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stoozey
Posts: 97 Forumite
Following the reading thread. I can recommend pvoutput as a nice easy way to gather good statistics on your system. It is a free service based in Oz but works equally well for us. I will try and help you get the upload working if you get stuck, there are upload scripts for various makes of inverter on the site.
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I have posted my own installation details and I have added two additional pieces of information:
Installers Annual Prediction in kWh
PVGIS Annual Estimation in kWh
as I think it would be useful to know whether each system is over/under achieving.0 -
what is PVGIS ?0
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Hiwhat is PVGIS ?
Details : http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/index.htm
Calculator : http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps4/pvest.php
HTH
Z"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle
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thanks, it is just a little lower than the installer calculation.0
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Hithanks, it is just a little lower than the installer calculation.
Things became a little complicated when they released a new dataset. The 'classic' dataset is probably what most people still use, but the new 'Climate-SAF PVGIS' is more accurate, particularly in hilly/mountainous areas.
For comparison of output you will need to ensure that everyone uses the same dataset ...... another issue will be the 'estimated system losses' as this depends on each installation (inverter make, cable length, cable gauge etc), the default is set to 14% which is a little high for most modern installations, however, for direct comparison it could be argued that this default is adhered to.
HTH
Z"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle0 -
Can anyone explain what it means that the inverter only "kicks in" at a certain voltage?
Our system is newly commssioned, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the Sunny Beam still recording outputs as low as 30W at sunset. My expectations were that the system would stop generating once the output fell to below something like 200W. What is the lowest output people on here have seen from their arrays?
[My system details are in the related thread, post #4]
/\dam0 -
HiCan anyone explain what it means that the inverter only "kicks in" at a certain voltage?
Our system is newly commssioned, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the Sunny Beam still recording outputs as low as 30W at sunset. My expectations were that the system would stop generating once the output fell to below something like 200W. What is the lowest output people on here have seen from their arrays?
[My system details are in the related thread, post #4. (can't link as I am a new user)]
/\dam
The inverter will monitor the DC voltage increase in the morning and only switch in the AC side when the pre-set power level is available and stable. In the evening my system slowly counts down to 0W, so the lowest seen is 1W (Sunny Explorer/Sunnybeam/Inverter).
HTH
Z"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle0 -
Cheers zeupater, and I should also thank you and Cardew for your history of highly informative posts on this board (I've been lurking for months before getting my system installed)
/\dam0 -
A somewhat related question - looking at my Sunny Beam logs, the biggest output so far has been 3.66kW. In another thread there was mention that the inverter is capped to not export more than 3.6kW to the National Grid (apologies if I have misunderstood this). If so, what has happened to my extra 0.06kW - will it have been available to me if I'd needed it, would it have been exported into the grid, and will it still be counted for the FiT?
I have added "peak output logged" to the original thread, as that may be of interest to some people.
Cheers,
/\dam0 -
HiA somewhat related question - looking at my Sunny Beam logs, the biggest output so far has been 3.66kW. In another thread there was mention that the inverter is capped to not export more than 3.6kW to the National Grid (apologies if I have misunderstood this). If so, what has happened to my extra 0.06kW - will it have been available to me if I'd needed it, would it have been exported into the grid, and will it still be counted for the FiT?
I have added "peak output logged" to the original thread, as that may be of interest to some people.
Cheers,
/\dam
Regarding the inverter capping. Your SB4000TL inverter is limited to 16A, which is technically different to 3.6kW due to the grid voltage in your area. If you look at the display on the inverter you will see the current grid voltage. As Volts x Amps = Watts the higher the grid voltage the higher the power which can be produced at 16A ..... hope this makes sense. If, in exceptional conditions, your panels & system losses are capable of producing more than 16A AC the inverter will simply not draw all of the available DC in order to stay within the requirements of G83/1.
The issue with logs, whether on the inverter, Sunnybeam monitor or Sunny Explorer software is that they are averaged readings over a timespan. If you look at the spot reading on any of the above you will see higher & lower readings than the logged (averaged) values. The longer the averaging period, the lower the max power reading is likely to be .... this is the main reason why you see differences in what people record as their maximum power.
HTH
Z"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle0
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