Technically, what will happen is the inverter will reduce the solar systems output so the generation will be forgone, but I dont want to go into too much detail in this article. What inverter do you have? I have a 5kw solar system plus a Tesla powerwall 2 on my house . Energex doesnt automatically allow inverters over 5 kilowatts to be installed with export limiting, but currently regularly grants permission for single-phase homes on the main grid to install up to 10 kilowatts of inverter capacity with export limiting. So an Enphase setup, without a continuously operating Envoy with not be providing this functionality and likely to raise some concerns in the AS4777.2015 certification process if they did not take steps to make sure these functions are always guaranteed to be implemented. My guess is that when the Envoy-S sees it needs to throttle due to export limits, it does this by sending the same instruction to all micros to throttle the same amount (but dont know for sure). 220 But if you dont use much electricity it may need to be very small, as I explain here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/zero-kw-export-solar/. If that is the case it seems counter intuitive to me as I dont know if demand will outstrip production until I actually turn the appliance (eg A/C) on and check the display. Households and small businesses that generate electricity using solar panels, wind turbines, or other small-scale generators, can feed back any unused electricity into the electricity grid for other customers to use. And for this reasons, I have increasingly seen that it is more challenging to run micros without the envoy which would no doubt be extra code required in later versions of the envoy to enforce implementation of various AS4777 and export limiting requirements that cant be done in the micros alone. Rooftop solar works by turning sunlight into electric power. It is just the placement of the meter and the current sensor that controls the limiting. <]/Prev 115522/XRefStm 1575>> I realise that all the political parties in the the WA state parliament and especially, the Synergy/Western Power conglomerate, that controls approvals of domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems connected to the SWIS grid, are opposed to domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems (even though we stabilise and sustain the grid), but, I am wondering whether any reason has ever been given by the oppressive authorities, for banning export limited inverters in WA. It does this by adjusting the MPPT but instead of working to maximize power from the panels it reduces it. Upgrading the local electricity network so more businesses and households can export excess solar to share. I could easily share my excess power for the time I am not irrigating my crops. 100% Of more concern is occasional spikes in consumption which go past the 5kw limit. Ready for some quotes? 306 0 obj <> endobj If you are export limited, the only way to implement that is with some sort of meter as Ronald says. Swearing revenge, he began his lifelong quest to reduce the harm the environment could cause. Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. One thing I find is that Voltage control works well: instead of the inverter resetting if the voltage gets too high, my inverters roll back output, so it actually helps my neighbors too because their inverters reset less often. I prefer a profile that just has the voltages set to a high voltage threshold, and if I have to sacrifice V-W mode, so be it. Efficiency has and will improve further over time, but never to the point of perpetuity. Tasmania: Under 1% of Tasmanians are on SWER lines, so the generous export limit should often be available. 2. So-called wasting of the extra electricity produced is irrelevant: sunlight is FREE, and whether I use it or not has no bearing on the environment. Is it the 6.66 kW, as the 1.3 overload factor of a 5kW inverter, or, is it the maximum allowed (by the manufacturer) panels generating capacity, for an inverter that is allowed by a state/territory government? endstream endobj 307 0 obj <>/Metadata 15 0 R/Pages 14 0 R/StructTreeRoot 17 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 308 0 obj <. But if people send a lot of power into the line then the voltage at the far end, instead of being lower than at the sending end, becomes higher. 44% leading 0000006578 00000 n Unfortunately, SAPN wont allow more than 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity on an SWER line. I still dont know if they have programmed the inverter to reduce the overall output by a percentage or not. No active system controls whether you use inverter of imported power. 100 litres alone means little, but if there are 100 litres per hour, this means 100 litre hours of output. There are profiles that still conform the microinverters to AS4777.2:2015, but can disable Volt-Var/Volt-Watt, change the power factor to 0.9 (some grid operators require this), turn off export altogether or set specific maximum export levels like 1kW, 3kW etc., or configure to satisfy specific grid network requirements. 