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. I have a 5kw solar system plus a Tesla powerwall 2 on my house . 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 also dont know if my meter has limiting but suspect not as it is a pretty dumb device. 2. This is sufficient to charge a battery, although larger solar systems generally improve the return from batteries. xref 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. However they have been advised that this wont be allowed anymore. 0000038030 00000 n 0000005359 00000 n It clicked, not long after I wrote the comment, My 10 kW system will not go above 10 kW unless my house battery is charging and then it can go to 13.25 kW. 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. And, when battery powered road vehicles with adequate distance capacity (I have read that VW expects to release a battery powered station wagon, with range between charges, of 700km, in 2023 (although, unless Australia wakes up, such vehicles will be unlikely to come to this neolithic country) ) are available, and, even for the rare ones that apparently, already exist in Australia (having not yet seen a battery powered vehicle in Australia, I wonder whether they are simply an urban myth, as to their presence in this backward country), when would they get charged, if people would only charge them at home? it is, kind of, effectively export limiting. I have spoken to one installer , but he couldnt really help me . This is often referred to as 'network constraints'. The good news is, if you had a total of 6.6 kilowatts of solar youd probably loose very little due to export limiting if you consume half the output of a 3 kilowatt system and can export 3 kilowatts. Is this default, or would it be programmed in if the distributor required it? South Australia Power Networks (SAPN) area: SAPN is the only distributor in South Australia. In contrast, most other network distributors set a strict upper limit on the size solar panel system you can install, typically 10kW for single-phase properties. Reminder: In Australia, you are allowed to install 33% more panel capacity than the inverter capacity for example, a 10 kW inverter can have up to 13.33 kW of panels attached. I have not been able to get an answer from Growatt Australia yet, it seems there is a bit of a cover-up going on. Rooftop solar works by turning sunlight into electric power. How is export limited for micro-inverters? 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. 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. Interesting article. Queenslands Energex area: South East Queensland. 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. 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. Regarding batteries, as we all know from our mobile phones, constantly being charged and discharged, will deteriorate much quicker than PV panels (and the same that goes for phones, laptops, and your electric toothbrush also goes for solar and electric vehicle batteries, unfortunately). Thats a furphy from go to whoa. Powercor wrote back with the following response:"Due to the size of t . 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. 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. The earth is used as one conductor which has a higher resistance than a copper wire. Do the inverters prevent the production of energy by the solar panels when an export limit would otherwise be exceeded? But there will often be times when the solar system will produce more power than can be exported, so some energy will be lost3. 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. Please confirm the maximum export limit in the relevant section of this application.. Real names are preferred - you should be happy to put your name to your comments.2. The solar PV system is connected to the network via an inverter. 0000037380 00000 n Im afraid in a typical situation the inverter wont show its potential output. ), converting to a maximum of 5kW of AC power, whilst the GW10K-MS provides for up to 13.5kW of panels generating capacity, across three MPPTs (strings? Please make sure you engage early with our team through eConnect to check on network capacity for your customers. What is the go generally with adding an additional solar system to your home? 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. While export limiting is possible its not always approved. hooked up to an energy efficient 44kW motor for a real-world 100 litres alone means little, but if there are 100 litres per hour, this means 100 litre hours of output. 100% House batteries should have the capability of being set to turn off when they are fully charged and then on towards the middle of the day. 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 . Export limiting does limit the inverter output, but only as needed to keep the export power below the limit. If your pumping needs are large enough this can pay for itself, but it will be expensive to set up. Definition A low voltage embedded generation connection in CitiPower and Powercor is defined as "an LV EG system with a total system capacity greater than 30kVA for a three-phase IES or non-IES (excluding ESS) network connection that is: Now, that would help protect electricity grids, especially, the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, for the present. 0000005986 00000 n Sometimes Powercor can reduce that to a lower figure, or even set a zero-export limit. I have divided Australias regions into three categories: The information below assumes the property is on the main grid. 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. Makes sense but begs my next question (sorry). Do you know the situation here? 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. Yes I do have Enphase micro-inverters and an Envoy gateway, though not enough sunny roof to exceed 5kW, so my interest is rather academic but real. Can you provide comment and evaluation of power tracing please. 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. reliable export limit control function as per AS4777.2 to limit the export output where the . 60% lagging I have a 14kW solar array running Enphase IQ7+ microinverters (43 of them) hooked up to the grid in a 3-phase configuration in the Endeavour Energy area in NSW, and they currently have the profile AU default AS4777.2:2015 30kVa, Vv, Vw set. 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. If you are using Enphase microinverters which is extremely likely the whole system can be export limited using the Enphase Envoy gateway. In an Enphase system, that is with the Envoy-S with consumption monitoring. March 2022 6 Powercor means Powercor Australia Limited, ABN 89 064 651 109. portal means the eConnect portal for CitiPower and . Why on earth would I do that if I can help it. Are Tesla Powerwall smart enough to let majority of power export to grid and only start charging battery as inverter approaches its export limit? While losses increase as the solar power system size goes up, even with 10 kilowatts of panels which is twice the export limit, only 13% of generation is lost. 