So we moved into our house around 12 months ago. We have two panels on the roof, the previous owner had them fitted, I believe he had them under some sort of disability grant scheme for his late wife.

We are a large family of 6, in a 5 bed property and whilst our electricity requirement is currently relatively low, estimate 3500 kWh a year, no EV or anybody WFH, but this will of course increase as our children age.

We want to consider expanding on the panels and added a battery but have NO idea where to start or work out if it’s even worth it, viable etc. There seems to be so many adverts and companies offering it, where do you even begin? We are with Octopus energy.

After Milton my 7.6 kW SolarEdge array sat dead for six days. I skipped the battery in 2019 to save money.

Half my fault. The installer did bring up a battery and I said later. Now I'm pricing the later.

What I'd back up is the fridge, router, ceiling fans and one mini-split in the bedroom. Roughly 0.7 kW average, so around 17 kWh a day. A 10 kWh battery covers about 14 hours, then it's a brick unless the array can refill it. A normal sunny day gives me more than I'd use, so I think recharging during the outage matters more than piling on kWh.

Where it gets messy: my inverter isn't battery-ready, so SolarEdge BAT means swapping it, and that's a big slice of the quote. Powerwall 3 can be AC coupled to what I have, I'm told, but the installer wouldn't promise the array keeps charging it with the grid down. EcoFlow TITAN 5000 Plus is modular, 5 kWh blocks up to 30, and it hasn't shipped, so a spec sheet is all I have.

Both SolarEdge BAT and EcoFlow TITAN 5000 Plus seem like solid options. TITAN has a lower starting price, which makes it look like better value, but I'm still weighing the overall setup and what makes the most sense for my home.

Perovskite cells usually need lithium salt additives that boost efficiency but also evaporate and let lithium ions wander, which speeds up degradation in heat and humidity. KIER’s team added nickel oxide powder to the hole transport layer solution, let it pull out the lithium ions, then filtered the powder out, leaving a purified solution. The cells reached 25.24% efficiency (versus 25.21% for conventional ones) and kept 95% of it after 1,000 hours at 185°F and 85% humidity.

The catch is that 1,000 hours is about six weeks, while silicon panels last 25 to 30 years and perovskites currently manage roughly two to 10. It’s a promising lab result, published in Advanced Science, not proof of long-term outdoor life.

If you're planning to buy a home with solar, these are the questions you need to ask to make sure that it's not going to be a headache for you. If you're planning to sell your home that has solar on it, this is how you prepare! This is an interview with a solar expert and a realtor sitting together.

Printing flexible perovskite solar cells means laying down two layers together, and their molecules bind so strongly to each other that the films come out uneven and break down in heat and humidity. A team led by Southeast University and Soochow University added a decoupling molecule that keeps them apart, which pushed small cells to 26.86% certified efficiency and 30×30 cm modules to 20.15%.

The catch is that the 92.5% retention figure comes from a 25 cm² device that started at 22% efficiency, after 1,044 hours at 85°C and 65% humidity. Roll-to-roll manufacturing is still future work. It was published in Science.

this one stopped me when i read it.

a few months ago doug ford was threatening to cut electricity exports to the united states as leverage in the tariff dispute. it made headlines. it was a whole thing.

now the IESO, ontario’s grid operator, has signed a deal to import 600 MW of american electricity this winter because ontario doesn’t have enough supply. the winter capacity auction also came up 75 MW short of its 1,200 MW target. and the price hit $725 per megawatt per business day, the highest capacity price ever recorded in ontario’s market. that’s from money.ca reporting this week.

so to be clear: ontario threatened to cut american power, then turned around and bought it because we need it.

this is the supply crunch i’ve been talking about for a while. pickering going offline for refurbishment, bruce units cycling through maintenance, demand growing from EVs and data centres faster than new supply is coming online. the grid is tighter than most people realize heading into this winter.

what this means practically is a few things.

the OEB sets prices based on a 12 month cost forecast. if actual winter costs run higher than what was forecast, the difference surfaces in future rates. so even though the november 1st rate numbers are set, the pressure on the system this winter could influence what the OEB does at the next adjustment.

the winter disconnection ban starts november 15th which means no residential disconnections for non-payment until april 30th. that’s worth knowing if you’re tight on bills.

and the OER dropped from 23.5% to 15.7% on november 1st. the CBC confirmed that for a typical 700 kWh household the rebate was worth $36 per month last year and is now worth $23 per month. that $13 difference is real and it’s going straight back onto bills even though the headline rates went down slightly.

the compounding picture here is that ontario is importing american power at record prices, the rebate cushion got cut, and winter demand is about to spike. for homeowners who have been sitting on the fence about solar or a heat pump this is probably the winter that makes the math undeniable.

genuinely curious what people are planning to do about their heating bills this winter. anyone switching plans, making upgrades, or just hoping for a mild december?

