This solar kit solution will allow us use the energy generated by solar panels at any time, if we are not using all the energy, we always have the possibility of storing it in the battery to use it at night when there is no longer any photovoltaic solar generation. EcoFlow offers us a total of three solar kits for installation in our home. Depending on our needs, we have the possibility of buying one or the other:
- Kit without storage (without battery): it consists of the microinverter and two smart plugs, this is common in all the kits. In addition, we have a total of four flexible EcoFlow panels of 100W each (maximum 400W of photovoltaic solar production). The price is €1,082.
- 1kWh storage kit: It is made up of a microinverter and two smart plugs, it also has the Delta 2 battery to store excess energy, and we have a total of four flexible EcoFlow panels of 100W each (maximum 400W of photovoltaic solar production). The price is €2,281.
- 2kWh storage kit: it is made up of a microinverter and two smart plugs, it also has a Delta Max battery with a 2kWh capacity to store excess energy, and we have a total of two EcoFlow rigid panels of 400W each (maximum 800W of photovoltaic solar production) . The price is €2,709.
One aspect to take into account is that the EcoFlow microinverter warranty is 10 yearshence It would be recommended that the amortization period be less than these 10 years, in case it breaks. However, we do not have a guarantee of the state of the battery when these 10 years arrive, depending on the charge and discharge cycles that we have, it will last more or less.
Although these are the solar kits, we can really buy the battery that we want because all of them are compatible. We have the possibility of buying the models from 1kWh capacity to 3.6kWh capacity of the Delta Pro. The guarantee of all batteries is only 5 years.
Of course, this solar system will be permanently monitored by the application, which will indicate the solar production in real time, the consumption we are making and all the consumption statistics in our home that we have. We have the possibility of using it both in houses with balconies, terraces and gardens, as well as in apartments where we can put it directly on the balcony.
Payback time of this EcoFlow PowerStream
EcoFlow promises that we can save up to 1039kWh of energy per year with this solar kit (about 86kWh per month according to their estimates), in the small print we can see that the calculation has been made for a “normal” home that spends about 3113kWh of energy per year (about 260kWh per month, which is usual). They also indicate that we We will save about €415 per year in electricity by installing this solar kitin this case, if we look at the fine print we can see that have calculated the cost of electricity at €0.40/kWh.
solar production
Regarding the solar production that it is capable of providing during a year, they indicate that it is 1,039kWh, but many factors influence this value: orientation of the panels, hours of sunshine depending on the time of year, and also the obstacles that may exist, especially all from other buildings because these panels are not supposed to be on a roof. In addition, it is also necessary to assess cloudy days or adverse weather conditions.
According to the photovoltaic production simulator, some solar panels located on a roof with pure south orientation and a perfect inclination, would generate 1267kWh annually.
Bearing in mind that we will place the EcoFlow panels on a balcony, or on a terrace, and that they will surely have fewer incident hours, taking only 20% off the maximum photovoltaic production seems to us to be too optimistic. Because if it is not on the roof, we will inevitably have fewer hours of sunshine. If we have the possibility of putting the panels on a south-facing terrace and that neither our house nor other buildings cast shadows, we could reach these figures.
You won’t save money
Regarding what we are going to save from €415 per year in electricity, we must bear in mind that right now electricity prices are not at €0.40/kWh, not even with taxes included. Right now we have a fixed rate of €0.15/kWh with Repsol (without taxes), so if we add 5% taxes it would be around €0.16/kWh. In this case, the saving would be €166.24 per year (1036kWh of production for the €0.16/kWh that it would cost us to import it from the grid, is €166.24).
Logically this calculation is made with the 2kWh solar kit, because we have the 0.8kWp and also the 2kWh battery to make the most of solar energy. In this case the cost of the equipment is €2709. If we divide the €2,709 by the €166.25 per year that we are going to save, we would need 16.3 years to amortize the equipment. We must remember that the guarantee of the microinverter is 10 years, and we have not even taken into account the “life” of the battery, since with each charge and discharge cycle it will lose capacity, and we highly doubt that after 16 years it will work.
The first thing we should know is that EcoFlow provides us with a battery warranty of only 5 years, a third of what we need to amortize it in this case. In addition, according to the technical specifications of EcoFlow, we have a total of 3,000 charge cycles. If we do a charging cycle every day, to charge the battery with our solar panels, we are talking about reaching the 3,000 charging cycles that EcoFlow promises after approximately 8 years (8.22 years to be more exact). And we will need twice as much to amortize it, that is, for the battery to last a total of 6,000 charge cycles, and then everything that lasts longer will be beneficial for us.
If we do this calculation with the 1kWh solar kit, we have only 0.4kWp. In this case, the cost of the equipment is €2,281, but the solar production will be half that (because we have 0.4kWp compared to 0.8kWp), so the annual savings will be around €83. In this case, if we divide the €2,281 by the €83 annual savings, we will need 27 and a half years to amortize it, something completely out of the market, and very far from the useful life of the battery.
as you have seen, installing this type of equipment for a home or apartment is not worth itwe will need one large investment and more than 16 years to amortize the installation (in the best of cases), this without taking into account the degradation of the battery after so many years, since it has a 5-year guarantee, but due to the maximum cycles that they promise are 8 years, and we need twice as many years to amortize the entire installation.
