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. Im on a swer line in rural south Australia. The battery is charging from the DC current which is before the inverter. I live in Warrnambool, Victoria. Now, that would help protect electricity grids, especially, the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, for the present. Since in WA you cant have more than a 5kW inverter on a private residence, I believe there isnt actually export limiting in play, and the inverter itself clips the output AC regardless how much the panels are generating, sadly. In future, will powercor allow export limit if they upgrade transformer? By the time he was eight, he was already focused on using the power of the sun to stop fossil fuel emissions destabilizing the climate. 100 litres alone means little, but if there are 100 litres per hour, this means 100 litre hours of output. But given average voltages are probably well above what they should be in lots of places, and once you factor in your local voltage rise, and pretty low values under AS4777 etc, there is not much room to play with until the distributors get the act together and deliver us power that better matches the 230v standard they are required to deliver us. I have just had a 6.6kw system installed with a Fronius 5kw inverter and am export limited to 3kw. NSWs Essential Energy area: Regional NSW. The reason for this query, is that, in the past, my understanding has been that, in WA, where export limiting is apparently, banned by the gratuitously oppressive state parliament, and, where a limit of a 5kW output inverter, is allowed, for a single phase grid connection on the SWIS grid, a limit of 6.66 kW of panels generating capacity, is imposed for single phase connections to the SWIS grid, and, thence, the limit of panels generating capacity, to which the federal solar panels rebate applies, for such a connection, has been the 6.66kW. We want to add a battery and it seems logical to add more cells also to another inverter/battery setup. While I dont know where you are a 4 kilowatt solar system should produce an average of around 18 kilowatt-hours a day in WA. Can you provide comment and evaluation of power tracing please. 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. &K?BK:T$A1Cn and only supply me with power from the grid 100% I am a bit confused about export. They hid the problem pretty well, because they do tend to reduce the amount of shutdowns. He first became interested in environmental matters when he was four years old after the environment tried to kill him by smashing fist sized hailstones through the roof of his parents Toowoomba home. We have had solar for 6 years and just recently moved homes. (We are conected to a 25Kw transformer, with 5 consumers connected.). Contracts and resources for connection agreement, Vegetation clearing requirements for new powerlines, Registered Electrical Contractor resources, Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters (REFCL), Endorsement for wholesale demand response. I have divided Australias regions into three categories: The information below assumes the property is on the main grid. Upgrading the local electricity network so more businesses and households can export excess solar to share. "Some of these customers may have received approval to export since, due to network improvements made since their connection." Powercor says the Solar Hotspots initiative is the first stage of a five-year Future Networks program to support customer investment in solar power systems, electric vehicles and battery storage. Hi All. Website link shows system producing well over 10 kW. 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. We are on a zero limited export. is it 10kW AC or DC?? No-one seems to have replied Dirk, so I will try. The new inverter standard AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 has new inclusions to address grid stability issues - a new feature that is necessary to further enhance the hosting capacity to accommodate more solar and renewable energy systems. You could approach SAPN and ask for special permission to install more solar capacity on an SWER but I would not be optimistic about that. Please make sure you engage early with our team through eConnect to check on network capacity for your customers. 2. I think of it like the rate at which water is flowing out of a hose. South Australia Power Networks (SAPN) area: SAPN is the only distributor in South Australia. But I will warn you, even with the high cost of grid electricity and the low solar feed-in tariff in Western Australia, batteries normally wont pay for themselves. 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. 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. 0000039284 00000 n So it is unfortunate that it is necessary, but good that people can still install a larger system and generally have insignificant losses. All is explained here: http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/kw-and-kwh-what-is-the-difference/, ( 5kW per hour is a non-sensical unit unless you want to describe an acceleration of energy! Limited export means more power for home If your system has a limit on how much it can export then it means more power will get used in your home instead. given that we are working from home all the time these days. JackD 1 year ago. 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. 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. I have previously posted (or, submitted for posting), the proposition that what is needed, is a hybrid (not meaning in this instance, a hybrid inverter as is commonly used) inverter that is like a cross/combination, of the Goodwe GW5000-MS inverter (or, kind of, the GW10K-MS, in terms of power conversion), and the Goodwe GW5048D-ES; three GW5000-MS provides for up to 10kW of panels generating capacity, across three MPPTs (strings? Just last week, Powercor (Western Victoria) advised that they now have more room in the grid for export. The data has 5KW flat lining confirming more is being generated. (2nd one APPROVAL/SITE SPECIFIC CONDITION(s): Total Solar Export must be limited to 5kW). Does anyone know how the limiter works in this scenario with 2 inverters? As a general rule, 5kW tends to be the upper system size limit for single-phase connections, but some networks allow up to 10kW. A man named Canute, proved that, centuries ago. I believe it must have been set up during installation, but the installer company claims that this is handled by Growatt themselves. Western Australia Horizon Power area: Regional Western Australia. The fact is that Powercor does not set an upper limit on the size solar panel system you can install, up to 30kW. To get your quotes, please enter your postcode: Flexible Solar Exports To Ramp Up In South Australia, Australian Solar Systems Interest Index: September 2021, 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. Rooftop solar works by turning sunlight into electric power. About 50%. 