Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Recommendations for solar panel purchasing and installation.
What are the general costs.
Pit falls if any.
Time scales for installation.

dap2410 wrote: ↑

Sun 03 Sep 2023 6:44 am

Recommendations for solar panel purchasing and installation.
What are the general costs.
Pit falls if any.
Time scales for installation.

The procedure is something like this:

1. Solar installation company collate all documents required from applicant and complete application documents.
2. Application for PV installation is presented to Kibtek.
3. Kibtek start to do their PV application work (4-6 weeks approx).
4. Application file is then sent from local Kibtek office to Kibtek main office in Lefkoşa, for approval.
5. Application goes to energy ministry for approval in principle.
6. Once energy ministry give approval…

1. Installing panels
2. The project of panels is given to Energy Ministry
3. Energy Ministry send documents to Kıbtek
4. Kıbtek control the installation
5. Kıbtek give OK for installation after that installed electricity meter
6. Kıbtek send paper that include it is OK I put electricity meter, to Energy Ministry
7. Energy Ministry prepare your YEK Document and you will offset with Kıbtek according to giving or taking electricity.

Six to nine months, start to finish.

If your neighbours have PV installed, there may be an issue with the local (to you) Kibtek hardware not robust enough for your additional feed into the grid.

Cost, 6kW inverter, 14 Luxor (German) half cell panels, installation and paperwork, about €9000.

You can get cheaper for same / similar spec. Chinese PV panels will same money during initial outlay. Fit right, fit once.

a1sysman wrote: ↑

Sun 03 Sep 2023 12:27 pm

dap2410 wrote: ↑

Sun 03 Sep 2023 6:44 am

Recommendations for solar panel purchasing and installation.
What are the general costs.
Pit falls if any.
Time scales for installation.

The procedure is something like this:

1. Solar installation company collate all documents required from applicant and complete application documents.
2. Application for PV installation is presented to Kibtek.
3. Kibtek start to do their PV application work (4-6 weeks approx).
4. Application file is then sent from local Kibtek office to Kibtek main office in Lefkoşa, for approval.
5. Application goes to energy ministry for approval in principle.
6. Once energy ministry give approval…

1. Installing panels
2. The project of panels is given to Energy Ministry
3. Energy Ministry send documents to Kıbtek
4. Kıbtek control the installation
5. Kıbtek give OK for installation after that installed electricity meter
6. Kıbtek send paper that include it is OK I put electricity meter, to Energy Ministry
7. Energy Ministry prepare your YEK Document and you will offset with Kıbtek according to giving or taking electricity.

Six to nine months, start to finish.

If your neighbours have PV installed, there may be an issue with the local (to you) Kibtek hardware not robust enough for your additional feed into the grid.

Cost, 6kW inverter, 14 Luxor (German) half cell panels, installation and paperwork, about €9000.

You can get cheaper for same / similar spec. Chinese PV panels will same money during initial outlay. Fit right, fit once.

well yes, 9 month or 12 seem to be the timescale. trafo issues can be a problem.
note: Luxor panels are NOT "german" panels.
they are "german branded" (eg, saying: "german quality standart") only and Luxor lost a court case (high court frankfurt in 2020).
to name them "german" and use the "german flag" on packaging is illegal (at least for germany).
they are made in china/asia.
also other companies did this or still do this. eg, Axitec.
a 6 kW inverter is not permitted for a single phase connection any more.
max 5 kW.
for your 14 panels you did not give the power, eg 14 x 420Wp = 5880 Wp.

Alp Direkoglu, excellent english, in solar business since 2014, smallest installation 2,5 kWp for a home near Tatlisu, biggest commercial installation 550 kWp in Haspolat. 0548 878 33 68

I should have mentioned our electricity supply is three phase, thus we could have a 6kW inverter.

Our Luxor packaging does not mention “ German quality standart”, nor does it display the German flag. All looks kosher to me.
_
_
I did my own progress chasing with Kibtek. Maybe this is how to get the job completed within six to nine months.

Having dealt with two other suppliers, who dithered to say the least, and wasted months of our time.

We found Alp, pleasant, not pushy, a very informative gentleman, we never looked back.

Once agreed we would go a head Alp did everything legally required.

We were kept up to date as the process progressed.
Alp’s installers were professional, hard working and respectful to us and our property. They explained what was being done, turned up when they said they would.
At the end of the day cleared everying up.

Alp will give you approx wait time and everything you need to know about the process.

We have no problem in recommending Alp anyone Alp’s English is excellent

Phone number 0548 878 33 68. Whatsapp

a1sysman wrote: ↑

Sun 03 Sep 2023 4:07 pm

I should have mentioned our electricity supply is three phase, thus we could have a 6kW inverter.

Our Luxor packaging does not mention “ German quality standart”, nor does it display the German flag. All looks kosher to me.
_

IMG_3537a.jpg
_
I did my own progress chasing with Kibtek. Maybe this is how to get the job completed within six to nine months.

how it comes then that you mention the panels are "(German)" ?
was it told to you by your installer?

3 phase home connection can have inverters up to 8 kW.