Hi everyone! 👋
I’m exploring ideas for applying AI to the solar panel industry, and I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially from people working in solar energy, manufacturing, engineering, automation, or AI.
I’m interested in finding practical ways AI could improve the entire solar panel lifecycle, from design and production to installation and maintenance.
For example:
Design: Using AI to optimize solar panel design, materials, efficiency, and durability.
Manufacturing: Using AI to improve production processes, reduce material waste, and increase product quality.
Assembly lines: Using computer vision, robotics, and AI to automate assembly, detect defects, and improve production speed.
Quality control: Automatically identifying microcracks, cell defects, and other problems during manufacturing.
Predictive maintenance: Predicting machine failures and production line downtime before they happen.
Process optimization: Using AI to analyze production data and identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities to reduce costs.
Robotics and automation: Finding ways to automate repetitive or difficult tasks in solar panel manufacturing.
Supply chain: Using AI to improve inventory management, material planning, and production scheduling.
My questions:
What are the biggest challenges or inefficiencies in solar panel manufacturing today?
Where do you think AI could make the biggest difference?
Are there any manufacturing processes that are still surprisingly manual or inefficient?
What AI tools, technologies, or applications would you like to see in this industry?
If you could build one AI-powered solution for a solar panel factory, what would it be?
Are there any real-world examples of companies already doing this successfully?
I’m particularly interested in practical, real-world ideas that could be developed into actual products or solutions, rather than just theoretical applications.
I’d appreciate any ideas, experiences, suggestions, or resources. Even small problems that AI could solve would be interesting!
Thanks! ☀️
EDIT: 1- im not english native so yes i used ai for my english! 2- guys im 10 years data scientist so dude my knowledge in ml/dl is probably more than you(at-least half of you)! 3- i said Ai not LLMs that you loved and hate, if we had no fucking ai we had no cellular connection so yeah praise to Alan FUCKING Turing 4- Guys i just want to optimize the production line (at-least that what i asked) even if i use devil itself for this purpose, this makes more power and more power results to better life (at-least this is what i learned), so yeah thats my idea, i care for yours thats why i edited my post, i want you to know i understand you frustration and agree with you, LLMs and their corporations fucked everything but guys AI in General is not just llm, the e core and based idea is ml/dl that just math (super sweet math) and sorry if in this edit i have some english problems, as i said im not native.

Is this okay? Is the quote reasonable?

Part of me wants the peace of mind of a whole home system where everything just works normally during a blackout. But looking at the capacity required for central HVAC and major appliances, the cost scales up fast. An essential load panel covering the kitchen, internet and lighting would get us through 95% of grid failures without issue.

Im checking out different ways to get this installed. Looking at traditional purchases like Sol-Ark setups but i also saw Palmetto’s energy backup option which lets you lease the battery system without a huge cash drop up front. It seems like a decent middle ground if you want dedicated battery resilience on a manageable budget though youre have to be into an agreement.

Did you go critical loads or whole home? Do you regret not backing up the entire panel?

heard from many sources that Sunergy solar company owes over $350K and not paying.

I’ve been trying to find a lawyer to help me sue the solar company in New York. If you know someone or have a website recommendation, please let me know. I’ve already done a Google search, ChatGPT and supper lawyers website but I didn’t find any helpful results.

My utility company just implemented "super off peak rates" where electricity for hours gets dirt cheap. About 3 cents a kwh. This is from 10am to 3pm.

Is there some way I can program my powerwall to power the house at night so that it is dead by 10am and let it charge while electricity is cheap?

I think the netzero app is the only way to do this, is it worth the cost of subscription? And "added wear and tear" on the battery?

Hello!

I need help with ideas on what I can do with a 216kWh battery bank.

I realized I over did it when I purchased a 216kWh battery bank for my house. I have a 24kW solar panel system that sell to the grid whatever the battery bank is not storing.

