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. 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. 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. What Happens to the Surplus Power That Can't Be Exported to the Grid? Victorias AusNet network area: The eastern third of Victoria, not including Melbourne or French Island. Any ideas of how I can get a system that is actually going to generate enough power to charge a battery? 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. We just had a 30kW inverter solar install for our business and it has been limited to 1.8kW export. As the LG Chem battery charges using DC current from the panels it is possible to go over the 10 kW inverter limit by charging the LG Chem battery in the middle of the day. South Australia Power Networks (SAPN) area: SAPN is the only distributor in South Australia. The earth is used as one conductor which has a higher resistance than a copper wire. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Download the first chapter of The Good Solar Guide, authored by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, FREE! We have had solar for 6 years and just recently moved homes. If your pumping needs are large enough this can pay for itself, but it will be expensive to set up. you request 5kW and Powercor says you can only export 2.5kW) Set a 'zero export' limit - i.e. That can raise the voltage to a level dangerous to appliances. (Image from Finns Tesla App). I wouldnt drive anything else. Of course, if you are planning to get an electric car, that has the potential to make a huge difference to your self consumption of solar power. And, no matter how powerful, the members of the legislatures imagine themselves to be, and, no matter how trump-like, they are, they can not stop the future. 0000028229 00000 n This applies to both single-phase and three-phase properties. Why my Power Limit is set to ON with the % whereas her Power Limit is set to OFF and she has been exporting. . So it is unfortunate that it is necessary, but good that people can still install a larger system and generally have insignificant losses. 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. Most systems have mostly N facing panels, so really only generate peak power for a few hours a day (often 10am>2pm approx) 0000039018 00000 n Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals 0000001575 00000 n 306 0 obj <> endobj Solar export limiting, or 'export limiting', occurs most often when there is more power being pushed into the grid than it can handle. is it 10kW AC or DC?? The current Envoy they will be selling is the Envoy-S. Before that was the straight Envoy which did not have the consumption monitoring / metering needed to do export limiting. What is the go generally with adding an additional solar system to your home? Long term benefits would be a more energy efficient system. I got a question about export limiter that I hope to get some answers from the community. It would definitely be better if we didnt need to limit the amount of power solar systems sent into the grid. Providing the export limiting is done on the meter current as described above ( not on the inverter output current), you can generate more than the export limit if you are consuming enough power to make up the difference between generation and export limit. Do you know the situation here? Normally single phase properties can have up to 5 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity and 3 phase properties can have 15 kilowatts. But your situation is complicated by already having a 3 kilowatt system. The power is first used to meet household consumption, with any surplus exported to the grid for other people to use. I live in Warrnambool, Victoria. 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 ?.) Generation sources can be, but are not limited to solar, wind and batteries. I have 3 x PV systems on one phase. My question is should that then eliminate the 5 kw inverter of the powerwall wich Energex claims is part of the 10kw allowance on a single phase? I have spoken to one installer , but he couldnt really help me . March 2022 6 Powercor means Powercor Australia Limited, ABN 89 064 651 109. portal means the eConnect portal for CitiPower and . When a home is exported limited, all the power the solar inverter can produce is available for the home to use. This could be important, given that we have a state parliamentary election due in a couple of months. In addition, all modern solar inverters must comply with AS4777.2015 at least. Im surprised this hasnt hit the mainstream media yet. 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. Please stay on topic. ), Finally understand, the article above is very well written for the layman 253 10kW of inverters with 11.325kW of panels. 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.. Victorias Powercor area: Western Victoria, including a large portion of West Melbourne. SAPN has told me I cant have more than a 5 kw inverter , but thats just not enough. So having a powerwall is way less useful for helping with an export limit than you would think. endstream endobj 307 0 obj <>/Metadata 15 0 R/Pages 14 0 R/StructTreeRoot 17 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 308 0 obj <. This means you tend to see panels at the end of strings shutdown soonest on voltage risk conditions, as they have the highest voltage rise being at the end of the string. Solar Analytics confirms in this scenario its only exporting up to the limit; 3kw. amended or replaced from time to time. 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%. "Some of these customers may have received approval to export since, due to network improvements made since their connection." 352 0 obj <>stream 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. 0000022631 00000 n 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. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that the stricter export limitation becomes, it will make a stronger argument for batteries. So, the whole of the system of restrictions and available components, for domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems, needs to be reviewed, to provide for greater usage demands during peak demand hours, greater battery storage provisions (and financial assistance for householders to implement big behind the meter battery storage systems, and, regarding the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, the allowance of large capacities of panel generation, limited export, inverters, such as the hybrid one that I proposed. hbbf`b``3 I j An Update: I just had system installed 4 days ago in the Energex DNSP and suggest the above is perhaps not quite correct. essential enrgy in central west nsw (Orange) are generally restricting to max 5kw export limit regardless of 1ph or 3ph: 2 x 3ph residential applications approvals cutnpaste below only difference was one specifically stated APPROVAL/SITE SPECIFIC CONDITION(s): Total Site to be export limited to 5kW 3 phase 1.66kW/per phase (and the padmount sub for the subdivision in on the property boundary) 2. Allows installation but has a zero export limit. Assume positive intention.4. The ideal way to measure the power flow in and out of your house would be to ask your existing electricity meter. 