But depending on our network capacity, export constraints may influence the size of the unit they install. Here at SolarQuotes, we had been hearing quite a few complaints about Powercors zero export limits. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that the stricter export limitation becomes, it will make a stronger argument for batteries. Amongst other things, AS4777.2015 has some requirements to shutdown on phase imbalance in a 3 phase setup. 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 . Finally! 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. embedded generation system to the CitiPower and Powercor low voltage networks. 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. Solar export limiting, or 'export limiting', occurs most often when there is more power being pushed into the grid than it can handle. The good news is, even in a worst-case situation, the amount will be fairly minor. The solar PV system is connected to the network via an inverter. I have a 10kw Solar Edge inverter limited to 5kw. VAr (var % rated VA) 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. 306 47 I also dont know if my meter has limiting but suspect not as it is a pretty dumb device. 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%. . Now, that would help protect electricity grids, especially, the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, for the present. The inverter reduces the amount of electrical energy supplied by the solar panels. But you probably would not recover the cost of the battery within its lifetime. 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 ?.) And Set Power Limit to 100%. 0000029403 00000 n Similarly, which would be more detrimental to a fragile electricity grid, through power exporting; a 5kW inverter with no export limiting, or, a 10kW inverter, with export limiting set to 1kW? I do NOT have a device in my meter box that could tell the inverter anything about consumption and feed in energy. Is this correct? 0000001260 00000 n endstream endobj 351 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/Index[17 289]/Length 31/Size 306/Type/XRef/W[1 1 1]>>stream 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. The data has 5KW flat lining confirming more is being generated. 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 solar installer or customer must have sought and received pre-approval from us for the requested capacity of the generator. I cant justify the cost of adding additional solar if the max I can export with Essential energy is 3kwh. 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? 0000001575 00000 n 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? 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. 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. A Decent Battery From sonnen. 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. Unfortunately, the meter companies and inverter manufacturers cant get their shit together, and the utility meters refuse to talk to the inverters. 2. There are versions without this consumption monitoring (old Non -s version of Envoy and even the Envoy-S without consumption monitoring). If at any moment in time you are generating more solar electricity than you need, the excess is exported to the grid. 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 a new residential PV system in Perth WA, 6.6kW total panel capacity and a 5kW inverter (Growatt Min 5000TL-X). Im in regional WA with a rural 2 phase supply. hour of charging is enough to drive 35km.. 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. Enter your postcode now. 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? About CitiPower and Powercor FACT SHEET: SOLAR EXPORT APPROVAL Set appliances to use your solar power Maintenance and safety checks are important JackD 1 year ago. Export limiting generally isnt permitted. %PDF-1.4 % 2. 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. South Australian solar panel owners can currently export 5 kilowatts of electricity to the grid but under Flexible Exports, they could export double that amount 10kW. I am on my second Tesla EV and the new one has a rage of 700km if youre not a lead foot. AC Output Data 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 . Assume positive intention.4. The earth is used as one conductor which has a higher resistance than a copper wire. Ronald Fronius Wattpilot: A Smart EV Charger With A Short Warranty, You Wont Believe How Dumb The NSW Governments New Battery Calculator Is. 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. Its the same with kW and hours of solar electricity production. Upgrading the local electricity network so more businesses and households can export excess solar to share. People have done it at fairly low cost with second hand panels and a DC pump.) NSWs Ausgrid Network Area: This covers East Sydney, Newcastle, and out to Merriwa. Many Australian homes are not allowed to export more than 5 kW to the grid. 1. Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals Certainly this dumb meter is not capable of sending current from the inverter selectively to my home circuits and any excess to the grid? First read the section How Export Limiting Works at the top of this thread. So my understanding of the info above is that my inverter will increase production in unison with demand until it hits 5kw? 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. 0000037764 00000 n Does anyone have similar experience with powercor? 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. Its located in Ausnet Services' Distribution Area but Ausnet is not part of the CitiPower, Powercor and UnitedEnergy . So basically the whole local industry is going to be cactus until this is resolved. reliable export limit control function as per AS4777.2 to limit the export output where the . 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. ( Sorry Andrew: NQR. 0% If you are in the solar industry - try to get to the truth, not the sale.5. 0 Website link shows system producing well over 10 kW. Am planning to install solar 6.6 kWh system and upon checking with powercor they are giving export limit as 0 kWh. 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%. I was told to set Power Limit to ON. 207 About 50%. 0000029011 00000 n We are on a zero limited export. For any amount above the daily export, you will receive our standard retailer feed-in tariff of 5 . 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. Im glad to hear its flexible enough to do that. 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. The majority of customers are approved for the export level they request. Makes sense but begs my next question (sorry). 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. 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. This certainly goes well beyond initial configuration and reporting. Some manufacturers may have this pre-selected. In future, will powercor allow export limit if they upgrade transformer? I think that the limiter can connect only to one inverter and not two at the same time. That would provide both export limiting, and, the incorporation of a battery system (for my household, if we would have a 6.6 kW panels generating capacity system, rather than the 5kW one that we have, something like the BYD LVS 20 or 24kWh battery tower, would, I believe be appropriate), which would provide for energy arbitrage, smoothing both power exported to the grid, and, power imported from the grid, especially during peak demand periods. And doing so potentially puts you running in a non compliant state. 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. 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). Hi i want to install solar with no power No unfortunately. So, if a contractor or tradesman, using one of these during the day, or, another type of worker, gets home after work, and, plugs one of these in to charge, an immediate drain of 7 kW (I believe that it is actually 7.4 kW), and immediate significant drain is imposed on the grid, for several hours, during peak demand. If they want a big solar system with an inverter larger than 5 kW, they must export limit the inverter. We are in an area where only about 20% of the homes have solar. After all, Im a big picture kind of guy. Origin offers 8 cents per kWh until a daily export limit of 14 kWh is reached. 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. 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. 0000008571 00000 n This 80% could translate to an estimated 50,000 current or potential solar customers able to export more solar to the grid. Ronald was born more years ago than he can remember. Can anyone shed any light for me? 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. 220 hb```f``sd`c`edd@ A >hp`86s8::\ MNmOe0pYuR`i g G7@ $n@]A#&S_2.dx f Why my Power Limit is set to ON with the % whereas her Power Limit is set to OFF and she has been exporting. I installed 6.6kw solar panels and have Goodwe 5kw inverter and applied for export limit of 5kw. 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. 0000018244 00000 n Definitely, thats an inverter that is export limited to zero. 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. The uptake of solar has surprised the powers that be so they are basically wasting free energy and penalizing the producers in the process. Powercor is the Distributed Network Service Provider for central and western Victoria, as well as Melbournes western suburbs. 3. 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! So if an inverter that is export limited to 5 kilowatts is providing 8 kilowatts of power, none of it will go to waste provided the home is consuming at least 3 kilowatts at the time. Ready for some quotes? What Happens to the Surplus Power That Can't Be Exported to the Grid? Only residential homes with inverters of 5 kilowatts or less can receive the states. 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.