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Panels and Components
Engensa’s approach to solar equipment is quite simple; we offer the best there is. We’re not tied to a specific manufacturer and we thoroughly vet all our products based on real industry expertise. We offer a limited selection of products to cater to all types of PV system, but whichever equipment we use, we don’t compromise on quality.
Solar Panels
When you buy a solar energy system the panels are by far the most expensive part of the system, making up over 50% of the total cost, so ensuring you buy panels that will perform well over their 25 year life is very important. Understanding the differences between panels is not straight forward, especially when they all look the same, which is why we give descriptions here. We have used our industry insight to choose the best panels available, and the choice we offer is simply to cater to all different types of installation.
View our range of Solar Panels
Inverters
The inverter is a critical component of a solar energy system. It is responsible for ensuring you get the most electricity out of your solar panels as possible and for converting that electricity into a form that can be used by the appliances in your home and the national grid. Inverters come in different sizes, depending on the size of your solar energy system and they vary in term of efficiency and reliability. As with our panels, we don’t like to compromise, and so recommend here the best products on the market.
Find out more about our range of Inverters
Racking System
Engensa have carefully chosen high quality racking systems designed to mount solar panels securely and with minimal disturbance and compromise to the structural integrity of your roof. Hilti are one of the largest manufacturers of building equipment in the world and their equipment complies with every relevant standard for quality. Hilti have a long standing reputation for outstanding build quality and have great experience in making solar racking equipment. We work closely with Hilti to come up with tailor made solutions for UK roofs we always make sure our components are chosen specifically for each installation we do.
Download the Hilti brochure here
Monitoring
Monitoring hardware of your PV system is sometimes seen as a luxury, or a nice to have. At Engensa, we think that good monitoring is essential and probably one of the most important components of your system. In order to make a good return on investment, it is vital that your system performs to its full capacity over the full life of the system, not just the first few years. Monitoring is necessary for evaluating the performance of the system and identifying whether any maintenance is required.
Beyond that, monitoring helps you interact with your PV system and can improve your return on investment by allowing you to match your electricity consumption to PV generation. It can also help you cut down on your electricity usage. We have a number of innovative monitoring solutions that help you get the most out of your system.
Find out more about our range of Monitoring devices
Solar Panels
Solar Frontier
Possibly the next generation of solar panels to be introduced to the market by Japanese manufacturer Solar Frontier. A radically different technology has been used to manufacture these panels known as ‘thin film.’ Thin film solar panels involve the active materials being deposited directly onto a sheet of glass in a very thin coating. This allows the panels to be made much more cost effectively, thus reducing the length of time which the solar industry will need to be supported by Government policy. Having proven their reliability over many years of testing, Solar Frontier panels are now rapidly being adopted and have recently gained accreditation under the UK’s Micro-generation Certification Scheme.
- Thin film panels require a slightly larger area than silicon panels however they have a higher energy yield in cloudy conditions and will therefore produce more in overcast climates such as the UK
- Solar Frontier claim that a typical 4kW installation will produce up to 10% more output compared to regular crystalline silicon
- Solar Frontier panels require 60% less energy to manufacture so the energy payback time is reduced, possibly making them the world's most environmentally friendly panel
- Solar Frontier only use re-useable packaging materials
- Solar Frontier panels do not contain lead
- Solar Frontier panels are more visually attractive as they are entirely black and blend in well with dark coloured tiles
Download the Solar Frontier Product Overview here
Sharp 235W mono-crystalline silicon (‘The all-rounder’)
This is a great all-round panel, made by the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer. Because Sharp is a well-established company, which gives you the assurance that they will always be around to honour their 25 year warranty. We prefer to use mono-crystalline silicon panels because they are high efficiency which means you get the most out of your roof space. The Sharp panel is also attractive because is made to extremely high standards in Britain, meaning we are not importing heavy glass from the other side of the world.
- High-performance photovoltaic modules made of dark blue mono-crystalline (156.5 mm)2 silicon solar cells with module efficiencies of up to 14.3 %.
- Bypass diodes which minimise the loss in output when shading occurs.
- Textured cell surface for particularly high electricity yields.
- BSF structure (Back Surface Field) to optimise cell efficiency.
- Use of tempered white glass, EVA plastic, and weather protection film, as well as a silver anodised aluminium frame with drainage holes for long-term use.
- Output: connection cable with waterproof plug connector.
- 5 year product guarantee
- 10 year performance guarantee for a power output of 90 %
- 25 year performance guarantee for a power output of 80 %
Download the Sharp 235W datasheet here
Sharp 185W mono-crystalline silicon (‘Same but a bit smaller’)
Sometimes to get the most out of a roof you need a panel that’s a bit smaller in dimensions. The Sharp 185W mono-crystalline panels are identical to the 235W model, it just has fewer solar cells so it has smaller overall dimensions, but it is the same efficiency.
- High-performance photovoltaic modules made of dark blue mono-crystalline (156.5 mm)2 silicon solar cells with module efficiencies of up to 14.3 %.
- Bypass diodes which minimise the loss in output when shading occurs.
- Textured cell surface for particularly high electricity yields.
- BSF structure (Back Surface Field) to optimise cell efficiency.
- Use of tempered white glass, EVA plastic, and weather protection film, as well as a silver anodised aluminium frame with drainage holes for long-term use.
- Output: connection cable with waterproof plug connector.