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. It is just the placement of the meter and the current sensor that controls the limiting. 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. STCs can be received for panel capacity up to one-third greater than the inverter capacity. Whats the logical and practical way forward? Now, that would help protect electricity grids, especially, the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, for the present. 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). Nominal Output Power (W) 5000 Of more concern is occasional spikes in consumption which go past the 5kw limit. Enter your postcode now. The Ugly: In these areas export limiting may not be allowed at all. When an inverter is export limited, it has to know how much solar energy is being sent into the grid so it can immediately reduce output if its about to go over the limit. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Instead the home can benefit from a small system, as I explain here: Ah yes I see. This is sufficient to charge a battery, although larger solar systems generally improve the return from batteries. You could have mentioned that SWER stands for Single Wire Earth Return and why that matters. 306 47 I still dont know if they have programmed the inverter to reduce the overall output by a percentage or not. 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. But I can tell you a few things that might help with some of your pondering :- 1. 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. For example, if you are export limited, only the Envoy-S with consumption monitoring can provide this. Its only possible to go larger with a zero export limit: https://www.powerwater.com.au/customers/power/solar-power-systems/pv-class-requirements. 0000029403 00000 n You can see from the profile name that it ensures the microinverters conform to the AS4777.2:2015 Australian standard that governs inverters, and it enables the advanced Volt-var and Volt-watt controls for adjusting export power when the grid voltage gets too high (as opposed to abruptly shutting off all export power when grid voltage is too high, which happens without Volt-var and Volt-watt). I want about 10Kw of panels so I can run pumps etc. 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 the solar inverter has to have its own energy meter installed in your switchboard one that talks to the inverter to tell it when power sent into the grid reaches the export limit. hour of charging is enough to drive 35km.. 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. 0% 0000001757 00000 n Solar customers who currently have a limit on the amount they can export are invited to contact Powercor to reapply for an export agreement based on the greater capacity now available on the network. 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 . Definitely, thats an inverter that is export limited to zero. 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? Ready for some quotes? There are exceptions for off-grid installations and systems that are installed with a battery. Please make sure you engage early with our team through eConnect to check on network capacity for your customers. 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. Even if you have the Envoy-S, I believe at least on paper there was a Enphase Envoy-S The infrastructure is not sufficiently flexible to deal with this. Unfortunately, SAPN wont allow more than 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity on an SWER line. 0000039096 00000 n Were seeing a real lift in the number of customers able to export excess solar back into the grid in these areas, which were among the most constrained in our network only a few months ago, said Powercor General Manager Electricity Networks, Mark Clarke. Rooftop solar works by turning sunlight into electric power. 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? And Set Power Limit to 100%. If you are interested you can read about this here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/inverters/mppt/. 100% Please stay on topic. 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. In a Enphase system, only the Envoy can provide this. If that doesnt worry you then you can get a battery and just hope it mostly pays for itself. I could not convince him that I knew what I was talking about! I was told to set Power Limit to ON. <]/Prev 115522/XRefStm 1575>> I am surprised to hear that Powercor has allowed you to increase your exports, but that is good to hear. 2. But still the solar companies keep trying to sell it to me.. Am I wrong? Would the gateway signal the micro inverters to shut down one at a time, or to all reduce output equally? 0000000016 00000 n 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. Also note that for new installations in WA, only residences with inverters of 5 kilowatts or less can receive the states, Western Australias Western Power area: Perth and South West WA. While export limiting is possible its not always approved. I think that the limiter can connect only to one inverter and not two at the same time. 0000009573 00000 n Its becoming common for solar inverters to be export limited, so the maximum amount of power they send into the grid is less than theyre capable of providing. &K?BK:T$A1Cn Off the main grid, rural properties can have 3 kilowatts of inverter capacity. Exporting surplus solar power is good because it reduces fossil fuel generation and pays you a feed-in tariff that reduces electricity bills. 5kW export limiter imposed on one inverter. 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. 0000006578 00000 n 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. Thats a huge jump and even a smidge higher than the Powercor network wide average of 89%. This seems technically impossible, because theres only a wire going from the inverter to the meter (the export or feed in to the grid) and a wire going from the meter to my homes main fuse. Swearing revenge, he began his lifelong quest to reduce the harm the environment could cause. My AS4777.2:2015 profile allows voltages up to 265v (for short periods, and shuts down on 10 minute averages above 258v). Hi i want to install solar with no power In looking to the future, regardless of whether we like it, in spite of, and, despite, the great efforts of the WA state government, and its parent, the Australian feral LNP/ALP government, battery powered road vehicles will come to Australia, and, displace ICE vehicles. In writing I was advised: If a home cant export any power at all then there is no financial reason to install a large solar system. AS4777.2:2015 has some rather low default recommendations, which can be tweaked up as no doubt my profile has allowed. it is, kind of, effectively export limiting. Or is there a build up of voltage in the system? 