The advice on the equipment needed is good for any Hybrid Photovoltaic System. The only difference would be to the Voltage Rating required. For example, most electrical supplies in Europe are rated at 220 230V, and the UK at 240V. The USA has 110-120V as the standard, so you would need to take this into account when building your system, otherwise your electrical  appliances will not work! I will respond to any general questions that are raised in our Contact Form.

There is plenty of help and advice available on the Internet, and many people have installed their own systems. You will need the services of an “installer” and/or local electrician if you are not confident, or not willing to do the work necessary. However, with the Hybrid solution, the electrical work required is not difficult and so should be reasonably inexpensive.

Yes asolutely! This would require a simple Project Management Agreement. As long as your property is reasonably close to me in Crete (Apokoronas area) I will organise a “solar site survey” with you so I can check that Panels can be installed in the right area, and discuss where the equipment will go, and whether you can use your existing Home Electrical Circuit or if some rooms will need additional wiring etc. To get started, just fill in the Contact Form including your phone number and address, and I will telephone you or email within 48 hours.  I may also be able to provide the services of a local electrician to complete the system for you, if you do not have a suitable contact. There will be a Project Management Fee which we can discuss further once we have your form and contact details.

The advantage of the Hybrid solution is that you can always fall back on the normal electricity supply until the Batteries are back to operating charge levels. One way of recharging the batteries at night or in poor weather (i.e. no sunlight) is to use a standard 12V or 24V charger – either powered through the Mains supply, or as in my case, by a small 1.4 Kw petrol driven Generator (which I also use to power appliances on the Hybrid circuit if necessary).

A Hybrid system like this can easily support the low power requirement of surveillance cameras 24/7. I installed a surveillance system in my property using 3 video cameras (cost approx £500) and can monitor the property 24/7 from anywhere – the UK for example –  using the app that comes with the equipment. As regards security lighting, inside lights can be set via a timer to come on at various intervals. For outside the property we would recommend “stand-alone” solar powered security lights; these can be wall-mounted and set for motion detection.

All the equipment for a Hybrid Solar Solution will be bought by the owner of the system. Whether this is bought from an on-line store or local supplier, the normal equipment Warranties and Guarantees will apply. In reality, there is not too much that can go wrong providing that you stick to well known brand names. We can advise you on the brands that we would recommend. 

If you have used our Project Management Service (PMS), you will be entitled to apply for a Service Agreement, which will cover call out costs in the event of any problems that may arise subsequent to the installation. Please ask for further information if this is of interest.

Apart from the main equipment needed, which is listed on this page, other costs would include wiring, solar PV connectors, switches and adapters as required, safety components such as circuit breakers, trunking and power points for any independent circuit and the associated labour costs associated with connecting and installing the system. In my case, I fixed the solar panels to a timbered flat roof using a wooden frame tilted at an appropriate angle.

Where a concreted flat surface is available, or open ground is chosen, a strong metal panel mounting frame structure like the examples shown here would normally be recommended, with possibly some form of tilting mechanism to optimise the angle of the panels to the sun as seasons change and the sun’s position changes. Many properties already have similar fixed structures for their solar-powered hot water sytems.

In some cases, PV panels are mounted to tiled roofs, which requires specific expertise and roof mounting kits, and there are higher labour costs involved.

We would definitely recommend it, even if you are considering a DIY solution. There would be no point in proceeding if the property is not suited for one reason or another, or the project is likely to cost more than you have budgeted, and a plan is always a good idea before any project gets under way. One of the key considerations is how much power you need, and this directly affects how many panels will be installed. Assuming that the panels will be mounted on a roof or other flat area, the angle of the panels relative to the sun’s actual position over the course of the year is critical for optimal power output, as is the structure that will support the solar panels.  A basic site survey would cost from 100 euros or £100, and includes practical advice on equipment positioning and any additional electrical work that may be required. It will also provide an estimate of the cost of suitable equipment with recommendations as to where this can be obtained, so that the customer has the basic information or blueprint necessary to make an informed decision on whether or not to invest in a net metering or Hybrid (off-grid) Solar Solution.

Main Benefits

• Personal visit to your property from a Solar professional so that your particular requirements can be fully discussed.
• Helps avoid common mistakes which may prove expensive later.
• Discussion about the power requirement that is needed which will determine how big the system should be.
• To decide whether a net metering or an off-grid/hybrid solution is more suitable.
• To establish the type of power supply in the property – normally one phase or three phase.
• To discuss exactly where the solar panels and inverter and batteries (if part of the solution) should be situated
• To take photos of the existing electrical meters and the internal circuit boards, and the possible areas for the panel array(s).
• Follow up summary report by email which provides cost estimates of the equipment required and installation costs if applicable.

Apply here to arrange a Solar Survey

Assuming that all the necessary equipment has been received, and a local electrician/installer is available, the system can be up and running as soon as a couple of days. It does however depend on the size of the project, and most installation time is taken up by the solar panel array construction.