220 Installers must also follow the recommendations of the inverter manufacturer and they may say the limit for panel capacity is less than one-third more than the panels capacity. Below is the email response I received from Powercor. Victorias CitiPower area: The Melbourne Central Business District. Any ideas of how I can get a system that is actually going to generate enough power to charge a battery? Am planning to install solar 6.6 kWh system and upon checking with powercor they are giving export limit as 0 kWh. Is this correct? Please keep the SolarQuotes blog constructive and useful with these 5 rules: 1. 100% This is sufficient to charge a battery, although larger solar systems generally improve the return from batteries. Definitely, thats an inverter that is export limited to zero. The inverter reduces the amount of electrical energy supplied by the solar panels. I have solar on my house and having it installed at an investment property, but not sure what to do now as there will be no benefit of feed in tariff. Were continually investing in our networks and aim to keep customers informed if additional export capacity becomes available in their area. both said Unfortunately, the inverters parameters such as Export Limitation are all password protected, and so far I have been unable to even determine who knows this password. 60% lagging So what goes throgh the meter, in either direction, is the difference between what you generate and what you use. Please stay on topic. The reason why your sisters inverter is different from yours is your Goodwe would be because yours has a current transformer device that lets it limit the amount of power it exports to the grid. Ready for some quotes? For example, if you are export limited, only the Envoy-S with consumption monitoring can provide this. The majority of customers are approved for the export level they request. Real names are preferred - you should be happy to put your name to your comments.2. Ill upgrade the Endeavour Energy area from Ugly to Bad, since things are clearly not all bad there. If at any moment in time you are generating more solar electricity than you need, the excess is exported to the grid. So the size of the system becomes irrelevant if you can only export 3kwh (we are Regional NSW Essential Energy). Three-phase homes can install up to 15 kilowatts of inverter capacity or 30 kilowatts with export limiting, except in South East Queensland where special permission is required from Energex to install an export limited inverter over 15 kilowatts. hb```f``sd`c`edd@ A >hp`86s8::\ MNmOe0pYuR`i g G7@ $n@]A#&S_2.dx f 20% Thanks. If youre not satisfied with what answers our calculator gives, let me know your figures for grid electricity and solar feed-in tariff and Ill come up with an estimate for you. reliable export limit control function as per AS4777.2 to limit the export output where the . So if your home isnt currently drawing power you wont know from looking at the display if its capable of producing the maximum 5 kilowatts or if it cant provide more than 3 kilowatts. The data has 5KW flat lining confirming more is being generated. Queenslands Ergon network area: All of Queensland on the main grid outside of South East Queensland. We are in an area where only about 20% of the homes have solar. Do you know the situation here? And, if a street full of these, plugs their cars into the grid, for recharging, starting the recharging between 1700 and 1800, lots of entertaining fireworks, along the street powerlines exploding. More information about the program and how customers can get the most out of their rooftop solar is available at www.powercor.com.au/solar-energy Allows installation but has a zero export limit. Activities part of Powercors Solar Hotspots program carried out over three months included upgrading infrastructure, adjusting tap settings on street-level transformers, balancing voltage levels on powerlines and various tweakery at zone substations. Still a very long payback period, but not as long. 0000007057 00000 n 0000028638 00000 n Very true AL0126. Okay, so that heading may be a bit of an exaggeration, but improvements the company has carried out appear to have made quite a difference. I installed 6.6kw solar panels and have Goodwe 5kw inverter and applied for export limit of 5kw. I was lucky to have an early approval, so limited to 10Kw (or due to bad calculation by the approver, 8.6Kw, where he said ALL the Neutral current went down the common Neutral wire, where in fact only the difference between the phases goes down the Neutral (2 phase, 180 degree). ), converting to up to 10kW of AC power, and, the GW5048D-ES provides for up to 6.65kW of panels generating capacity, converting to up to 4.95 kW of AC power, and, acting as a battery management system and UPS, when a battery system (of up to two approved, low voltage, batteries) is connected. We respect your privacy and you can opt out from the newsletter at any time. Allows installation but has an export limit. But whether or not extra solar capacity will pay for itself is another matter. Im surprised this hasnt hit the mainstream media yet. An Update: I just had system installed 4 days ago in the Energex DNSP and suggest the above is perhaps not quite correct. Solar export limiting, or 'export limiting', occurs most often when there is more power being pushed into the grid than it can handle. 352 0 obj <>stream The new home didnt have solar. I have spoken to one installer , but he couldnt really help me . 