So now I have a solar PV system how do I make the most of it???

don0301

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

For accurate data collection does your Fronius have a USB port ? (http://www.fronius.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-612DBFB6-8EABE265/fronius_international/hs.xsl/83_19090_ENG_HTML.htm#Datentransfer) ... if it does then I believe you can collect data and analyse it yourself using free Fronius software or directly within a spreadsheet .... I don't have a Fronius so maybe someone else could confirm this and help if you decide to take this route ...

The idea of checking the voltage parameter on the OWL is to set the correct voltage, not to make your readings look more impressive .... we use ours to monitor spot usage, not generation, so it makes absolutely no difference to what we believe the system has produced.

HTH
Z

i have my generation meter for accurate data *rolls eyes*

as i understand it:

you may have a more accurate voltage setting, but as i said, that doesnt take into account the power factor.

so while you may think your voltage setting is accurate, the power reading you get is actually less accurate because of this.

ps the last sentence from my previous post, was to poke fun at you, nothing else....:D

zeupater

don0301 wrote: »

i have my generation meter for accurate data *rolls eyes*

as i understand it:

you may have a more accurate voltage setting, but as i said, that doesnt take into account the power factor.

so while you may think your voltage setting is accurate, the power reading you get is actually less accurate because of this.

ps the last sentence from my previous post, was to poke fun at you, nothing else....:D

My my, you are quite an abrasive individual aren't you .... :rotfl: .... poke fun at me all you like, it's quite enjoyable remembering what it was like to be in the playground ....

Regarding power factor .... for information, I, like a number of others who post on these boards, have analysed the power draw and power factor of the appliances I have in order, amongst other things, to find which the problem items which effect the OWL are .... for example, our microwave on standby consumes ~2.5W with a power factor of 0.02, which results in an apparent power load of 125VA which the OWL really loves, so the microwave gets switched off at the wall ... .... but thanks for the tip and keep poking .... it makes me laugh and you'll probably find that others are having a giggle too ....

HTH
Z

don0301

zeupater wrote: »

My my, you are quite an abrasive individual aren't you .... :rotfl: .... poke fun at me all you like, it's quite enjoyable remembering what it was like to be in the playground ....

Regarding power factor .... for information, I, like a number of others who post on these boards, have analysed the power draw and power factor of the appliances I have in order, amongst other things, to find which the problem items which effect the OWL are .... for example, our microwave on standby consumes ~2.5W with a power factor of 0.02, which results in an apparent power load of 125VA which the OWL really loves, so the microwave gets switched off at the wall ... .... but thanks for the tip and keep poking .... it makes me laugh and you'll probably find that others are having a giggle too ....

HTH
Z

oh dear, are you a cardew or graham clone?

completely ignoring the point, and coming up with some irrelevant dribble?

if you had read previous posts, you would understand i only use my owl to measure my generation. so your "for information" is irrelevant to me. and yes i understand power factor, because i was the one that brought it up *rolls eyes*

the fact remains by setting the voltage as you say, and not taking into account power factor, means your way of setting the owl is less accurate.

it is also true that the owl is a monitor and therefore not highly accurate, my readings are within 5% which is as it says on the tin.

do you always take yourself this seriously?

yes, i do hope many are having a giggle at you.

anyway, this has been stimulating.....

zeupater

don0301 wrote: »

oh dear, are you a cardew or graham clone?

completely ignoring the point, and coming up with some irrelevant dribble?

if you had read previous posts, you would understand i only use my owl to measure my generation. so your "for information" is irrelevant to me. and yes i understand power factor, because i was the one that brought it up *rolls eyes*

the fact remains by setting the voltage as you say, and not taking into account power factor, means your way of setting the owl is less accurate.

it is also true that the owl is a monitor and therefore not highly accurate, my readings are within 5% which is as it says on the tin.

do you always take yourself this seriously?

yes, i do hope many are having a giggle at you.

anyway, this has been stimulating.....

Hi

Thank you for your concern and also posting such technically accurate information again .... so let's look at the power factor on the inverter considering that it's the only thing being measured .... what do Fronius claim it to be ? ... I seem to remember that it's 1 on ours at rated power ..... I am really confident that a number of people with systems are looking forward to being educated as to where we can improve our understanding ..... I love to learn, so please reconcile the following to your referenced post above ....

Yours ...

as i understand it:

you may have a more accurate voltage setting, but as i said, that doesnt take into account the power factor.

so while you may think your voltage setting is accurate, the power reading you get is actually less accurate because of this.

mine ...

Regarding power factor .... for information, I, like a number of others who post on these boards, have analysed the power draw and power factor of the appliances I have in order, amongst other things, to find which the problem items which effect the OWL are .... for example, our microwave on standby consumes ~2.5W with a power factor of 0.02, which results in an apparent power load of 125VA which the OWL really loves, so the microwave gets switched off at the wall

... I would have thought that this would simply demonstrate that power factors were already understood .... it's pretty relevant to understand that at a supply voltage of 243.3V the expected measurement error on an OWL set at 230V would be 5.8% and your OWL error has been stated as being ~5%, I'm sure that I've asked what your actual supply voltage is before .....

HTH
Z

don0301

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

Thank you for your concern and also posting such technically accurate information again .... so let's look at the power factor on the inverter considering that it's the only thing being measured .... what do Fronius claim it to be ? ... I seem to remember that it's 1 on ours at rated power ..... I am really confident that a number of people with systems are looking forward to being educated as to where we can improve our understanding ..... I love to learn, so please reconcile the following to your referenced post above ....

Yours ...

mine ...

... I would have thought that this would simply demonstrate that power factors were already understood .... it's pretty relevant to understand that at a supply voltage of 243.3V the expected measurement error on an OWL set at 230V would be 5.8% and your OWL error has been stated as being ~5%, I'm sure that I've asked what your actual supply voltage is before .....