The other common source of Green Energy is from a Wind Turbine, and so if you live in a property with medium to strong winds, this could be an additional source of power. Wind generators are going to be constantly generating power, which means you have to have somewhere to dump the excess energy that is produced. There are Charge Controllers that can handle both wind and solar panel outputs and which are made specifically for this purpose, so you should purchase one of these devices if you are trying to utilize a wind generator. This will allow you to channel the excess energy that is produced by the wind turbine system into a water heater or another appliance. Using one of these controllers takes a potential problem and creates even more efficiency, as the excess energy can always be used. However, we have no personal experience of Wind Generators/Turbines, and there are practical problems to overcome – such as noise, the size of turbine required to produce any meaningful power, and its physical location. 

Net Metering is one of the terms used to describe a system where the solar power generated in a private PV Solar system is used to feed into the Mains supply (often known as the Grid or Utility) with the purpose of receiving a credit per kWh (KiloWattHour) of electricity produced. This is normally translated into a reduced cost for Home Electricity via a reduced Bill from the Utility Company. Some systems allow the Home electrical requirements to be met first, with any surplus going to the Grid. At night, or more accurately, when the solar system is not producing power, the Home owner would depend on the Mains supply. “On-grid” systems are subject to certain rules and regulations and normally need a special meter to be installed.

The equipment for an “on-Grid” or “Grid-tied” system would have the same solar panel set up, but differ from the off-grid system in that AC power would either be generated via microinverters attached to the Panels, or via a String Inverter that coordinates the power from all the panels and connects to a special Meter before supplying the Grid – Inverter examples are GoodWe, Fronius and the Sunny Boy 

Off-grid systems on the other hand do not feed electricity into the Grid, but, with modern Hybrid Inverters, can take power from the Grid as needed. The Hybrid Solar Systems that we promote are in our opinion a much more sensible choice for Homeowners because with suitable battery storage, power can be generated both day and night independently of the Utility, but with the safetynet available of Grid Power if needed. Additionally, there is no requirement for any bureaucratic permissions or reliance on agreements with major or monopolistic electricity suppliers, which may be subject to change without notice.

The first step would be to work out your average monthly electricity consumption (how many kWatt Hours) which you would be able to check from your Electricity Bill. To be more accurate still, it would be worth checking the Bill for each month of the year – for example, bills may be higher in the summer when air conditioning is used – and so the highest monthly reading would be your target figure for Solar Power. Once the target is known, it is fairly straightforward to determine the number of Solar Panels required, and Batteries to cover night-time electricity, and a system can be built to supply that Power. Most properties (homes) would consume in the order of 10kWhours per day using all electrical appliances without restriction. A typical system is shown here, where a total of 20 solar panels are used producing over 9kW of power and at a cost of under US$10,000.

For a Home, there are normally two options for mounting a solar panel array. The first option is on a south facing roof of the Home, but this will depend on the slope and type of the roof, and may be inappropriate or difficult to achieve.

The second option is to mount the array on a flat surface, such as a terrace, where the frame structure can be securely fixed to a base. Where Panels are fixed outdoors, they need to be 100% weather proof, and secured well enough to withstand any strong wind. An example of a solar panel mounting structure is shown here.

Another option is to consider “portable” solar panels which can be quickly set up on a suitable terrace, but obviously a close eye needs to be kept on the weather conditions!

In principle, yes, by using a power selector switch  examples of which are shown on this page.
However, this does depend on the size and power of your solar hybrid system. Providing there is sufficient power available, there are some considerations to be made – which may require high power consumption items – such as air conditioning units and cookers – to be physically disconnected on your circuit panel prior to switch over. These appliances should be separately wired to the higher rated sub-circuits – 25A plus – so it would be merely a case of switching off that particular sub-circuit before selecting the Hybrid Solar Power input.

Of course, if your PV system is sufficiently rated, you can use all your existing home circuits

The first two Power Selector Switches examples shown are either (1) integrated within the existing Circuit Board or (2) a wall-mounted item, which would either be situated close to the Home Circuit Panel or – if a weather resistant Switch is chosen – this could be mounted externally close to the main electrical meter. Both types would require a qualified electrician to install them. 

The third example is an ATS (Automated Transfer Switch) which would normally be positioned close to the Batteries so that Battery charge levels can be directly monitored, and if the levels decreased to a given threshold, the ATS would switch the house or property electricity supply back to the Mains (or Grid or Utility).

The simple answer is Yes, providing the solar power output is sufficient – which means at least a 5 kWh system. EVs can be charged directly from a house circuit. Some properties now have car ports, where the cars are parked under a flat roof with solar panels providing EV charging directly to the vehicle. If the roof structure supports enough panels, the power output can also be used for home use – a practical solution if you have the space available (and any required planning permission).

Attached is a link to Sino Voltaics who have produced a comprehensive list of Euro manufacturers – https://media-01.imu.nl/storage/sinovoltaics.com/14240/sinovoltaics-solar-supply-chain-map_europe_q1-2024.pdf

After 3 years of installing systems in Crete, Richard has created a complete list of the equipment bought by and recommended to  customers, and where to buy. The list ranges from high cost items such as LiFePO4 (Lithium) batteries and 3 phase hybrid Inverters down to the basic parts required in a circuit. The PV Solar Industry is changing very quickly, and the Output Voltage, the energy capability and prices of Battery Systems, Inverters and even Solar Panels are also changing rapidly.