7.99 kW SolarEdge PV and Battery Installation in Falmouth

Maenporth Electrical installed a new 7.99 kW SolarEdge photovoltaic system with 10 kW battery storage at a property in Falmouth, Cornwall. The installation used 17 AIKO 470 W solar panels, with the array divided between the main house and garage roofs.

Eleven panels were installed on the main house, with a further six on the garage. Every panel was fitted with SolarEdge optimisation, allowing the modules across both roof areas to operate as part of one coordinated solar installation. The inverter, battery and associated equipment were installed inside the garage.

The project also included SolarEdge load controllers, a SolarEdge immersion heater with thermostatic temperature control and a SolarEdge Backup Interface. Together, these components allow excess solar energy to heat the property's hot water, support off-peak battery charging and provide automatic battery power during a National Grid power failure.

Solar PV and battery installation scope

The work covered the two rooftop solar arrays, panel-level optimisation, roof mounting equipment, cable routing, inverter installation, battery storage and energy controls. Bringing these elements together required consideration of both roof areas and the cable route between the main property and the equipment installed in the garage.

The principal equipment and system details were:

• One 7.99 kW SolarEdge solar PV system.
• 10 kW battery storage.
• Seventeen AIKO 470 W solar panels.
• Eleven panels installed on the main house.
• Six panels installed on the garage.
• SolarEdge optimisation fitted to all 17 panels.
• Inverter and battery equipment installed in the garage.
• PV Ultra SWA cable routed within the fabric of the main property.
• SolarEdge load controllers.
• A SolarEdge immersion heater with thermostatic temperature control.
• Online temperature viewing through the SolarEdge app.
• A SolarEdge Backup Interface for automatic changeover to battery power during a grid failure.

This created a single installation incorporating solar generation from two roofs, battery storage, controlled hot-water heating and backup functionality.

Seventeen AIKO panels across two roofs

The available solar array was divided between the main house and garage rather than being confined to one roof. Eleven AIKO 470 W modules formed the larger array on the house, while six further modules were installed on the garage roof.

Installing panels across two structures meant the mounting arrangement and electrical connections had to accommodate two distinct roof areas. The roof work involved fitting mounting brackets and rails before positioning and securing the panels. This provided the support system for both groups of modules across the slate roof surfaces.

SolarEdge optimisation was fitted to all 17 panels, covering both the 11-panel house array and the six-panel garage array. The two groups could therefore be incorporated into the same overall SolarEdge PV and battery installation.

PV Ultra SWA cable routing

PV Ultra SWA cable was used to run the solar cabling within the fabric of the main property. This formed an important part of connecting the roof-mounted generation equipment to the wider SolarEdge installation while following the required route through the building.

With panels installed on both the house and garage, the cable installation had to support the complete layout rather than treating the roof arrays as unrelated systems. The route linked the generation equipment with the inverter and battery arrangement located in the garage.

Using PV Ultra SWA provided the cable solution selected for this part of the project and allowed the necessary route to be incorporated into the fabric of the house. The routing was completed as part of the wider electrical installation rather than as a separate surface-only addition.

Garage-mounted inverter and battery storage

The SolarEdge inverter and 10 kW battery storage equipment were installed inside the garage. Locating the principal equipment together created a central point for the inverter, battery, electrical enclosures, isolators, controls and cable connections serving the panels on both roofs.

The equipment was positioned and mounted before the relevant containment, cabling and electrical controls were arranged around it. Battery storage was included as an integral part of the installation, working alongside the solar PV system and the additional energy-control equipment.

The customer can charge the battery during off-peak-rate periods, reducing the need to buy electricity at the peak rate. This off-peak charging capability complements the energy generated by the rooftop solar panels without limiting the system to solar production alone.

SolarEdge hot-water and load controls

SolarEdge load controllers were installed as part of the system. A SolarEdge immersion heater was also fitted so excess energy from the PV installation can be directed towards heating the property's hot water.

The immersion heater includes thermostatic temperature control, linking its operation to the required water temperature rather than allowing it to heat without temperature regulation. The water temperature can also be viewed online through the SolarEdge app.

In addition to using excess solar generation, the hot water can be heated during off-peak hours. The controls therefore bring solar generation, battery use and water heating together within the wider energy installation.

Automatic battery backup during a grid failure

A SolarEdge Backup Interface was installed to provide automatic changeover to battery power if there is a National Grid power failure. The interface forms part of the coordinated SolarEdge system and manages the switch to battery power when a grid outage occurs.

This backup provision was included alongside the garage-mounted inverter and battery, rather than being treated as a separate installation. It adds grid-failure functionality to a system already incorporating rooftop generation, battery storage, load controls and managed hot-water heating.

A coordinated SolarEdge installation in Falmouth

This Falmouth project required solar generation equipment to be distributed across the main house and garage while the inverter and battery were brought together inside the garage. The 17 AIKO 470 W panels provide the specified 7.99 kW system, split between 11 panels on the house and six on the garage.

From the roof mounting and PV Ultra SWA cable route to the SolarEdge optimisation, battery storage, immersion-heater controls and Backup Interface, each component forms part of one coordinated renewable-energy installation. Maenporth Electrical undertakes solar and renewable work in Falmouth, Penryn and across the wider Cornwall area, alongside industrial and commercial electrical services, testing, planned maintenance, EV charging and domestic electrical work.