Solar Power Thread

Got our system up and running finally. A little ironing out to do. 18 panels into two 5KVA inverters. One inverter keeps giving a fault (80 - Data loss). Managed to get the Raspberrypi hooked up so it is busy gathering stats from the Master inverter at the moment and I will switch it over to see if I can't use the dashboard to manage the fault on the slave inverter.

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I have a Goodwe 5kw hybrid inverter being fed by 12 320w panels north facing and 3 325w panels south facing to get early morning sun.Also 4 pylontech 2.4kw 48volt Lithium ion batteries.On a sunny day with a full charge no load is drawn from Eskom for 24 hours,but rainy,cloudy days different story.Last month I used 60 kw from Eskom.Applied for prepaid meter to cut out network charges and line charges
 
calypso said:
2.5kw, thats a decent kettle.
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It's only for lights and a couple of plugs. Will go gas for cooking and such, if things really hit the fan.
If I need more power than that, I can always add another inverter.
 
Datura said:
Got our system up and running finally. A little ironing out to do. 18 panels into two 5KVA inverters. One inverter keeps giving a fault (80 - Data loss). Managed to get the Raspberrypi hooked up so it is busy gathering stats from the Master inverter at the moment and I will switch it over to see if I can't use the dashboard to manage the fault on the slave
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What the hell. Hut on the beach. Damn.
 
Arthur said:
Four-quadrant prepaid meters (to measure imports and exports) are not yet available in SA, and neither will they be until the power retailers (usually municipalities) define and implement REFIT (renewable energy feed-in tariffs) at a consumer level.

NERSA has for many years had REFIT policy documents, but everyone is dragging their feet, which is very frustrating. An additional obstacle is that current policy framework and discussion documents require that a consumer be a nett consumer, though the actually metering period is not defined.

A fairly recent (2010) document, NRS 097-2-1:2010, discusses issues around RE SSEGs (Renewable Energy Small Scale Embedded Generators), and defines a number of technical, safety, and other specifications. For example, it is critical (life and death matter) that exporting grid-connected SSEGs island correctly and within specified parameters so that energy is not fed back into the grid when it is taken down for maintenance.

The basic conceptual problem for municipalities to overcome is the erroneous notion that RE SSEGs will take away revenue and profit from local authorities, who are increasingly using utility tariffs to raise additional revenues.

I've proved to my local authority that their profit actually increases if the consumer becomes a nett exporter. The reason is very simple: municipalities buy from Eskom at say 55-65 cents per unit, and sell to the consumer at typically double that (ie 50% gross margin, or 100% markup). Because there is currently no payment for exports, the municipality is getting every exported unit as zero cost and reselling at consumer rates, and all is pure profit.

In other words, Mrs Municipality, the greater the nett export from my SSEG, the greater your profit.

My 4Q meter is a Landis+Gyr ZMD310, with E22 TCP/IP comms module. This is a 3-phase meter configured for single phase.
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Could the meter you refer to be sourced in the UK?
 
Datura said:
Got our system up and running finally. A little ironing out to do. 18 panels into two 5KVA inverters. One inverter keeps giving a fault (80 - Data loss). Managed to get the Raspberrypi hooked up so it is busy gathering stats from the Master inverter at the moment and I will switch it over to see if I can't use the dashboard to manage the fault on the slave inverter.

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This is an excellent idea for a veranda that I want to build.
How much did this cost you all in all?
 
Datura said:
Got our system up and running finally. A little ironing out to do. 18 panels into two 5KVA inverters. One inverter keeps giving a fault (80 - Data loss). Managed to get the Raspberrypi hooked up so it is busy gathering stats from the Master inverter at the moment and I will switch it over to see if I can't use the dashboard to manage the fault on the slave inverter.

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Cool beach pic, what part of Sa is that where you can have so little security and a full roof of solar up for grabs?
 
Which municipalities in Sa support feeding back into the grid from a solar setup and earning credits/offset/cash from that
 
Sounds like a lot of extra work when you can just plug it in normally.
Magnum said:
A kettle like a stove and oven can use DC straight from a solar pannel array or battery bank. match Volts and current. no inverter needed.
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calypso said:
Sounds like a lot of extra work when you can just plug it in normally.
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Well a Straight round stick, a plank and some dry grass will also work. It's all about availability in the end.
 
I guess everyone sees solar as something different. I see it as a drop in replacement/supplement to the grid, I wouldn't want to even know if I was getting power from solar or grid, nor change any of the ways which I do things.
 
@Gman1

Here's a pic of the RS-232-to-Ethernet module used some years ago to connect my LAN to the Power Star, for use with MLTComms SCADA software. DC power can aso be taken off the Power Star board, or you can use a little PSU.

The flat ribbon RS-232 cable attached to the main board of the Power Star, just under the LCD display/keypad.

iLAN for MLT inverter.jpg
 
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Datura said:
Got our system up and running finally. A little ironing out to do. 18 panels into two 5KVA inverters. One inverter keeps giving a fault (80 - Data loss). Managed to get the Raspberrypi hooked up so it is busy gathering stats from the Master inverter at the moment and I will switch it over to see if I can't use the dashboard to manage the fault on the slave inverter.

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lol, super capacitor battery module on voltronic inverters xD
 
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