I have a pizza oven that pulls 12kw, and two electric cars.

I would appreciate ideas on what doors a 216kWh battery bank opens.

Thanks!

Anyone installed a PV system as per Kahramaa BeSolar program? Did it give any results? How much was the cost? Feedback is appreciated!

For those managing multiple solar PV sites, how do you keep track of projects, inspections, documentation and commissioning as you scale? Are there any software tools you would recommend? Would appreciate any insights

Mine is "panels don't work when it's cloudy."

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to install rooftop solar at my house and wanted to get some advice on whether my terrace is suitable.

\- Site size: 30×40 ft

\- Roof: Open terrace with some neighbouring houses around it

\- Concern: I’m worried that the adjacent houses might cast shadows on the solar panels, especially during certain times of the day.

I'm planning to install 3kw on grid solar

I’ve attached photos of my terrace taken from the west side and from another angle.

Could you please help me understand:

1. Is this rooftop suitable for installing solar panels?

2. Will the neighbouring house on the west side cause significant shading?

3. Which direction and area of the terrace would be best for installing the panels?

If anyone has installed solar on a similar rooftop, I’d appreciate your suggestions and experience.

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’m from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and I recently installed a 4.32 kW rooftop solar system with 8 × 540 W Waaree bifacial panels and a Solaryaan on-grid inverter. All 8 panels are connected in series to PV1, facing south, with no shading.

In October, my system generally generates around 17–23 units (kWh) per day, but on clear sunny days, the inverter’s peak power seems to reach only around 3 kW.

I’d like to compare my system with other solar owners in Ahmedabad or nearby areas.

What is your solar system capacity (kW)?

Which panel and inverter brands do you use?

How much electricity does your system generate daily in October on a clear sunny day?

What is the maximum power (peak kW) you see around 11 am–1 pm?

Are your panels monofacial or bifacial, and which direction do they face?

If possible, please share a screenshot of your inverter app showing daily generation and peak power. Please hide any personal information, account details, or location data before posting.

I’m trying to understand whether my system’s performance is normal or whether I should ask my installer to investigate.

Thanks!

I have solar panels, battery and grid connection.

1. Now in October electricity goes off in the morning though grid is on.

2. Technician told me that you might have more consumption at night, so on turned both,; small and big fridge off at night and now I do not have this problem in the morning.

3. When this happens in the morning I manually switch it to grid and lights come back. And some time I have restart the battery to get light back.

My question is why it does not do it automatically, if battery is low, it should go to the grid, as grid is on.

What is the problem?

Anyone else struggle with how non-intuitive Shelly's app is? I have spent days trying to accomplish the most simple functions and all WASTED time.

I want to get 3kw solar panel system but the electricity meter is under my grand father names who is no more and won’t be able to change the meter name.

How can I get the solar panel system installed in Delhi.

Should I go for a non subsidised solar system?

We’re building a new house in the Chicago suburbs and want to be able to put up solar panels in the future when money allows. In our area there are strict zoning height maximums, so portions of the roof will be flat to allow usable space in the attic, but most of the roof is sloped since only 25% can be flat (zoning again).

The architect is proposing very slow-slope pyramid roofs in the flat areas to allow for drainage in every direction; he says solar panels have been installed with no problem on roofs like that.

I would appreciate the community’s advice on two questions:

1. Does having a gently sloping pyramid shape limit potential opportunities to add solar panels (or make it more expensive to add panels) compared with building each piece of the flat roofing on a single plane sloping slightly south? In case this is relevant, the flat roof portions are not large. They’re all roughly square in shape, ranging from 35 to 115 square feet.

2. Are there other things we should be thinking about at the design phase to make solar panels easier in the future? For example would we set up brackets before putting the flat roofing material on? Or use metal roofing (though I don’t know how that would blend with the sloping parts of the roof)? Or try to adjust the flat roof sizes in certain ways?

Thanks so much for your suggestions and ideas!!

Newbie here…

What’s your opinion on these for price and quality for the inverter and the battery for an off grid application?

Thought on alternatives and best price suppliers?

Sol-Ark 15K-2P hybrid inverter

Pytes V5 51.2V 100Ah lithium batteries - approximately 30.72 kWh nominal storage

We are comparing to these brands:

Sol Ark Helios

Eg4

Ecowothy.

Thx!!