Single phase home electric feed can have up to 5kW inverter. I put “up to” in bold because it is not the consumer’s decision how large an inverter they wish to purchase for their solar PV feed-in system. The maximum inverter size decision is made by Kibtek. Kibtek review the property’s electric consumption over the past 12 months (if this info is available) and make their decision based on consumption (or presumed consumption). Presumably you can opt for a smaller capacity inverter than Kibtek allow - best discuss with a qualified electrician experienced in PV and inverter installations.

Same scenario for three phase homes, with max allowance of 8kW.

I hoped for 8kW inverter but based on energy consumption in the previous 12 months Kibtek decided 6kW met our needs. We were advised if we introduced additional appliances with heavy electric draw the decision on our inverter capacity could be reviewed. We won’t be doing that in all likelihood.

All this is academic if Kibtek infrastructure is already at full capacity for feed in, around your location, or in need of upgrade to support feed in. You may need to contribute to an upgrade to allow for your feed in - which could / would make the switch to solar questionable from an economic point of view. You don’t know till you ask.

a1sysman wrote: ↑

Mon 04 Sep 2023 8:43 am

Single phase home electric feed can have up to 5kW inverter. I put “up to” in bold because it is not the consumer’s decision how large an inverter they wish to purchase for their solar PV feed-in system. The maximum inverter size decision is made by Kibtek. Kibtek review the property’s electric consumption over the past 12 months (if this info is available) and make their decision based on consumption (or presumed consumption). Presumably you can opt for a smaller capacity inverter than Kibtek allow - best discuss with a qualified electrician experienced in PV and inverter installations.

Same scenario for three phase homes, with max allowance of 8kW.

I hoped for 8kW inverter but based on energy consumption in the previous 12 months Kibtek decided 6kW met our needs. We were advised if we introduced additional appliances with heavy electric draw the decision on our inverter capacity could be reviewed. We won’t be doing that in all likelihood.

All this is academic if Kibtek infrastructure is already at full capacity for feed in, around your location, or in need of upgrade to support feed in. You may need to contribute to an upgrade to allow for your feed in - which could / would make the switch to solar questionable from an economic point of view. You don’t know till you ask.

all you say is correct.
during the years several times the "permitted capacity calculation" from kibtek changed..
max kWp power, max kW (+ max kWp) power, kWp-kW in relation to consumption power. aso.
when it was (more or less) "free" to install whatever you wanted, so, not related to eg, consumption, people tend to install "too much" and ended up with many kWh as credits, which kibtek, one day, has to "buy back".

"Corona" was a change again for kibteks regulations, as many did not come to cyprus for 2 or 3 years and now have 10000 or 20000 kWh as a credit in the kibtek account.

now, after the max kW (to consumption) regulation was introduced (2nd time already), companies tend to "overpower" the inverter.
eg, install 7,5 kWp solar panels to a 5 kW inverter.
not all inverters "like" this, but a slight overpower to , say, 25 to 35%, is acceptable and on top makes sense, as we face heat degradation.
pls note: "less good" panels output will go down over the years ... more as you may think.

best is to plan your system from "somebody good" who will take, eg, "output in 10 years" for all the system (incl inverter, incl wire up) in consideration.

Give Alp a call , he explains everything from start to finish.

Alp will give you approx wait time and everything you need to know about the process.

Always contactable and returns any missed calls.

Phone number 0548 878 33 68. Whatsapp

If you go (half) off grid by not having feed back but e.g. use battery storage and/or Kibtek at night, do you need to involve Kibtek at all?

£eagle wrote: ↑

Tue 05 Sep 2023 4:00 pm

If you go (half) off grid by not having feed back but e.g. use battery storage and/or Kibtek at night, do you need to involve Kibtek at all?

basically, any solar installation needs a permission. either off grid or on grid. but...
if you have a kibtek meter, you can not apply for an off grid installation, because you are "on grid connected". logical, or?

so, the "half off grid" you are asking for, or, better: "solar self consumption with mains back up (but no grid feed) systems" are not properly regulated.
why: because it is quite complicated as the systems (panels-inverter, internal software/working principle) are different.
it needs a polital will to eg, permit those, or, eg permit systems which are "selfconsumption incl batteries with mains back up AND excess feed.
(eg, in case batteries are full and low use, as eg, from middle march to june and oct to nov).
for this, you need laws, regulations, qualifications, maybe certifications. you need someone who knows what to write, courses to teach "whoever".(who could be the teacher?) and someone to check the systems electrical and functional (to regulations).

but to your question. its a grey zone.
it is not regulated, nobody asks, so, lets install.
mainly chinese crap = some panels, a hybrit inverter of doubtful electrical specs, cheap and often to small battery banks. some weard wiring, cheap and sometimes wrong mcbs, no proper earthing the lot... and go.

so again, for every "easy peasy" on grid systems you need an electric plan and kibtek comes for control.
! there is not any control for off grid systems, so your local electrician or anybody who call themselfes a "solar expert" can do what they want, but off grid installations are much more sophisticated.

Thanks Kibsolar.