On the main grid, single-phase properties can have 5 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity, and three-phase properties can have 15 kilowatts. Max. driving range of 200km depending on ambient temperature. A rooftop solar system's grid export limit is determined by the local electricity network operator - sometimes on a case-by-case basis, sometimes according to an across-the-board standard, and . 100% I have an existing 3.5kW PV system with Solis inverter. Powercor will respond in one of three ways: Approve the size system you've requested Limit the amount of power you can export to the grid (e.g. sonnenBatterie Evo. Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals This 80% could translate to an estimated 50,000 current or potential solar customers able to export more solar to the grid. Your meter is on the connection between the mains network on one side and the combination of your inverter and your loads on the other side. This applies to both single-phase and three-phase properties. Thanks so much, David. . Still, few people will want more than the 13.33 kilowatts of panel capacity single phase homes can generally install: The Bad: Homes with single-phase power on the main grid can have up to 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity but can usually get around this limit by installing an export limited solar inverter of up to 10 kilowatts. Swearing revenge, he began his lifelong quest to reduce the harm the environment could cause. I will update the article with the information. Also, given that export limited inverters (supposedly) work the same, regardless of the grid to which they are connected, why is it so, that states have different rules whereby some allow export limited inverters, and, some do not? As far as I know, only solar installers can apply for export capacity in the Powercor area. 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. I was always of the belief that a 5kW inverter limited the total output/ production from my 6.5kW solar system to 5 kW, irrespective of what is being used in the house. ) The whole system of domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems, needs to be reviewed; by both the legislatures and regulators, and, by the components (especially the inverters) manufacturers. But you may as well just get a standard inverter and send your excess electricity into the grid. How do I get around this with SAPN , am I allowed to export limit on a swer line in Sth Aust. Does anyone know how the limiter works in this scenario with 2 inverters? Although my testing shows that the micros technically operate quite independently, it is important to understand, only the Envoy can provide some critical components to a properly working Enphase System. Im in the Endeavour Energy area. Victorias Powercor area: Western Victoria, including a large portion of West Melbourne. Under another option to . ( 0000004736 00000 n To me it does not quite make sense as no system can produce 100% of its capacity meaning my existing 3.5kW will never produce full 3.5kW (on a good day, I am lucky to get 2.5kW). you request 5kW and Powercor says you can only export 2.5kW) Set a 'zero export' limit - i.e. So what goes throgh the meter, in either direction, is the difference between what you generate and what you use. DC Input Power (Wp) 10000, from its published datasheet. There are versions without this consumption monitoring (old Non -s version of Envoy and even the Envoy-S without consumption monitoring). All I can really suggest is to try to shift power use to the middle of the day and hope mainly solar energy is consumed. Is this perhaps one of the well-kept secrets about the reality of residential solar production in Western Australia, one that neither the solar installers or inverter manufacturers, let alone Synergy or Western Power want to be publicly known? No-one seems to have replied Dirk, so I will try. Also, if you are on the main grid the amount of power you are allowed to export can still be below the limits given or even zero, depending on how much additional solar capacity the local grid can handle at your location. The ideal way to measure the power flow in and out of your house would be to ask your existing electricity meter. given that we are working from home all the time these days. Assume positive intention.4. 0000011077 00000 n 0000001916 00000 n 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. 10kW of inverters with 11.325kW of panels. I am surprised to hear that Powercor has allowed you to increase your exports, but that is good to hear. We just applied for pre-approval from Powercor and were given a 0kW export approval which is going to make almost anything we choose uneconomical. But this is at least partially because when you throttle back output, you also reduce the amount of voltage rise you are causing on your local connection to the point of interconnect which is probably contributing to the issue. When a home is exported limited, all the power the solar inverter can produce is available for the home to use. Export limiting generally isnt permitted. I am not sure whether it has been explicitly explained, but, what exactly, is the limit of panels generating capacity, that is covered by the federal solar panels rebate? No unfortunately. In exchange, the customer receives a small rebate on their bill for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) they export. The word first can be confusing. While installing solar panels can still be worth it under these conditions, its a disincentive, increases payback time and is generally a pretty crappy state of affairs. I have a 10kw Solar Edge inverter limited to 5kw. Whats the logical and practical way forward? I have 13.25 kW of panels with a 9.8 kW LG Chem battery and a 10 kW inverter export limited to 5 kW. As a single example, the Renault Kangoo ZE van (I think that it is the only battery powered cargo van currently available in Australia) has a 33kWh battery, and, To go further, Kangoo Z.E boasts a Z.E 33 (33kWh) battery, But still the solar companies keep trying to sell it to me.. In most cases, if you had your envoy shut off, the micros would start and work on their own and independently of the envoy, and in fact of each other. The solar PV system is connected to the network via an inverter. My sister has the same type of inverter (Goodwe) but she lives in the Estern suburbs of Victoria and she has been exporting but her Power Limit was set OFF. If you cant store the power (too expensive) and you cant export it, why the requirement (or desire) to put in large systems? Sorry if dumb question. Where do I find information on reapplying for export with Powercor? He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since. Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals This is disappointing as this would be an easy option to implement. That said, provided the Installer included your details and phone number in the customer section when the SPA was lodged, the solar team intends to follow up with customers if capacity becomes available to export into the grid through upgrades to the network.. 1. The majority of customers are approved for the export level they request. 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. Does anyone have similar experience with powercor? you aren't allowed to export any power from your solar system to the grid. Powercor's network solutions manager Claire Cass said of 32,580 customers connected to solar with Powercor in the last 18 months, only 2023 could not export power. Thats a furphy from go to whoa. Powercor wrote back with the following response:"Due to the size of t . If the transformer capacity is limited, you could install solar initially with a low export limit (eg 1 kW) and then have your export limit increased when the transformer was . About 50%. The standard relating to solar inverters is about to change. Means that it caps the amount you can reduce your bills for power used outside of daylight hours? See image at http://www.johnrogers.com.au/battery_charging_noon.jpg. To get your quotes, please enter your postcode: AEMC: Electricity Prices To Continue To Fall, http://www.johnrogers.com.au/battery_charging_noon.jpg, http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/kw-and-kwh-what-is-the-difference/, Why Australian Solar Installers Love Austrian Fronius Inverters, Tesla Powerwall Price Takes A Tumble In Australia, "Snail Mail" Home Battery Offers: Be Wary, New Minimum VIC Solar Feed-In Tariffs Locked In, Glenrowan Solar Farm Construction Gets Cranking. First read the section How Export Limiting Works at the top of this thread. 0000038830 00000 n If we consider a home in Sydney where no electricity is used during the day, and all the solar panels face directly north, then the percentage of output that will be lost due to a 5 kilowatt export limit would be: So even in a worst-case situation for Sydney, an 8 kilowatt solar system that is exported limited to 5 kilowatts will only lose 4% of generation. trailer AS4777.2:2015 has some rather low default recommendations, which can be tweaked up as no doubt my profile has allowed. Its moderately cheaper and the solar feed-in tariff youll receive will lower your electricity bills and increase the amount of clean energy available for others to use. The Solar installer is telling me that they just started getting 0kW approvals back for about 9 out of 10 requests and so they dont believe they will be able to do many installs at all going forward. 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. Sorry Andrew: NQR. Because you dont see the rather obvious shutdowns (or see them less), you might not notice your solar might be throttled back on a regular basis. 0000029011 00000 n Why on earth would I do that if I can help it. Hi i want to install solar with no power Queenslands Ergon network area: All of Queensland on the main grid outside of South East Queensland. As discussion of the topic of export limiting, is continuing, what,if any, is/are the direct effect differences to electricity grid load (as in the load on the wires, not the load as the term used for meaning demand), between a 5kW inverter, and a 10kW inverter with 5kW export limiting? What is the go generally with adding an additional solar system to your home? Generally however, I can advise that Powercor intends to upgrade the network over the next 5 years, starting in January, however, the specifics of where upgrades are happening and the order has not been decided. going back into the grid with no batteries. Makes sense but begs my next question (sorry). Shane, you appear to be mixing up kW and kWh easily done! In my mind though the Smart meter at the box would adjust the export limit in line with what the house is consuming? It does this by adjusting the MPPT but instead of working to maximize power from the panels it reduces it. 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. 2. We do not prevent customers from installing solar for their own self-consumption. Some manufacturers may have this pre-selected. To add to this, in the installer section of the Envoys web server control panel, you can set the profile by which all microinverters operate. Now, such a hybrid inverter, as I previously submitted as a post, as being needed, would have the capability of providing for up to 10kW of panels generating capacity, and, of power conversion of up to 10kW, to provide for up to 5kW to provide for charging a battery system, and, the other 5kW to provide for the household load and with surplus (to the household load, out of the 5kW provision) being exported to the grid. You could contact Powercor and explain your situation, but I suspect theyll say you need to be an installer to check if an increase in export capability is available. 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. Western Australia Horizon Power area: Regional Western Australia. What am I missing? . 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. Some battery powered cars can not be programmed to only recharge at particular times of the day, and, so, if someone drives one to work (that is, if and when battery powered cars become affordable to the working class) and home after work, then puts the car on the charger, the drain to the grid, that would consequently occur, during peak demand hours, needs to be covered. Talking of which, the fact often gets dropped under the table that neither batteries nor panels and inverters (being mechano-electronic devices) have a limited life span, and their efficiency deteriorates gradually after only a few years. Amongst other things, AS4777.2015 has some requirements to shutdown on phase imbalance in a 3 phase setup. The majority of customers are approved for the export level they request. We have a 3kwh system and are really using as much during the day as we can. My solar installer applied to Powercor to install a 5.4kw system at my Point Cook address. It is just the placement of the meter and the current sensor that controls the limiting. After a major works program involving more than 500 different network alterations and other activities across nine key regions among the most constrained parts of the network, Powercors new solar connections export approval rate of just over 60% at the start of the year has increased to above 90%. 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. At times MPPT1 is at 600 odd watts while MPPT2 is at 2500 odd watts. Ronald I have just had a 6.6kw system installed with a Fronius 5kw inverter and am export limited to 3kw.