0% 0000004622 00000 n Actually I made a chart showing the percentage of electricity lines in each state that were SWER but I left it out for the sake of brevity. hbbf`b``3 I j It is critical that you install an approved smart inverter and set it correctly. Makes sense but begs my next question (sorry). Sorry if dumb question. See image at http://www.johnrogers.com.au/battery_charging_noon.jpg, CORRECTION: My 13.25 kW system will not go above the 10 kW inverter limit unless my house battery is charging and then it can go to 13.25 kW. There are two options: 1. We installed 4.5kw with a 5kw inverter in 2014. Origin offers 8 cents per kWh until a daily export limit of 14 kWh is reached. I am not even sure the inverter would support that, but I fear that sadly up to 25% of the PV energy might be going to waste! just wondering if anybody can shed some light on the following, Ronald was born more years ago than he can remember. AC Output Data (Image from Finns Tesla App). So far I have not seen much more than 5kW DC anyway, but in summer I would expect to see a curve thats flattened at the top during the high sun phase, as it is cut off by the inverter. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Can anyone shed any light for me? I think is is utter madness that the VIC government is handing out generous rebates of $1850.00 and 4 year interest free loans of up to $1850.00 and Powercor has zero feed in capacity for excess solar power. As has been explained (and COSTED) on previous occasions batteries are VERY cost-effective.IF you stay away from the hi-tech/overpriced/dependence-creating/unproven battery-systems advocated by commercially self-interested parties. But there will often be times when the solar system will produce more power than can be exported, so some energy will be lost3. But a sub optimally configured grid sometimes forces installers into implementing setting that are probably less than ideal if the high voltage events in the grid were just occasions where there is too much generation and they do want have all generators throttle back to allow some time for rebalancing supply and demand. There are lots of variations to this theme, however. Western Australia Horizon Power area: Regional Western Australia. NSWs Endeavour Energy area: Western Sydney. The power is first used to meet household consumption, with any surplus exported to the grid for other people to use. Despite the low feed-in tariff you will receive it can still be worthwhile, especially if you can shift some electricity consumption to the middle of the day. I am afraid Western Power is very strict. I did get on the FiT in the early days for the 66cpkWh, but installed a separate system (which I have since incorporated into my stand-alone system. Youll also start receiving the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date on all the latest developments on Australias solar scene. This certainly goes well beyond initial configuration and reporting. It is delivering 8 kilowatts of solar power. P/Prated (%) So while the article suggests 10kW inverter ( 13.33kW DC) in fact the limit seemed to be 10kW DC ( hmmm what does 10kW generation mean exactly ?.) Put down your weapons.3. As batteries currently operate they charge from power in the morning that could otherwise be sold rather than from power that may not be able to be sold in the middle of the day. My assumption is (and I may be wrong after all) that the idea of using my own energy first before buying from the grid is an illusion, and in fact it only appears like that because all the energy from the inverter (up to 5kW) is measured as exported, all energy required by the house is actually imported from the grid (as if there was no solar system at all), and it is just because the exports are offset against the imports for billing, why it appears that my PV system is reducing the imports. A 5 kilowatt inverter will never supply more than 5 kilowatts of power no matter how many kilowatts of panels it has. This extra meter adds to the cost of a solar system. It would definitely be better if we didnt need to limit the amount of power solar systems sent into the grid. And Set Power Limit to 100%. MPPT2 always shows better performance than MPPT, usually quite significantly better. My AS4777.2:2015 profile allows voltages up to 265v (for short periods, and shuts down on 10 minute averages above 258v). Is there anything that can be done about it? 253 It appears the wire from the inverter is directly connected to my main fuse for the house circuits. While the Envoy is an important part of the system, the micros largely operate independently of the Envoy, and in a lot of cases can work without the Envoy at all. so if I was correctly explained to, then I am limited to export less than 5kW (because my existing system will never produce 3.5kW), No installer (or their salepeople) is able to explain to me how the limiter is connected/set up in the scenario where I have 2 inverters. Normally it makes more sense to buy a second, separate system, than to expand an existing one. The ideal way to measure the power flow in and out of your house would be to ask your existing electricity meter. 3. I think the installers like the Volt-watt modes, because if you dont know where to look they hid the problem at your expense anyway. So really apart from the requirement that the initial startup can only happy on voltages below 253v, I have no throttling until at least 285v and probably even higher. 