SOL POWER

17/07/2026

We returned to a home in Hemel to re-fit the panels we had removed from the south-facing roof back in May to make way for a dormer. The customer had purchased the property with an existing solar and battery system and wanted to re-use as much of the original equipment as possible. These types of re-fits can often be straightforward, but this one was not.

We discovered a number of issues:

⚠️ 5 of the 12 panels had damaged DC cables caused by rodents chewing them, despite some basic pigeon protection being in place.

⚠️ A 3-phase outdoor-rated AC cable (containing 4 x 6mm² conductors) had been used in place of proper DC solar cabling between the inverter and the two panel strings. This is not compliant, as it cannot withstand the temperature requirements of DC solar installations.

⚠️ The rotary isolator between the panels and the inverter was actually an AC isolator, despite being dressed in the black and white colours typically associated with a DC isolator.

⚠️ GivEnergy went into administration a few months ago, so we wanted to avoid doing anything that might disrupt the existing system.

As scaffolding was already in place around the house and garage, we took the opportunity to give the existing panels a good clean before testing them and mounting the five usable panels on the garage roof. We then installed the new panels on the north-facing roof so the customer could continue generating as much solar energy as possible.

Although we were unaware of the cabling and isolator issues beforehand, we had already planned to install new DC cabling and isolators so that we could fully stand behind the safety and compliance of the system. New wire mesh pigeon protection has also been installed around both arrays, which should keep the cable-chewers at bay.

10/07/2026

Whilst not always straightforward, some projects, such as whole-house renovations, require multiple visits over a longer period:
- In-roof trays need to be installed before the roofers lay the tiles.
- Panels can only be fitted once the roof tiling is complete.
- DC cable runs and inverter installation on the external wall can only be carried out after the scaffolding has been removed and the rendering completed.

The team returned to this house in the Clarence area for round two to install the panels. We found that the roof tiles projected slightly too far over the in-roof trays and required trimming back to ensure that rainwater running off the tiles would not flow onto the panels and reduce their efficiency through additional soiling.
The customer had originally planned for two rows of landscape panels, with the bottom flashing running into the gutter. However, we suggested a single row in portrait orientation, allowing the array to be framed neatly by the surrounding tiles.

Props to S4 Mounting Systems for their straightforward in-roof kit. We then rounded off the roof part of the installation with a further six on-roof panels on the hip at the rear of the property.

04/07/2026

This week was another sweaty one in central St Albans, with a Sigenergy installation comprising 7.52 kWp of solar, 36 kWh of battery storage, a gateway, and an earth rod for whole-home backup.

Points of note included:
- Scaffolding was erected a week early so we could take accurate roof measurements. This allowed us to fit two more panels than the solar design tool had suggested were possible, increasing the system capacity by almost 9%.
- We wired the customer's existing EV charger into the gateway's Smart Port, enabling them to control charging through the Sig app, charge from excess solar, and ensure AI Mode correctly recognises the load as an EV charger.
- Conservation Area restrictions meant we only had north- and east-facing roofs available, but modern solar panels make these less productive orientations well worth using.
- A TV aerial above the array was almost certain to cause pigeon soiling, so we used an angle grinder to remove the rusted fixings, installed plastic bird spikes, and securely reattached the aerial to the chimney.

04/07/2026

As one of our suppliers neatly put it, "UK solar shows cover what is out there now, but at Intersolar you see the future”.

Ben tagged along this year for SOL POWER's annual pilgrimage to Europe's largest solar fair to discover new products that can benefit our customers, tighten relationships with key partners and find time for a b**r at the end of the day.

23/01/2026

A new video for those interested in knowing more about SOL POWER...

17/09/2025

The team celebrating a job half done 😃

29/07/2025

Here is the first of a regular stream of videos that we will put together of the whats, whys and hows of interesting solar and battery installations of ours in the St Albans area. This first one covers our project that involved two identical arrays facing SOUTH and NORTH.

Disregard your north-facing roof for solar at your peril!

Welcome to SOL POWER’s debut video covering our first identical north and south orientation system and what our findings were after 4 months of it being in o...

16/05/2025

We are back at the St Albans market this Saturday (17/5) so come over to get your solar questions answered. 🏠☀️🔋💚

12/02/2025

Mark your calendar! We're back at the St Albans Market on 22/2 to answer all your solar questions. Whether you're already a solar pro, thinking about making the switch, or just curious, come visit our stand!

07/01/2025

Our final project of 2024 was installing our first Tesla Powerwall 3 at a home in St. Albans :
- 4.89 kWp of solar (11 x AIKO Nester 470Wp panels)
- 5 kW of continuous power (with thicker cables used to support any future increase)
- 13.5kWh battery capacity
- Whole home backup using the Tesla Backup Gateway and an earth rod
- Tesla Charger in anticipation of a new EV this year (VAT free when installed with their solar system)
- Octopus Flux solar & battery tariff

The customer had experienced power cuts on their road in the past so opted for a whole home backup configuration. We put as mush solar capacity as could fit on the South-facing roof as their energy consumption will increase in future with an EV and potentially other low-carbon technology. The 13.5 kWh battery capacity will cover their daily home energy requirements plus give them capacity to make the most of exporting energy at peak times and DFS schemes to maximise their returns from the solar & battery system.

We got super lucky with the weather during this tricky time of the year and the Tesla software was a delight for both us to configure the system and the customer to manage via the app. We are looking forward to installing more of these in 2025. 💪💪💪