Reading Geek Night

A friendly and welcoming community for enthusiasts.

Our monthly meetups are held upstairs at Zero Degrees (9 Bridge St, Reading RG1 2LR) from 7pm.

So please do come along, grab a beer/food at the downstairs bar (the mango beer and wood fired pizza are epic) and come share your geekery and enjoy a relaxed evening of talks + networking + beers.

Everyone welcome!

7:00pm Arrivals
7:30pm Welcome and Introductions
7:35pm Current Economics of domestic Solar PV systems (Chris Todd-Davies)
8:05pm Networking & beers
8:30pm Short announcements/updates*
8:35pm Pub Quiz (Please bring a pencil & paper)
9:30pm End(Networking and beers downstairs)

Backgrounder:

Current Economics of domestic Solar PV systems (Chris Todd-Davies)

We started looking into Solar PV systems in December 2020 and subsequently had 4 quotes for up to 17 panels with a battery storage system.

Although more expensive, we selected a local supplier who recommended a Tesla Powerwall 14.5Kwh battery and 17 panels. This was later upgraded to 19 panels during installation.

As part of the project I changed my dual fuel supplier from ESB to Octopus. I initially signed up for the Tesla ‘balanced’ tariff which uses the Powerwall to supplement the grid at peak times by charging up in off peak. This did not prove optimal from a cost perspective. I then switched to Octopus Go which has a off peak tariff of 5p/kwh from 0030 to 0430 and 25p/kwh at all other times. This has proved cost effective for replenishing my Powerwall as needed as well as charging my car. From March 22 I have been able to provide all my electricity demand from solar as well as exporting power at 4.2p/kwh to the grid.

My talk will explore the economics in more detail and explore the two android apps Tesla and SolarEdge which monitor system performance online.

About Reading Geek Night

Every second Tuesday of the month Reading Geek Night presents two talks on various topics about science, tech, design & geekery. The usual format is to gather from 7:00pm and commence the talks at 7:30pm. Talks are ~20mins + Q&A with a break of 20mins for networking and beer.

Details on the upcoming talks can be found on our website https://rdggeeknight.wordpress.com/

Find us on Facebook: https://
www.facebook.com/groups/ReadingGeekNight/

Twitter: @RDGGeekNight