HTH
Z

tell you what...

instead of "seeming to remember" what yours was/is :cool:

why dont you state what your inverter is and what its power factor is?

according to the destruction manual mine is - 0.85 to 1.

as to your last paragraph, the owl is stated as accurate to 5% by the manufacturer, or 10% depending on current flow. i dont have the number to hand. mine is within that tolerance, so i fail to see your point.

orrery

don0301 wrote: »

as to your last paragraph, the owl is stated as accurate to 5% by the manufacturer, or 10% depending on current flow. i dont have the number to hand. mine is within that tolerance, so i fail to see your point.

.. or 'unspecified' depending on current flow. Mine has an accuracy worse than 90% of reading at low currents.

don0301

orrery wrote: »

.. or 'unspecified' depending on current flow. Mine has an accuracy worse than 90% of reading at low currents.

agreed. thats been covered often enough on here.

zeupater

don0301 wrote: »

tell you what...

instead of "seeming to remember" what yours was/is :cool:

why dont you state what your inverter is and what its power factor is?

according to the destruction manual mine is - 0.85 to 1.

as to your last paragraph, the owl is stated as accurate to 5% by the manufacturer, or 10% depending on current flow. i dont have the number to hand. mine is within that tolerance, so i fail to see your point.

Hello again ....

It doesn't matter what the model of our inverter is because it's not your inverter and it's you that is asking for assistance, as for the tolerance on accuracy on the OWL, would it not be the case that the manufacturer's specifications would be based upon the voltage parameter being correctly set, and therefore would it not therefore be the case that although your readings are within the tolerance, selecting the correct voltage (if not already set) could improve that accuracy ? ... seems quite a logical approach to me ... ... do you still fail to see the point ? ....

For someone asking for information, data and assistance we do seem to have not learned to be less abrasive yet have we .... you can 'tell me what' all day long if you like, however, for one obviously so inexperienced in the matters of pv & forum ettiquete it might be more conducive to 'listen' at times rather than 'tell'.

HTH
Z

don0301

zeupater wrote: »

Hello again ....

It doesn't matter what the model of our inverter is because it's not your inverter and it's you that is asking for assistance, as for the tolerance on accuracy on the OWL, would it not be the case that the manufacturer's specifications would be based upon the voltage parameter being correctly set, and therefore would it not therefore be the case that although your readings are within the tolerance, selecting the correct voltage (if not already set) could improve that accuracy ? ... seems quite a logical approach to me ... ... do you still fail to see the point ? ....

For someone asking for information, data and assistance we do seem to have not learned to be less abrasive yet have we .... you can 'tell me what' all day long if you like, however, for one obviously so inexperienced in the matters of pv & forum ettiquete it might be more conducive to 'listen' at times rather than 'tell'.

HTH
Z

lol

when did i ever ask for your assistance?

my monitor already overreads, if i adjusted the voltage setting higher, it would overread more. do you still fail to see the point ?

the owl monitor is preset by the manufacturer to 230V for the uk market.

you can ask them why they set it at 230 not your 243.3V

you can also tell them how you've magically made their monitor more than 5% accurate (by their own tolerance) by adjusting the voltage setting

you were the one preaching i had the incorrect setting, and how accurate yours was set. so i asked what yours was, as well as giving mine, so we can see whos right.

again, your logic is flawed cos you harp on about correct voltage setting, whilst (again) ignoring the power factor.

you really are a cardew or graham clone :rotfl:

im not gonna bother replying to you anymore, really bored of this (and you) now

enjoy getting the last word

zeupater

don0301 wrote: »

lol

when did i ever ask for your assistance?

the owl monitor is preset by the manufacturer to 230V for the uk market.

you can ask them why they set it at 230 not your 243.3V

you can also tell them how you've magically made their monitor more than 5% accurate (by their own tolerance) by adjusting the voltage setting

you were the one preaching i had the incorrect setting, and how accurate yours was set. so i asked what yours was, as well as giving mine, so we can see whos right.

again, your logic is flawed cos you harp on about correct voltage setting, whilst (again) ignoring the power factor.

you really are a cardew or graham clone :rotfl:

im not gonna bother replying to you anymore, really bored of this (and you) now

enjoy getting the last word

Hi

Still trying to assist ... please consider the following as being a logical reasoning why the referenced post above is flawed.

The NOMINAL voltage for the UK is set as being inline with the NOMINAL voltage across Europe and is set as being 230V, however the UK previously worked on a nominal 240V with most of the rest of Europe on 220V therefore, fudging a standard 230V was quite simple by introducing acceptable tolerances, so in reality 220V is still 220V and 240V supply is still 240V (being within the UK's tolerance of 230V+10%/-6%) ..... this is the reasoning for a default voltage setting of 230V by the manufacturer, and why they have included the option to set the voltage as a parameter (220/230/240/250), a standard setup on their manufacturing line and then ship to whichever country orders them ...

Okay, nominal voltage covered, so let's look at why there are supply voltage tolerances in the first place .... quite simply, distance from a transformer. The further away from the supply transformer the customer is, the more voltage drop experienced, therefore, to ensure that distant nodes receive a decent voltage (within tolerance) the power is supplied above 240V at the transformer, so if you are close to a transformer you get a considerably higher voltage, which in some situations has caused inverters to see as being 'out of specification' and shut down. Add to this the variability of voltage at any node throught the day as the load changes and it becomes quite obvious why tolerances are necessary and that the average supply voltage is pretty much a factor of location ....

As can be seen, what my, or anyone else's OWL monitor is set to makes absolutely no difference if our supply voltages differ .... what has been suggested is that the OWL is set to a voltage which describes the average local supply conditions for the location at which it is installed.

HTH
Z