Renewables: "talking 'bout my generation"

Zarch

JKenH wrote: »

Edit 2: Zarch, you use the PV Output website- how does your actual generation compare with the figures that appear on there?

0.64 here today.... dull as dishwater.

Okay, my monitoring has turned a bit complicated and still in flux as i'm changing systems.

With regard Solar Edge monitoring though, it almost always reports 2.5% HIGHER than my generation meter at the end of each day.

I've gone a bit high tech having installed and have been tinkering with the following; emonPi

https://openenergymonitor.org/

A CT clamp based solution running on a Raspberry Pi.

I intend doing a proper post on it in the next few weeks once i've ironed out the kinks. But i'm now using the emonPi CT clamp readings for both my usage and generation, both are which are squirted up to PVOutput. I've turned off SolarEdge > PVOutput as I don't need that now.

The emonPi is configurable, its been in a few weeks and i've calibrated it over the weekend, so i'm happier that its now closer to Generation Meter than the SolarEdge inverter. I will continue to monitor over the coming weeks and compare versus SolarEdge.

My aim in all this investment is to get as accurate as possible figures against my generation meter and my export meter. So that the £ + and - figures coming out of PVOutput as as accurate as I can get them. I want to see how much i'm receiving from FIT and using via export.

Bottom line, there is always 1 to 2% accepted variance on all meters/monitors. I think you just have to accept that and hope you're on the right side of the variance.

Also, PVOutput is only as accurate as the data it is being fed. Be that from an emonPi, SolarEdge inverter or some other data manipulation tool.

Zarch

JKenH wrote: »

0.31 Os today which is consistent with Legoman. We have had a pretty uniformly grey sky today in North Lincolnshire with my east and west roofs performing pro rata to the number of panels which is as one would expect in diffuse light. I was a little surprised to see therefore that the Solar Edge system 100 yds away produced 30% more kWh/kWp. Are Solar Edge systems that much better? I am beginning to get a complex about this.

Edit; my TGM recorded 2.45kWh (which is what I always use for my calculations) while my online inverter monitor recorded just 2.2 kWh

Edit 2: Zarch, you use the PV Output website- how does your actual generation compare with the figures that appear on there?

On re-reading, you are asking a different question about SolarEdge versus conventional string inverters.

My installer said he thought SolarEdge was worth it over time even on conventional single aspect setups.

Obviously with me having 4 different aspects I needed SE.

So the question, Even without 'shade' do SolarEdge optimised panels working independently work better than a conventional string of panels, which by design only work as well as the worst performing panel?

ie with string if you have 17 panels, 16 working at 80% and just one at 50% (dirty/faulty/shade/bird crap), everything works at 50%.

Whereas with SE the crappy one would be at 50% and the other 16 unfussed at 80%.

And with SE, you can see the individual power output of every panel at every part of the day through their monitoring website.

Maybe a question for a new thread rather than clutter this on-going thread?

Merlin139

Poor dull day!

In cricket terms Its a Nelson in O's for me today!

Coastalwatch

Merlin139 wrote: »

Poor dull day!

In cricket terms Its a Nelson in O's for me today!

? For those of us not familiar with cricketing terms is there any chance of an explanation!


In partly sunny Suffolk 1.81 O's today.:)

Merlin139

Coastalwatch wrote: »

? For those of us not familiar with cricketing terms is there any chance of an explanation!

:rotfl: Nelson it is said only had 1 Arm, 1 Eye and 1 Ball :rotfl:

So 111 but in terms of O's 1.11 :D

JKenH

Zarch wrote: »

Maybe a question for a new thread rather than clutter this on-going thread?

Maybe so. The original thread was about how much is being generated but in fact the majority of posts are about efficiency (kWh/kWp or Os). It just seemed having posted my own results to enquire why my neighbours panels should be 30% more efficient than mine on a day when they should perform similarly. You have answered my question about your system thanks..:beer:

Back to the original theme of the thread I generated 3.55 kWh today.

KevinG

Merlin139 wrote: »

So 111 but in terms of O's 1.11 :D

I had no idea either but Google solved it in about 2 seconds!

KevinG

JKenH wrote: »

Back to the original theme of the thread I generated 3.55 kWh today.

... or 0.455 Os in the language we understand
I managed 2.01 Os today, which is half-decent.

legoman62

0.975 O's here today:(:mad:

Oscargrouch

legoman62 wrote: »

0.975 O's here today:(:mad:

Only 1.8 O's here..:rotfl: what can one say?...:D:)..