- 5 year product guarantee
- 10 year performance guarantee for a power output of 90 %
- 25 year performance guarantee for a power output of 80 %
Download the Sharp 185W datasheet
Sanyo 235W mono-crystalline silicon hybrid (‘The record breaker’)
This is the most efficient solar panel on the planet. The photovoltaic cells are made with a unique structure comprising a layer of amorphous silicon that results in higher efficiency, for a good description of how this works click HERE [Link to pdf]. Sanyo have a long tradition in solar energy and their panels have proven reliability around the world. Higher efficiency makes sense when you have a limited amount of roof space and you want to get the highest capacity installation possible. The downside is that there is a premium for these higher efficiency panels which means that in some cases better returns can be achieved with our other panels.
Download the Sanyo 235W datasheet here
ET Solar 185W mono-crystalline silicon hybrid (‘The contender’)
Hailing from China, ET Solar are one of the fastest growing module manufacturers in the world, and now have one of the largest production capacities. We spent a long time getting to know the company, visiting them at their European headquarters in Munich and making sure they meet our selection criteria. We are extremely impressed by the quality of this panel and are proud to be able to offer it to our customers.
- ET Solar is one of the world’s largest solar panel manufacturers. Their manufacturing capacity for 2011 is 600MW – which is 3 million solar panels a year.
- ET Solar’s manufacturing plant in Nanjing, China is one of the most modern production lines in the world using manufacturing equipment from the world’s best suppliers.
- ET Solar are a vertically integrated PV manufacturer meaning that they do all the manufacturing steps themselves. This allows them to improve quality and efficiency at every stage.
- ET Solar have a strong European presence, were one of the earliest manufacturers to gain MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) accreditation in the UK and have a network of European sales and engineering offices.
- ET Solar have a very strong environmental policy, striving to reduce their impact on the environment. They were one of the first manufacturers to sign up to PV CYCLE, an industry association that coordinates the recycling of solar panels once their life has ended (after at least 25 years). If you recycle solar panels you can dramatically reduce the energy payback time even more than the current 2-3 years it takes in the UK.
Download the ET Solar 185W datasheet here
Inverters
SMA Sunnyboy HF series
SMA is the recognised leader in solar inverter manufacturing. They are indisputably the world’s largest solar inverter manufacturer with a 40% market share worldwide. SMA has recently introduced its new range of residential inverters - the HF series. These inverters have improved efficiency over a wide input range which gives them the best yields of any inverter in its class. Bluetooth enabled and allowing a wide range of string lengths the HF series is very user friendly.
Performance
Maximum efficiency over 96 %
Best tracking efficiency with OptiTrac MPP control
OptiCool active temperature management
Safe
Galvanic Isolation, Integrated DC load disconnecting unit ESS
Anti-theft protection
Easy to use
Fast and easy installation due to plug-in communication unit
Innovative DC plug system
SUNCLIX Plug-in grounding (optional)
Communicative
Simple country configuration
Multi-language graphic display
Bluetooth® technology
Download the SMA Sunnyboy HF datasheet here
SolarEdge SE series
Instead of having a single inverter, the SolarEdge system is made up of multiple PowerBoxes, which sit under each solar panel. Because each panel is operated individually by the PowerBox, SolarEdge removes the problem whereby a shaded panel brings down the performance of the whole system. In addition, PowerBoxes maintain a fixed DC string voltage, allowing optimal efficiency of the SolarEdge PV inverter at all times and enabling a significant increase in the amount of electricity generated over the lifetime of the system. With a 12 year warranty as standard (25 years on the Powerboxes) and remote monitoring included, the SolarEdge system isn’t anymore expensive than a regular inverter.
Download the SolarEdge SE series datasheet here
Read the Engensa SolarEdge Case Study
Monitoring
SMA Sunnybeam with Bluetooth®
This is a very neat solution that integrates perfectly with our SMA inverters. The Sunnybeam is a wireless display that shows you instantaneous power production from your PV system as well as historical production over the course of the previous day or year. The Sunnybeam communicates wirelessly with the inverter via Bluetooth®. Because the data comes from the inverter it is very accurate and also records the system current and voltage which is useful for diagnosing faults in the system. The data cannot be monitored remotely via the internet, however the data can be uploaded to your computer via a USB cable.
Download the SMA Sunnybeam brochure here
Engensa Solar Health monitoring and web platform (electricity and consumption)
Engensa has developed a unique solution for UK homes which is called the Solar Health monitoring and web platform. The internet based programme allows you to monitor both the production of energy from your solar panels together with your electricity consumption in real-time. This allows you to maximise the amount of solar energy you use at home, thus increasing your return on investment. Should there be a problem with your system, Solar Health will alert the Engensa operations team so that it can be quickly diagnosed and fixed. Should you wish we can also use the data to provide you with periodic system reports on your system’s performance.
Passiv Systems monitor with advanced heating controls
Engensa also offers a monitoring solution from Passiv Systems, which is a British company based in Newbury specialising home energy management. Their PV monitoring system records instantaneous and historic PV generation and enables you to view the data using Passiv Systems’ web portal.
The big advantage of this monitoring system is that It also allows you to add-on Passiv System’s advanced heating controls which can dramatically reduce your energy bills by controlling the temperature in your home optimising how your boiler is used.
Download the Passiv Systems brochure here
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FAQs
What is the feed in tariff?
Feed-in tariffs (commonly abbreviated to FITs) were introduced in April 2010 as a means of stimulating take up of renewable technologies such as solar panels.
Under this scheme, householders and communities who generate their own electricity are guaranteed a minimum amount of money per kW hour, as well as a separate payment for the electricity exported to the grid.
To qualify, the solar panels must be installed by an MCS accredited company (which Engensa is). The current value per kW hour for homeowners is 41.3p which will be review in April 2012 or sooner if installation rates exceed forecasts.
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Engensa solar installations, as featured in...
