Is my solar installation incorrect

EricMears

Reed_Richards said:

Yes, my battery is on the DC side of the inverter.  The export control limit is a software setting but I don't know if I could actually change it if I tried; since my export is deemed for payment purposes there isn't really any point in trying.

It's not really about payment - export limitation is to prevent you sending more power to grid than you've been authorised.

Reed_Richards

@EricMears, yes I understand why there is a limit.  But if I took umbrage against my electricity supplier it seems that I might be able to set my export limit to zero and still get paid the same amount for deemed export.  As things stand, on a sunny day I run out of things to do with my PV electricity at about 2 pm so I really do export plenty.  

EricMears

Reed_Richards said:

@EricMears, yes I understand why there is a limit.  But if I took umbrage against my electricity supplier it seems that I might be able to set my export limit to zero and still get paid the same amount for deemed export.  As things stand, on a sunny day I run out of things to do with my PV electricity at about 2 pm so I really do export plenty.  

That would be rather silly !  Limiting exports in that way would reduce output of inverter hence reducing your FIT receipts.

I don't have a battery (still waiting for price of them or V2H kit to become affordable) but would imagine that they'd need a similar policy to 'free' EV charging - i.e. charge whenever you can but not above 90% unless anticipating a large usage very soon. 

Ectophile

EricMears said:

Reed_Richards said:

@EricMears, yes I understand why there is a limit.  But if I took umbrage against my electricity supplier it seems that I might be able to set my export limit to zero and still get paid the same amount for deemed export.  As things stand, on a sunny day I run out of things to do with my PV electricity at about 2 pm so I really do export plenty.  

That would be rather silly !  Limiting exports in that way would reduce output of inverter hence reducing your FIT receipts.

I don't have a battery (still waiting for price of them or V2H kit to become affordable) but would imagine that they'd need a similar policy to 'free' EV charging - i.e. charge whenever you can but not above 90% unless anticipating a large usage very soon. 

If it's a new install, then there won't be any FITs anyway.  But there are tariffs that will pay a few pence per unit for exported electricity.

Martyn1981

Ectophile said:

EricMears said:

Reed_Richards said:

@EricMears, yes I understand why there is a limit.  But if I took umbrage against my electricity supplier it seems that I might be able to set my export limit to zero and still get paid the same amount for deemed export.  As things stand, on a sunny day I run out of things to do with my PV electricity at about 2 pm so I really do export plenty.  

That would be rather silly !  Limiting exports in that way would reduce output of inverter hence reducing your FIT receipts.

I don't have a battery (still waiting for price of them or V2H kit to become affordable) but would imagine that they'd need a similar policy to 'free' EV charging - i.e. charge whenever you can but not above 90% unless anticipating a large usage very soon. 

If it's a new install, then there won't be any FITs anyway.  But there are tariffs that will pay a few pence per unit for exported electricity.

Hiya, he said that his export was deemed, which suggests that it's a FiTs scheme.
I did at first think he meant wasting the export, perhaps a heater in the garden, thus maintaining generation, but when I re-read it, he does seem to be talking about capping gen to eliminate export, which seems odd.

Reed_Richards

Sorry, I didn't mean to drag this thread-off topic; it's just that I keep being surprised to discover that many other solar PV installations aren't quite the same as mine - which is just over 2 years old now, so I was just in time to register for FIT payments before they were abolished. 

mnbvcxz

To the best of my limited knowledge solaredge optimisers or enphase microinverters come with fancy controls which let you limit exports. Doubtless the smarter more intelligent inverters can do this too. But the basic standard inverters can't. They are cheaper but basic, no control.

As to OP four extra panels doesn't sound like it is necessarily bad. Cheapest time to add them during an existing installation and people often say add panels till you fill the space basically. 

The installer may have genuinely thought they were giving you their best guidance and this was a good setup. Some areas you never get granted a dno exemption.

Or they may have been cowboys who wanted to sell you extra, did shoddy work, have overloaded the invertor and were too lazy to make a dno request. But there is nothing from what you describe that proves this is the case...

Still in the mornings, evenings and winter when your output is under 3.6kw smile in the knowledge that you are getting an extra 40% thanks to your extra four panels. Clever you.