Solar Power System by proxy

Possible stupid question, but this behavior seems strange.

While the batteries were charging the solar provided up to 9 kW. The batteries are now fully charged. As I understand it the solar production should now match the load of the house. So even if it can provide more it will only match the load.

The load is 3 kW, but the solar does not seem to match that, for brief periods it dips to as low as 1.5 kW and then takes power from the grid and batteries to cope with the load. This doesn't seem right as there are now clouds or anything in front of the panels which could cause the dips. Sure the solar panels should easily be able to provide 3kW constantly to power the load. (It's a bright and cloudless day). Are these dips is solar production normal?
 
Have you split essentials/non-essentials?
Is it currently set to zero export to load or to CT?
 
Speedster said:
If there's no non-essentials switch zero export to load.
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Will have the landlords get the installer to come over and take a look at what's going on. So zero export to load should be on? Would something like that be causing this odd behaviour?

I don't want to go changing settings myself and be seen as interfering.
 
Crusader said:
Will have the landlords get the installer to come over and take a look at what's going on. So zero export to load should be on? Would something like that be causing this odd behaviour?

I don't want to go changing settings myself and be seen as interfering.
Click to expand...
If the CT is installed incorrectly (which for some reason it often is) then switching to zero export to load will solve it.

The CT is only used when there are non-essential loads, so it is completely pointless in your installation.
 
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Speedster said:
If the CT is installed incorrectly (which for some reason it often is) then switching to zero export to load will solve it.

The CT is only used when there are non-essential loads, so it is completely pointless in your installation.
Click to expand...
Don't think there is a CT even installed. If I understand correctly on the grid page it should show a value at CT if one is installed correctly. It shows CT as 0 W.
 
Crusader said:
Don't think there is a CT even installed. If I understand correctly on the grid page it should show a value at CT if one is installed correctly. It shows CT as 0 W.
Click to expand...
Then why is it set to zero to CT?
 
Speedster said:
Then why is it set to zero to CT?
Click to expand...
I don't really know what it is set to or how to check. Not familiar with the inverter at all. I was just guessing on what the installer might have set it to. Where can I check this (without modifying settings)?
 
Speedster said:
Click to expand...
Was just watching that video. :)

So if I understand it correctly it limits the amount of power which can be drawn from the grid to meet the load. So assuming 0 solar production with 4.4 kW set it will draw 4.4 kW from the grid and 1.6 kW from battery if the load is 6 kW (and the battery is set to a use of time where it can discharge).
 
Crusader said:
Was just watching that video. :)

So if I understand it correctly it limits the amount of power which can be drawn from the grid to meet the load. So assuming 0 solar production with 4.4 kW set it will draw 4.4 kW from the grid and 1.6 kW from battery if the load is 6 kW (and the battery is set to a use of time where it can discharge).
Click to expand...
Yeah, something to that effect. Haven't played with it too much as it isn't really relevant in SA.
 
Speedster said:
Yeah, something to that effect. Haven't played with it too much as it isn't really relevant in SA.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the help!

Had installer come in to show him the issue. Might have made him kinda mad with all my pointed questions and asking if this or that shouldn't be set. Apparently he has the Grid Peak Shaving set to 4400W because there's only a 20A breaker on the grid connection (if I understood correctly) at this stage. They are in process of having system moved to single phase prepaid.

Checked all the settings and seemed okay. Showed him that the CT coil didn't have a reading. They connected it wrong. Fixed that and it showed a reading [although his CT coil is inside the inverter on the incoming grid line which is questionable if I understand things.]

Solar was still doing odd stuff. In the end they did a firmware update on the unit and that seems to have fixed things. The solar production now closely tracks to the load. It doesn't jump up/down to minuscule production while the load is high, nor is there a large draw from the grid when it doesn't need to be.

Will monitor things tomorrow, but so far it looks like a vast improvement.
 
Finally got access to Solarman monitoring.

This is what today's weirdness looked like.
1703173325280.png

Couple of questions:
How often is the Solarman info updated?
 
Crusader said:
Thanks for all the help!

Had installer come in to show him the issue. Might have made him kinda mad with all my pointed questions and asking if this or that shouldn't be set. Apparently he has the Grid Peak Shaving set to 4400W because there's only a 20A breaker on the grid connection (if I understood correctly) at this stage. They are in process of having system moved to single phase prepaid.

Checked all the settings and seemed okay. Showed him that the CT coil didn't have a reading. They connected it wrong. Fixed that and it showed a reading [although his CT coil is inside the inverter on the incoming grid line which is questionable if I understand things.]

Solar was still doing odd stuff. In the end they did a firmware update on the unit and that seems to have fixed things. The solar production now closely tracks to the load. It doesn't jump up/down to minuscule production while the load is high, nor is there a large draw from the grid when it doesn't need to be.

Will monitor things tomorrow, but so far it looks like a vast improvement.
Click to expand...
CT coil inside the inverter is a clear sign the installer has no clue what it does. If it's set to zero export to load then it's not an issue though.
 
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