306 47 Exporting surplus solar power is good because it reduces fossil fuel generation and pays you a feed-in tariff that reduces electricity bills. Or, if you want a lower cost method of dealing with blackouts, you can get yourself a small generator. Unfortunately, the meter companies and inverter manufacturers cant get their shit together, and the utility meters refuse to talk to the inverters. And, depending on the circumstances of each individual household, 10-15 kW of total panels generating capacity, with limiting export to the grid, to 5kW, could provide better for the months with less available solar radiation, to lessen the demand for grid electricity, peaking on a seasonal basis. I think it is illegal in WA to rewire your inverter or modify any parameters, as it may result in more than 5kW being sent to the grid, so I will just bite the bullet and see that I use as much solar as possible. you aren't allowed to export any power from your solar system to the grid. I havent made any applications yet, but Ill certainly be asking this question when I get quotes!. ACTs EvoEnergy Network Area: Covers most homes in the ACT, especially in built-up areas. NSWs Essential Energy area: Regional NSW. I think that the limiter can connect only to one inverter and not two at the same time. The loss figures above are for Sydney and are affected by the climate. The battery is charging from the DC current which is before the inverter. Its located in Ausnet Services' Distribution Area but Ausnet is not part of the CitiPower, Powercor and UnitedEnergy . When a home is exported limited, all the power the solar inverter can produce is available for the home to use. The solar installer or customer must have sought and received pre-approval from us for the requested capacity of the generator. What am I missing? Even then, the losses from the limit are minor. The naming of zones may differ between manufacturers but may appear as: Australia A - applies to the configuration of inverter settings in Victoria and all Eastern . Energex doesnt automatically allow inverters over 5 kilowatts to be installed with export limiting, but currently regularly grants permission for single-phase homes on the main grid to install up to 10 kilowatts of inverter capacity with export limiting. That can raise the voltage to a level dangerous to appliances. For any amount above the daily export, you will receive our standard retailer feed-in tariff of 5 . 0000038830 00000 n Just last week, Powercor (Western Victoria) advised that they now have more room in the grid for export. They hid the problem pretty well, because they do tend to reduce the amount of shutdowns. I will update the article with the information. Thus if my system is at maximum output, and I am using 2kW, only 3 kW is being exported to the grid. 2. Enter your postcode now. I wouldnt drive anything else. So, I am pretty much left in the dark about whether all the energy my panels are theoretically producing is being utilised, or (which is my fearful assumption) up to 1.6kW are wasted whenever the panels produce more than 5kW AC. 0000009027 00000 n After (almost) three months with no reply, has any reason been given, as to why export limited inverters are not allowed for single phase grid connections to the SWIS grid in WA? Select the AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Australia A setting. 5 kilowatt inverter + 6.6 kilowatts of solar panels (no export limiting): 0%, 6 kilowatt inverter + 8 kilowatts of solar panels: 4% loss, 7 kilowatt inverter + 9 kilowatts of solar panels: 8% loss, 8 kilowatt inverter + 10 kilowatts of solar panels: 13% loss, So, on the one hand, the Victorian Government is. Victorias United Energy Network Area: A large chunk of Melbourne on the east side Port Phillip Bay and the Bayside Peninsula. 0000038752 00000 n But you may as well just get a standard inverter and send your excess electricity into the grid. Victorias AusNet network area: The eastern third of Victoria, not including Melbourne or French Island. you request 5kW and Powercor says you can only export 2.5kW) Set a 'zero export' limit - i.e. 0000008571 00000 n First read the section How Export Limiting Works at the top of this thread. On a related note, we mentioned yesterday that over the border in South Australia, SA Power Networks is readying to ramp up flexible solar exports in an effort to support more solar installations and its pretty clever stuff. 0000038562 00000 n The solar PV system is connected to the network via an inverter. If you dont get under the covers and look carefully at the logs you might miss this, or think it is a cloud coming over, rather than voltage triggered throttling. 4. What is the go generally with adding an additional solar system to your home? Powercor claims 30% increase in rooftop solar export approvals Victorian network service provider Powercor claims a major works program designed to alleviate grid congestion in areas of high rooftop solar PV penetration has boosted the approval rate for new solar connections to export excess energy to the grid by an impressive 30%. What I find is installers dont seem to like it when I tell them my plan.
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