240 0000037497 00000 n Aside from that, when you have high resistance lines, there is a voltage drop over their length. 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. 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. 20% Interesting article. 0000093063 00000 n We have a 3kwh system and are really using as much during the day as we can. 207 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. I installed 6.6kw solar panels and have Goodwe 5kw inverter and applied for export limit of 5kw. NSWs Endeavour Energy area: Western Sydney. 0000001916 00000 n 0000008043 00000 n This gives the advantage of having a new system covered by a new set of warranties. The standard relating to solar inverters is about to change. There are two options: 1. Powercor says it has contacted all solar customers within the previously impacted areas to let them know about the companys progress and to encourage them to consider reapplying for exports. It seems so strange that it is clear government policy to get more solar going and yet the network operators are effectively blocking it now. Please keep the SolarQuotes blog constructive and useful with these 5 rules: 1. Nobody wants to see solar energy . Store it and use it later (this requires solar battery storage), or it disappears into thin air via a heat sink. Some networks will allow larger sizes than those outlined below, pending specific approval from the network. Thanks Ron. I have an existing 3.5kW PV system with Solis inverter. Ronald was born more years ago than he can remember. 4. As per current standards, a single phase premises is limited to 10kW generation and 5kW export. Means that it caps the amount you can reduce your bills for power used outside of daylight hours? 0000011077 00000 n But you probably would not recover the cost of the battery within its lifetime. Many NSW rural situations are limited to 3Kw export, due to the length of the transmission lines. (We are conected to a 25Kw transformer, with 5 consumers connected.). Im in the same situation, except I have an existing 5kW system. Put down your weapons.3. My solar installer applied to Powercor to install a 5.4kw system at my Point Cook address. 0000028638 00000 n 3. But, if you are really keen, I suppose you could use a site such as PV Institutes Live PV Map to see how other solar systems in your general area are performing: Note that patchy cloud can produce a lot of variation in output. 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 I could easily share my excess power for the time I am not irrigating my crops. JackD 1 year ago. 0000004059 00000 n The Good: In these locations, properties can usually install up to 10 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity if they have single-phase power and up to 30 kilowatts with 3 phase power. At the time of the powerwall install I also had the Gateway installed at an extra cost so I could keep using the generated power from the powerwall and during solar production when the powergrit fell out without danger for the grit workers because the Gateway instantly falls and prevent power to the grit. Economically this probably Is not viable, as our electricity bill is fairly low. Has the oppressive authority in WA ever given a reason for not allowing export limited inverters in WA? 100% I also dont know if my meter has limiting but suspect not as it is a pretty dumb device. I dont quite understand how the DC energy from the inverter can go to my home circuits first, before any excess current is fed into the grid. While there are some energy management measures that could help around the edges, I cant think of any good solutions for the typical business. 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. I just dont understand it. If you are using Enphase microinverters which is extremely likely the whole system can be export limited using the Enphase Envoy gateway. 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. 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. But you may as well just get a standard inverter and send your excess electricity into the grid. Why on earth would I do that if I can help it. 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. Victorias CitiPower area: The Melbourne Central Business District. Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. 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. It appears the wire from the inverter is directly connected to my main fuse for the house circuits. So basically the whole local industry is going to be cactus until this is resolved. For example, I can see several Energex profiles that do things like limit export to differing amounts, turns on Volt-var without Volt-watt, or sets the power factor to 0.9. There is not likely to be an Enphase system without a gateway (called the Envoy with in the Enphase system), because this is needed to setup the system, configure its profiles and report production and other important functions of the system. All these profiles need to dance carefully around the problem. A condition of this basic connection offer is that all inverter energy systems must have the volt-watt and volt-var response modes enabled with the following settings: But whether or not extra solar capacity will pay for itself is another matter. Im trying to get some unbiased advice on whether or not we should add more solar. Or is the energy produced by the panels but dissipated somehow? Its also worth taking a look in case you shied away from installing solar panels in the past because of the situation now might be the time to revisit the idea. But depending on our network capacity, export constraints may influence the size of the unit they install. (2nd one APPROVAL/SITE SPECIFIC CONDITION(s): Total Solar Export must be limited to 5kW). But, if you are living in an area where it is required to install a large solar system a situation around half of Australians are in then export limiting can allow a larger system with normally very minor losses of clean solar generation. There are versions without this consumption monitoring (old Non -s version of Envoy and even the Envoy-S without consumption monitoring). 0000037419 00000 n Certainly this dumb meter is not capable of sending current from the inverter selectively to my home circuits and any excess to the grid?