Funny read for the guys with Solar

[Muhendis]

5 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

No, it just means the inverter is exactly balancing its output against local consumption, so grid power is zero.

 

If there's no solar the inverter is quite happily importing for local usage and battery charging if you have it configured like that.

Hmm!

Assuming you have a system with batteries, I guess that means there could be times you are using grid power without knowing, like when heavily overcast.

Is there a way to make sure that you don't use grid power in daytime during cloudy moments? (like a UPS function perhaps)

[BritManToo]

18 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Hmm!

Assuming you have a system with batteries, I guess that means there could be times you are using grid power without knowing, like when heavily overcast.

Is there a way to make sure that you don't use grid power in daytime during cloudy moments? (like a UPS function perhaps)

My inverter only charges the batteries from solar.

Then the house power comes from

1st choice solar

2nd choice solar+ battery

3rd choice battery

4th and final choice grid.

[Muhendis]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My inverter only charges the batteries from solar.

Then the house power comes from

1st choice solar

2nd choice solar+ battery

3rd choice battery

4th and final choice grid.

Yeah.

And that's the way it should be. So what's going on in the isle of oz?

How come the grid seems to be able to take control of an inverter?

[Crossy]

10 hours ago, Muhendis said:

How come the grid seems to be able to take control of an inverter?

 

Because the systems in question are grid-tie (no batteries). If the grid can't take the generated energy the authority shut down export.

 

Hence my friends adding batteries to store that energy that would have been exported if permitted.

[Crossy]

12 hours ago, Muhendis said:

Is there a way to make sure that you don't use grid power in daytime during cloudy moments? (like a UPS function perhaps)

 

A properly configured hybrid will only import grid energy when there is low sunshine and the batteries are depleted.

 

There is nothing to stop you configuring it to never import - all that happens is your lights go out if there's  not enough solar and your batteries are depleted.

 

The whole point of running hybrid (of either on or off grid flavour) is to ensure you always have power, they are inherently a UPS.

 

I'm not really sure what the confusion here is to be honest. Maybe start by forgetting about the batteries and consider how a pure grid-tie system works, then do the same with it set to "no export". Once that's clear you can add an ESS into the fray.

 

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

A properly configured hybrid will only import grid energy when there is low sunshine and the batteries are depleted.

 

There is nothing to stop you configuring it to never import - all that happens is your lights go out if there's  not enough solar and your batteries are depleted.

 

The whole point of running hybrid (of either on or off grid flavour) is to ensure you always have power, they are inherently a UPS.

 

I'm not really sure what the confusion here is to be honest. Maybe start by forgetting about the batteries and consider how a pure grid-tie system works, then do the same with it set to "no export". Once that's clear you can add an ESS into the fray.

 

That's pretty much as I had in mind.

The confusion enters from the article you linked as follows:

 

It's called "curtailment", which is where an electricity generating system stops exporting to the grid or even temporarily shuts down, effectively wasting energy that could have been used.

This week, Western Australia followed South Australia in granting authorities the power to turn off household solar systems when the electricity network is under severe stress.

 

That "power to turn off household solar systems" implies there is a switch in the grid tie inverter which is accessible to the "authorities". I hope that is not the case and never becomes so.

[Crossy]

14 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

That "power to turn off household solar systems" implies there is a switch in the grid tie inverter which is accessible to the "authorities". I hope that is not the case and never becomes so.

 

There most definitely is external control in some GTIs for certain markets, Oz being one of them ???? 

 

If your inverter has WiFi then it most likely has the facility for external control, whether that control is enabled or exercised by those in control ....

[Muhendis]

17 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

There most definitely is external control in some GTIs for certain markets, Oz being one of them ???? 

 

If your inverter has WiFi then it most likely has the facility for external control, whether that control is enabled or exercised by those in control ....

So, if the electricity company is producing more electricity than is required it is the GTI installations that are at fault and must therefore be switched off. 

I find that less than democratic and also it flies in the face of reducing fossil fuel reliance.

I wonder how long before the rest of the world follows suit. 

Maybe I should stay off grid.