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. Seem most solar places, even the ones the go on about how good they are, arent that good when presented with this, what seems to be a conundrum for them. Ill upgrade the Endeavour Energy area from Ugly to Bad, since things are clearly not all bad there. 0000038218 00000 n It can also only provide this when it is running. Please stay on topic. Have I been conned into believing I could produce up to 6.6kW myself, but in fact the maximum my inverter will ever allow through to the meter (and to my house) is only 5kW? hb```f``sd`c`edd@ A >hp`86s8::\ MNmOe0pYuR`i g G7@ $n@]A#&S_2.dx f Only residential homes with inverters of 5 kilowatts or less can receive the states. If your solar company provides you with the Solar pre-approval (SPA) number for your pre-approval, we can check specifically what was decided on with regards to exporting. What I find is installers dont seem to like it when I tell them my plan. 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. Or, if you want a lower cost method of dealing with blackouts, you can get yourself a small generator. 2. Under another option to . reliable export limit control function as per AS4777.2 to limit the export output where the . Why my Power Limit is set to ON with the % whereas her Power Limit is set to OFF and she has been exporting. This is assuming that my understanding of what I have read, is correct; that such a system would be permitted, in a single phase connection to the SWIS grid. ) 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. 3. If they face in two or more directions, it will further reduce the losses by reducing the peak solar output while stretching it out, so it lasts longer through the day. But it took him about another ten years to focus on it in a way that wasnt really stupid, Good Article. Im in the same situation, except I have an existing 5kW system. What Happens to the Surplus Power That Can't Be Exported to the Grid? This is sufficient to charge a battery, although larger solar systems generally improve the return from batteries. The word first can be confusing. 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. Interesting article. Do the inverters prevent the production of energy by the solar panels when an export limit would otherwise be exceeded? This is disappointing as this would be an easy option to implement. 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. 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. If thats not a good option, you can consider getting a demand tariff and doing pumping outside the peak period when the cost of grid electricity will be relatively low. The metered version comes with extra current clamps to hook up to the grid side so you can do consumption monitoring and export limiting. Normally it makes more sense to buy a second, separate system, than to expand an existing one. I was told that as there is an export limit of 5kW and I already have 3.5kW system, my new system will be export limited to 1.5kW. If you can export 3kva that means you can have a solar system with up to 4 kilowatts of panels. Would the gateway signal the micro inverters to shut down one at a time, or to all reduce output equally? First read the section How Export Limiting Works at the top of this thread. If so, it would make replacing the whole system more viable which is exactly what I wanted to avoid (and such a waste!). 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. Most systems have mostly N facing panels, so really only generate peak power for a few hours a day (often 10am>2pm approx) Of more concern is occasional spikes in consumption which go past the 5kw limit. the system is set to export the maximum amount of power approved in our Solar Export Pre-Approval to you your obligations as the owner and operator of an 'embedded generator' exporting . 0000029011 00000 n 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. Fronius Wattpilot: A Smart EV Charger With A Short Warranty, You Wont Believe How Dumb The NSW Governments New Battery Calculator Is. 11kW panels with 10kW 3-phase inverter (Fronius Symo + Fronius 3-phase meter). 0 Please stay on topic. Victorias Jemena network area: A small but crowded chunk of North and Western Melbourne. Here at SolarQuotes, we had been hearing quite a few complaints about Powercors zero export limits. In a Enphase system, only the Envoy can provide this. trailer An option is to take your pumps off-grid and run them independently off a separate off-grid solar system. 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). Information on whether export limiting is allowed can be found here, but I am going to present the information differently for both ease of use and to make my boss think Ive done something useful. 0000037419 00000 n 3. Of course the manufacturers dont want this to be public knowledge and pretend that once you paid for a system you are set for life (yours, not that of the system). Weve got a system that can be left alone in my opinion, so adding say 6.6kw and a 10kw battery makes good sense but what a task. endstream endobj 307 0 obj <>/Metadata 15 0 R/Pages 14 0 R/StructTreeRoot 17 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 308 0 obj <. I was really keen for this system with a battery as most of my power is used at night and I like the idea of power during blackouts, which do happen quite a lot here. 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. While this is fine during the week when we are open, it seems a huge waste of electricity on the weekends when we are closed. Select your country/region. Thanks. ), 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. AS4777.2:2015 has some rather low default recommendations, which can be tweaked up as no doubt my profile has allowed. I have seen my panels producing over 13 kW of power when the battery is drawing 3 kW DC power and the battery, house and car 10 kW of AC power. Phone, email, give us feedback or make a claim. Thanks so much, David. 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. 207 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.