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Case Study: High Performing Solar In Andersons Bay, Dunedin
See how this Dunedin family made solar work on their tricky roof—and how their Tesla Powerwall is helping them reduce peak power costs, even in Dunedin’s climate.
Written by
James Kettle
Published on
August 09, 2023
The System
Panels:
16 x Qcell 380W
Battery:
Tesla Powerwall 2
Inverter:
Fronius Primo 6.0
Additional products:
Fronius Ohm Pilot and socket for car charger
The Install
Dunedin Solar installed this solar system in Andersons Bay back in December 2021. The very steep tile roof added some complications but with a team of 3 installers, the panels were lifted into position with no trouble. It’s a good thing all of our installers are rope trained!
Installation took a week, and the system has now been up and running for a year and a half.
Customer Interview
Why Did You Want To Get Solar?
"We had been thinking about solar for quite a while but were concerned that our complicated roof would make it unlikely to be worthwhile, particularly given the reputation of Dunedin’s weather. "
"James from Dunedin Solar took the time to discuss at length our goals and answer our many questions, and extensively model the likely output and the best arrangement for the panels."
How Did You Find The Installation Process?
"Before, during and after the installation James went the extra mile to meet our requests and keep us informed, and the post-installation support has been terrific."
"Our site is a pretty challenging one, and James and his team rose to all challenges to achieve a quality installation in excellent time. We are very pleased to have chosen Dunedin Solar and can thoroughly recommend them."
How Has The System Been Performing?
"Impressively, over a year later our system continues to perform at or above the predicted estimates James provided when quoting."
"It gives us confidence that the decision to install was based on realistic, real-world scenarios, not theoretical maximum outputs."
"Tesla and Fronius monitoring apps are perfect for tracking our solar production and consumption, so I can make sure our system is working as it should."
How Has The Tesla Powerwall Changed Your Power Use?
"We still haven’t had a power cut to “enjoy” the benefit of a backup battery, but Tesla’s time-based control set-up is certainly doing a good job minimising our use of peak-rate grid power. "
"One nice thing I’ve noticed is the Tesla system is accessing local weather forecasts to decide how much to charge the battery overnight. "
"Over the last few months I’ve noticed that it seems to put more into the battery during off-peak time when the next day is predicted to be cloudy, and less when fine weather is predicted."
The Results
Passionate about data, the owner has meticulously tracked his average daily production in 2022 and 2023 (up to April so far). These figures reveal that his solar system has consistently outperformed our predictions from the design stage. This is concrete evidence that solar power can work in Dunedin.
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