powercor solar export limit

Thanks for the information. 2. No unfortunately. So-called wasting of the extra electricity produced is irrelevant: sunlight is FREE, and whether I use it or not has no bearing on the environment. When a home is exported limited, all the power the solar inverter can produce is available for the home to use. When a home is exported limited, all the power the solar inverter can produce is available for the home to use. I cant justify the cost of adding additional solar if the max I can export with Essential energy is 3kwh. After a major works program involving more than 500 different network alterations and other activities across nine key regions among the most constrained parts of the network, Powercors new solar connections export approval rate of just over 60% at the start of the year has increased to above 90%. 0 Western Australia Horizon Power area: Regional Western Australia. Im in the same situation, except I have an existing 5kW system. Below is the email response I received from Powercor. Where do I find information on reapplying for export with Powercor? reliable export limit control function as per AS4777.2 to limit the export output where the . The naming of zones may differ between manufacturers but may appear as: Australia A - applies to the configuration of inverter settings in Victoria and all Eastern . Please make sure you engage early with our team through eConnect to check on network capacity for your customers. As a side issue for you, if you (like lots of people) have high voltages issue causing shutdown / throttling, I am not a big fan of the Volt-watt modes, as often these modes will also lower the voltages at which the throttling kicks in. Export limiting generally isnt permitted. Exporting surplus solar power is good because it reduces fossil fuel generation and pays you a feed-in tariff that reduces electricity bills. Since in WA you cant have more than a 5kW inverter on a private residence, I believe there isnt actually export limiting in play, and the inverter itself clips the output AC regardless how much the panels are generating, sadly. I believe it must have been set up during installation, but the installer company claims that this is handled by Growatt themselves. I can also see specific profiles for other grid networks, such as Ausgrid and Ergon, that likely have specific requirements of the inverters. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Normally single phase properties can have up to 5 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity and 3 phase properties can have 15 kilowatts. Smart inverter settings | CitiPower & Powercor On the main grid, single-phase properties can have 5 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity, and three-phase properties can have 15 kilowatts. Your dedicated meter will inform the inverter, and it will immediately reduce the power, so it doesnt exceed 5 kilowatts1. There are exceptions for off-grid installations and systems that are installed with a battery. We just applied for pre-approval from Powercor and were given a 0kW export approval which is going to make almost anything we choose uneconomical. Store it and use it later (this requires solar battery storage), or it disappears into thin air via a heat sink. ), converting to up to 10kW of AC power, and, the GW5048D-ES provides for up to 6.65kW of panels generating capacity, converting to up to 4.95 kW of AC power, and, acting as a battery management system and UPS, when a battery system (of up to two approved, low voltage, batteries) is connected. While the Envoy is an important part of the system, the micros largely operate independently of the Envoy, and in a lot of cases can work without the Envoy at all. All I can really suggest is to try to shift power use to the middle of the day and hope mainly solar energy is consumed. So far I have not seen much more than 5kW DC anyway, but in summer I would expect to see a curve thats flattened at the top during the high sun phase, as it is cut off by the inverter. So basically the whole local industry is going to be cactus until this is resolved. And for this reasons, I have increasingly seen that it is more challenging to run micros without the envoy which would no doubt be extra code required in later versions of the envoy to enforce implementation of various AS4777 and export limiting requirements that cant be done in the micros alone. To me it does not quite make sense as no system can produce 100% of its capacity meaning my existing 3.5kW will never produce full 3.5kW (on a good day, I am lucky to get 2.5kW). endstream endobj 351 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/Index[17 289]/Length 31/Size 306/Type/XRef/W[1 1 1]>>stream I was told to set Power Limit to ON. This certainly goes well beyond initial configuration and reporting. I have a 5kw solar system plus a Tesla powerwall 2 on my house . I have a new residential PV system in Perth WA, 6.6kW total panel capacity and a 5kW inverter (Growatt Min 5000TL-X). 258 0000008571 00000 n 2. AS4777.2:2015 has some rather low default recommendations, which can be tweaked up as no doubt my profile has allowed. I havent made any applications yet, but Ill certainly be asking this question when I get quotes!. However they have been advised that this wont be allowed anymore. 0000029403 00000 n Good question Tony. The percentage var/VA level leading is the inverter sourcing vars to the grid, whereas the percentage var/VA level lagging is the inverter sinking vars from the grid. Victorias Powercor area: Western Victoria, including a large portion of West Melbourne. given that we are working from home all the time these days. Okay, so that heading may be a bit of an exaggeration, but improvements the company has carried out appear to have made quite a difference. They hid the problem pretty well, because they do tend to reduce the amount of shutdowns. Would the gateway signal the micro inverters to shut down one at a time, or to all reduce output equally? The whole system of domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems, needs to be reviewed; by both the legislatures and regulators, and, by the components (especially the inverters) manufacturers. Theyd be higher for a sunnier location such as Perth and lower for cloudier places such as Melbourne or Hobart. 