Help re Solar Panels please

BirnamBear · 15 March 2012 at 4:15PM

We have had solar panels fitted recently but I was at work when the installation took place.

I have a feed in meter (make is Elster).The guys made a superb job and everything went smoothly with very neat and tidy workmanship.
The guys told my wife you don't have to do anything but can anyone explain how the feed in meter works.

It has a red light which pulses on and off in daytime so I assume I am making electricity and feeding the grid at those times.

Normally put the dishwasher on when we go out to work but I'm off today and I put a washing on at midday.
The red light still pulsed on and off so was I using my own electricity to do the washing and was also feeding the grid at the same time ?

EricMears · 15 March 2012 at 4:39PM

BirnamBear wrote: »

We have had solar panels fitted recently but I was at work when the installation took place.

I have a feed in meter (make is Elster).The guys made a superb job and everything went smoothly with very neat and tidy workmanship.
The guys told my wife you don't have to do anything but can anyone explain how the feed in meter works.

It has a red light which pulses on and off in daytime so I assume I am making electricity and feeding the grid at those times.

Normally put the dishwasher on when we go out to work but I'm off today and I put a washing on at midday.
The red light still pulsed on and off so was I using my own electricity to do the washing and was also feeding the grid at the same time ?

Can't be definite without knowing a lot about your setup but my electricity is generated on roof, fed to inverters in loft then goes -via the generation meter - to main consumer unit (in basement). Meter therefore measures everything that has been generated.

After it gets to CU, it's either sent to washing machine etc or exported. There is no actual (official) measurement of what is used or exported.

Just to complicate things, I also measure (separately) the amount being generated and the amount being used and calculate what is actually being exported although do not report that to anybody.

BirnamBear · 15 March 2012 at 4:50PM

EricMears wrote: »

Can't be definite without knowing a lot about your setup but my electricity is generated on roof, fed to inverters in loft then goes -via the generation meter - to main consumer unit (in basement). Meter therefore measures everything that has been generated.

After it gets to CU, it's either sent to washing machine etc or exported. There is no actual (official) measurement of what is used or exported.

Just to complicate things, I also measure (separately) the amount being generated and the amount being used and calculate what is actually being exported although do not report that to anybody.

Your set up mirrors mine apart from my consumer unit being right beside my generation meter.

Thanks for info.I guess on really hot days the right light will pulse faster or stay on completely.

Fruit_and_Nut_Case · 15 March 2012 at 6:47PM

!!!!!! wrote: »

1 flash = 1 watt produced

No! 1 flash = 1 watthour produced

Kernel_Sanders · 15 March 2012 at 8:32PM

Fruit_and_Nut_Case wrote: »

No! 1 flash = 1 watthour produced

No need to shout!
But yes, the correction is necessary otherwise the OP would be wondering why it is showing 1800W but only flashing every other second. So, if you are generating 3600W continuously for an hour, that totals 3.6kWh i.e. you are accumulating 1Wh every second.
You can also estimate your production by measuring the frequency of the flashes with the stopwatch on your phone; simply divide 3600 by the timing, hence every 12.00 secs = 300W, every 9.00 secs = 400W etc.
The red light is unaffected by your consumption, and shines continuously when you have stopped generating.

grahamc2003 · 15 March 2012 at 8:50PM

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

No need to shout!
But yes, the correction is necessary otherwise the OP would be wondering why it is showing 1800W but only flashing every other second. So, if you are generating 3600W continuously for an hour, that totals 3600kWh or 1Wh every second.
You can also estimate your production by measuring the frequency of the flashes with the stopwatch on your phone: Every 12.00 secs = 300W, every 9.00 secs = 400W etc.
The red light is unaffected by your consumption, and shines continuously when you have stopped generating.

That's not a bad return - 3600kWh means a fit of £1584 for that hour (assuming the 44p fit rate). I expect you must be in Essex!

Kernel_Sanders · 16 March 2012 at 2:53AM

grahamc2003 wrote: »

That's not a bad return - 3600kWh means a fit of £1584 for that hour (assuming the 44p fit rate). I expect you must be in Essex!

Well, I like the way larkim thanks your post but not mine! :shocked:
Of course, he cannot know from the edit times that my correction was made before your post, but you know it was, don't you!!

sly_dog_jonah · 16 March 2012 at 12:03PM

!!!!!! wrote: »

1 flash = 1 watt produced
The more light on the panels the faster it flash

if suplly meter is on a constant red = electricity is going into the grid

And if the generation meter LED is solid red, you're not generating anything (it's too dark).

BirnamBear · 16 March 2012 at 12:48PM

sly_dog_jonah wrote: »

And if the generation meter LED is solid red, you're not generating anything (it's too dark).

Supply meter will be the one in the loft beside the inverter ?

Have not looked at that all.

My generation meter is in a cupboard beside my mains supply and it was with regard to that re pulsing red lights and a solid red light.

Martyn1981 · 16 March 2012 at 1:01PM

BirnamBear wrote: »

Supply meter will be the one in the loft beside the inverter ?

Have not looked at that all.

My generation meter is in a cupboard beside my mains supply and it was with regard to that re pulsing red lights and a solid red light.

Hello BB. Probably the other way round, the TGM (total generation meter) will be the 'new' one, installed with the PV. Your supply meter, will be the 'old' one, that was there already.

The more you generate, the faster the flashes on the TGM (1 flash = 1Whr generated). Your supply or sometimes called import meter, will work as normal, also flashing Whrs as you consume imported electricity. The more you generate, the less import, and when generation is greater than you need, you won't be importing anything, and your import meter will probably display a constant red light which means you are exporting any excess.

Mart.

sly_dog_jonah · 16 March 2012 at 4:41PM

Yep Mart's spot on.

Your generation meter will sit somewhere between your inverter (typically loft) and your fuse board / consumer unit. If the generation meter is flashing you are generating electricity, the faster the flash the more the power you're generating.

The supply (import) meter won't have been touched by your PV supplier (but may need to updated by elec supplier if it is mechanical). If it is has a light on it, it will flash as you import power (this only applies to digital meters, not mechanical ones that 'go backwards').

If you're not importing any power off the grid, the light will be solid red. The imported power will be zero when:

[Generated power] - [consumed power] > 0
(eg when it's sunny and the house is empty with no appliances on)

If your consumption exceeds generation at a particular time (eg at sunset):
[Generated power] + [imported power] = consumed power

If your consumption is less than generation at a particular time (eg at noon):
[Generated power] - [exported power] = consumed power

You can rearrange any of the above equations to suit your requirements

Help re Solar Panels please

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