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%. 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 am surprised to hear that Powercor has allowed you to increase your exports, but that is good to hear. Worried the impact this will have currently when we charge an EV in the near term. embedded generation system to the CitiPower and Powercor low voltage networks. Furthermore, the sustained overvoltage inverter protection set point shall be set to 258V. In writing I was advised: It owns and operates the states largest electricity distribution network, and is responsible for more than half a million poles and over 88,000 kilometres of powerlines. But it took him about another ten years to focus on it in a way that wasnt really stupid, Good Article. Amongst other things, AS4777.2015 has some requirements to shutdown on phase imbalance in a 3 phase setup. No active system controls whether you use inverter of imported power. The following is a list of the areas in case youve been missed. In my case, I have N & W facing panels, My inverters clip to 5Kw for a few hours, but I can still export a reasonable amount. Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals So it is unfortunate that it is necessary, but good that people can still install a larger system and generally have insignificant losses. A man named Canute, proved that, centuries ago. It is critical that you install an approved smart inverter and set it correctly. 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. Enter your postcode now. The percentage var/VA level leading is the inverter sourcing vars to the grid, whereas the percentage var/VA level lagging is the inverter sinking vars from the grid. Ill upgrade the Endeavour Energy area from Ugly to Bad, since things are clearly not all bad there. The daily export limit is averaged across your billing period (calculated by multiplying the number of days in your billing period by your daily export limit of 14 kWh). I know in the movie the Bad was worse than the Ugly, but thats not the way Im doing it. The solar installer or customer must have sought and received pre-approval from us for the requested capacity of the generator. 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 This is because even if there is only a refrigerator running during the day it will reduce the losses from export limiting and if an effort is made to shift electricity consumption to the middle of the day then losses can be mostly or entirely eliminated. I am a bit confused about export. 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. Can one have micro-inverter panels without a gateway, and how would that be limited? But still the solar companies keep trying to sell it to me.. Powercor is the Distributed Network Service Provider for central and western Victoria, as well as Melbournes western suburbs. 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! Anyway you are probably not supposed to be messing around with the profiles without agreement of your DNSP. Hi As your sister can presumably export as much power as her solar inverter can produce it wouldnt need this device. An option is to take your pumps off-grid and run them independently off a separate off-grid solar system. No-one seems to have replied Dirk, so I will try. Aside from that, when you have high resistance lines, there is a voltage drop over their length. Victorias United Energy Network Area: A large chunk of Melbourne on the east side Port Phillip Bay and the Bayside Peninsula. Why my Power Limit is set to ON with the % whereas her Power Limit is set to OFF and she has been exporting. ACTs EvoEnergy Network Area: Covers most homes in the ACT, especially in built-up areas. Finally! Australian Rooftop Solar Powers Rise Astounding, But.. Australias Emissions: Electricity Down, Transport Up, Compare Feed-In Tariffs And Electricity Plans, Victorias Powercor Lifts Its Solar Exports Game, 3029: Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina, 3030: Cocoroc, Derrimut, Point Cook, Werribee, Werribee South, 3551: Ascot (Greater Bendigo), Axe Creek, Axedale, Bagshot, East Bendigo, Emu Creek, Eppalock, Epsom, 3337: Kurunjang, Melton, Melton West, Toolern Vale, 3340: Bacchus Marsh, Balliang, Coimadai, Darley, Hopetoun Park, Long Forest, Maddingley, Merrimu, 3352: Bonshaw, Bungaree, Bunkers Hill, Burrumbeet, Cambrian Hill, Cardigan, Cardigan Village, Clarendon, 3305: Bolwarra, Cape Bridgewater, Gorae West, Heathmere, Portland, Portland North, Portland West, 3444: Baynton, Kyneton, Lauriston, Lyal, Metcalfe, Redesdale, Tylden 3465 Alma, Bowenvale, Daisy Hill, Maryborough. Efficiency has and will improve further over time, but never to the point of perpetuity. At the moment a battery system is unlikely to pay for itself, but you could install a system that is larger than what makes financial sense for your current situation and hope home batteries will fall in price over the next few years. Hi All, Youll also start receiving the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date on all the latest developments on Australias solar scene. 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. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since. As such, unless the investment pays for itself within at most 5-6 years, IMHO it is not a good investment/waste of money and natural resources. What Happens to the Surplus Power That Can't Be Exported to the Grid? Surely the distributors capping what you can export to the grid is a bad thing? 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. 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. 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. Victorias CitiPower area: The Melbourne Central Business District. In a Enphase system, only the Envoy can provide this. just wondering if anybody can shed some light on the following, My solar installer applied to Powercor to install a 5.4kw system at my Point Cook address. Im surprised this hasnt hit the mainstream media yet. 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. I live in Warrnambool, Victoria. 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. If you are interested you can read about this here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/inverters/mppt/. (Although they will also allow an additional 5 kilowatts of battery inverter capacity.) 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.