SolarEdge Hybrid System in Cashmere

The homeowner of this large Cashmere property reached out to our solar energy specialists to design a comprehensive solar and battery system for residential use. The customer was interested in an integrated system that would provide comprehensive monitoring and control, and after speaking with a friend (another Springers Solar customer) and completing his own research, he was confident that a SolarEdge system would tick his boxes. 

The customer wished to achieve the following:

• Produce as much solar energy as possible from the roof space he had available

• Store excess solar energy in batteries for overnight usage

• Have protection from power outages with a large battery system

• Charge his EV from solar

• Have full control over the allocation of solar to the home, batteries, and EV charger

• Comprehensive and high-level data monitoring

• Remain as independent from the grid as possible without switching off-grid

• Maximise solar self-consumption

“I looked into it some years ago and [the ROI] really didn’t seem to pay yet, but I’ve been looking into it recently and with our power bills increasing the way they are and with recommendations on SolarEdge and with Springers… I also had a friend with SolarEdge who let me look at the app, and I just knew that that was exactly what I was after”.

With these criterions in mind, Aidan, a Springers Solar energy specialist, worked closely with the customer to design a SolarEdge system that would work autonomously and keep the home powered on solar. 

A 26.4kW solar system has been installed, featuring 60 high-efficiency Canadian Solar 440W N-Type panels. This substantial south-facing array was selected as the most viable option for the home’s rooftop configuration, despite the property’s south-north orientation. While an east-west orientation is generally ideal in Queensland, these Canadian Solar panels are designed to maximise energy production. They will generate a high energy yield during the summer months and maintain a respectable output even during the lower-yield months, despite the south-facing installation. 

Two SolarEdge inverters were installed - one 10kW SolarEdge Home Hub and one 10kW SolarEdge Genesis. Two SolarEdge Home Batteries are hung off the SolarEdge Home Hub inverter, providing 19.4kWh of usable stored energy for the home. Since the initial installation, the customer has expressed that he wishes to install a third SolarEdge Home Battery to capture even more excess solar energy, given the impressive yield from the solar array.

The SolarEdge system is both scalable and modular, allowing this customer to easily add more batteries if desired. The planned third SolarEdge Home Battery will be connected to the SolarEdge Home Hub inverter, increasing the home’s usable stored energy to 29.1kWh. This energy can be accessed during a power outage and will continue to be replenished by solar power during daylight hours. Additionally, up to three more batteries could be connected to the SolarEdge Genesis inverter; however, these would not provide backup capabilities. This design accommodates the property’s two-phase power connection.

The customer’s passion for cars saw him purchase the new Ford Mustang Mach-E Electric SUV, which he wished to charge at his property with an EV charger powered by solar. We installed a SolarEdge single-phase EV charger and set it to 32A for self-consumption. 

Additionally, we installed a SolarEdge Immersion Controller to heat the two hot water systems on the property to further maximise solar self-consumption. 

This system exemplifies how self-consumption can be maximised through automation, utilising the advanced settings available in the SolarEdge monitoring and control app. The SolarEdge app offers comprehensive control over the allocation of solar energy, directing it to the home, batteries, EV chargers, and hot water controllers before any excess is sent back to the grid. 

The customer aims to fully leverage this capability, recognising that maximising self-consumption yields a significantly higher return on investment compared to exporting surplus energy to the grid for a minimal feed-in tariff from the electricity retailer. 

“It gives me complete knowledge over the whole lot, and we were thinking about buying an electric car and I figured that would all go nicely with the system, especially as I can monitor and control everything. I loved the complete package this system gave me - it was less about how a system that fed back into the grid, it was how much can I use it for my own purposes.”

The customer has expressed how happy he is with the system’s performance so far and his ability to dive into the data at any given moment to adjust the settings based on his lifestyle and needs. As a SolarEdge Preferred Partner, we are happy to have assisted this customer and his specific needs with our expertise. Supported with industry-leading component warranties, the Springers Solar workmanship warranty, and our dedicated after-sales support team, this customer has full peace of mind over his system and his investment.

“I’ve always known that Springers are around, and when my mate had an install by [Springers] I thought it coincidental because I knew that [Springers] was who I would want to go with. [Springers] have done an amazing job, really friendly guys, really tidy. It’s been an excellent exercise and nothing has been too much trouble."