Australia, explains, there’s plenty of technology in the pipeline that could reach our homes in the future.
efficient panels
If we talk about theoretical efficiency, silicon-based solar panels could reach up to 50%. There are experiments going on at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US that prove that some solar cells can reach 47.1% efficiency, but they are not commercially available.
Apart from residential solar panels, we can use solar cells for different purposes as well, which will help serve our energy demands. For example, in the future solar rooftop tiles could match the efficiency of panels while making things look more beautiful.
Another application, which I believe is being researched at the moment in the US, are solar Windows. So instead of using glass, solar cells would be used in place to capture energy. The efficiency would be very high, but at the moment cost is overtaking that.
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Solar System Upgrades
There are several ways we can upgrade your solar system for even better results and energy independence. You can choose to do one or all, depending upon the condition of your system and how much extra energy you need to generate:
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To find out how much we can help you save on your energy bills with a bespoke solar solution, contact our expert team!
Add more solar panels
Obviously, this is dependent upon how much space you have to install the panels, but solar systems are usually fairly flexible, and can be added to bit by bit if needs be. Bear in mind that adding extra panels isn’t just dependent upon how much roof area you have, but how much weight the roof can support as well.
Buy a new inverter
If you’re adding extra panels, you will normally need a new inverter in any event, unless your existing inverter is more powerful than was necessary when you bought it. String inverters have an average lifespan of ten years and tend to be the cheapest option.
Add solar battery storage
A solar battery will allow you to store the excess energy your pv panels produce for later use, for example, during the night. This means that you’ll be dramatically less reliant on the set by the National Grid, helping you move even further towards complete energy independence! They also ensure you have emergency backup energy, so you won’t have to worry about losing power during an outage.
Add a solar diverter
With a solar diverter, you can make the most of the surplus energy generated by your solar panels by transferring it to your immersion heater. This, in turn, stores hot water in your tank for later use in your taps, radiators, and underfloor heating.
By utilising all the power generated by your panels, the diverter reduces your reliance on grid electricity and helps to lower your energy bills even further.
Update your old solar system
If your current solar system is old, inefficient and not producing as much power as it should, it may be time for a review and an upgrade. It could be money well spent
Things may have changed in your household that means you require more power – an extension to the building or the family, or even a new roof. You may have acquired an electric car, or feel committed to becoming as “green” and eco-friendly as possible.
If your solar panel system is using a traditional string inverter then all of your panels will only work as well as the weakest panel. This type of inverter is outdated and may be hindering your system’s output.
You may have decided to change your system from simply power generation to solar thermal to reduce hot water and central heating costs.
What does a solar panel upgrade cost?
We are committed to the policy of making every effort to repair rather than replace, because every new Solar Panel that is manufactured comes with its own carbon footprint.
Our engineers have worked on a wide range of Solar Panels produced by numerous manufacturers, so you can rest assured that they will find the most economical solution to your Solar Panel problem, whatever they are.
We can help you to assess the efficiency of your system and provide written suggestions as to how best to optimise it, and the cost involved. Call us today on 0330 124 2941.
Will I Need a Main Electrical Panel Upgrade To Go Solar?
The main electrical panel is an integral component of your home’s electrical system, receiving power from the utility company and distributing it to the circuits powering appliances. Solar panels would count as an additional energy source. and the extra power load may short the main electrical panel.
Are you planning on going solar? Here is a brief guide on when and why you should upgrade your main electrical panel.
When is a Main Electrical Panel Upgrade Necessary?
The main electrical panel consists of many breakers channeling electricity to different circuits throughout your home. It also features one main breaker that channels power to the other breakers.
The various circuits in your home electrical system use varying energy levels. The kitchen circuit may use 20 amps, while the living room circuit uses 60 amps. Each circuit’s breaker automatically shuts off power to that particular circuit if it becomes overloaded. The main circuit breaker automatically shuts power off to the entire house in case of overload.
Now, suppose that the main circuit breaker is designed to handle a maximum of 100 amps and your new solar panels generate 100 more amps, bringing the total electrical load to 200 amps. The extra electrical load would cause the main breaker to shut off – it could also cause electrocution or spark a fire – research shows that old electrical equipment and appliances (such as old breakers) cause about 13% of all home fires.
This is why upgrading the main electrical panel is crucial before adding solar panels. The main circuit breaker should be rated 200 amps before installing solar panels. However, you may need to make upgrades if the breaker is rated anything less than this.
Extra Changes Adjustments to Consider
You may need to do more in addition to a main electrical panel upgrade before installing solar panels. Most notably, you will need to install several other appliances to make the solar panels work, including cables, inverters, and batteries. You may also need to make two other significant changes depending on your house’s setting:
Trimming Trees
Trees close to your house with branches hanging over the roof can obstruct the sunrays required to generate solar energy. Trimming these branches may be necessary to ensure the solar panels are exposed to the sun’s full glare. You may also need to cut the tree down if it bears over the whole roof.
Partial or Full Roof Replacement
Solar panels can last for up to 30 years, while most roofs have shorter lifespans. Roof damages in the future could damage your solar panels, so it is vital to ensure that the roof is solid and sturdy before installing the panels. You may need to replace the whole roof or the roof section supporting the solar panels.