4. But I suspect for a lot of people, the vast majority of these over voltage events are simply because the networks are running out of spec voltages. I have a 14kW solar array running Enphase IQ7+ microinverters (43 of them) hooked up to the grid in a 3-phase configuration in the Endeavour Energy area in NSW, and they currently have the profile AU default AS4777.2:2015 30kVa, Vv, Vw set. Its also worth taking a look in case you shied away from installing solar panels in the past because of the situation now might be the time to revisit the idea. So you may decide adding a second system is worthwhile, or you may want to put it off until your current system develops problems and replace it with one large new system. 0000038484 00000 n is it 10kW AC or DC?? We respect your privacy and you can opt out from the newsletter at any time. Any ideas of how I can get a system that is actually going to generate enough power to charge a battery? We might still be willing to do this all the same, from an environmental viewpoint. But I can tell you a few things that might help with some of your pondering :- 1. Thanks Ronald! Nominal Output Power (W) 5000 Zero-sum game: The rise of solar export limits, and what can be done PDF Powercor, CitiPower & United Energy To get your quotes, please enter your postcode: AEMC: Electricity Prices To Continue To Fall, http://www.johnrogers.com.au/battery_charging_noon.jpg, http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/kw-and-kwh-what-is-the-difference/, Why Australian Solar Installers Love Austrian Fronius Inverters, Tesla Powerwall Price Takes A Tumble In Australia, "Snail Mail" Home Battery Offers: Be Wary, New Minimum VIC Solar Feed-In Tariffs Locked In, Glenrowan Solar Farm Construction Gets Cranking. Some say so you want to replace your system? . March 2022 6 Powercor means Powercor Australia Limited, ABN 89 064 651 109. portal means the eConnect portal for CitiPower and . Select the AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Australia A setting. I do NOT have a device in my meter box that could tell the inverter anything about consumption and feed in energy. Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals You could buy a battery, charge it on the weekend and export during week nights. Thats a huge jump and even a smidge higher than the Powercor network wide average of 89%. What is 'zero exports' or 'export limiting', why is it affecting It is critical that you install an approved smart inverter and set it correctly. Furthermore, the sustained overvoltage inverter protection set point shall be set to 258V. This seems to be becoming a big problem at least locally. Also, if you are on the main grid the amount of power you are allowed to export can still be below the limits given or even zero, depending on how much additional solar capacity the local grid can handle at your location. is there a inverter that stops power going back ), converting to a maximum of 5kW of AC power, whilst the GW10K-MS provides for up to 13.5kW of panels generating capacity, across three MPPTs (strings? All is explained here: http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/kw-and-kwh-what-is-the-difference/, ( 5kW per hour is a non-sensical unit unless you want to describe an acceleration of energy! Of course, if you are planning to get an electric car, that has the potential to make a huge difference to your self consumption of solar power. But if people send a lot of power into the line then the voltage at the far end, instead of being lower than at the sending end, becomes higher. Households and small businesses that generate electricity using solar panels, wind turbines, or other small-scale generators, can feed back any unused electricity into the electricity grid for other customers to use. That can raise the voltage to a level dangerous to appliances. All these profiles need to dance carefully around the problem. Youll also start receiving the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date on all the latest developments on Australias solar scene. It clicked, not long after I wrote the comment, My 10 kW system will not go above 10 kW unless my house battery is charging and then it can go to 13.25 kW. The Good: In these locations, properties can usually install up to 10 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity if they have single-phase power and up to 30 kilowatts with 3 phase power. The daily export limit is averaged across your billing period (calculated by multiplying the number of days in your billing period by your daily export limit of 14 kWh). NSWs Ausgrid Network Area: This covers East Sydney, Newcastle, and out to Merriwa. Were seeing a real lift in the number of customers able to export excess solar back into the grid in these areas, which were among the most constrained in our network only a few months ago, said Powercor General Manager Electricity Networks, Mark Clarke. Im surprised this hasnt hit the mainstream media yet. See image at http://www.johnrogers.com.au/battery_charging_noon.jpg. Then the information that was left was cut to make the piece more introductory, but perhaps all these reductions made the article like my favorite World War II movie Abridged Too Far. Thanks Ron. This applies to both single-phase and three-phase properties. My sister has the same type of inverter (Goodwe) but she lives in the Estern suburbs of Victoria and she has been exporting but her Power Limit was set OFF. 207 Youll also start receiving the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date on all the latest developments on Australias solar scene. Powercor says the Solar Hotspots initiative is the first stage of a five-year Future Networks program to support customer investment in solar power systems, electric vehicles and battery storage. and only supply me with power from the grid Ronald was born more years ago than he can remember. I know in the movie the Bad was worse than the Ugly, but thats not the way Im doing it. But you will probably find that there is another setting that it will shutdown when 10 minute average voltage is a measly 255v. Many NSW rural situations are limited to 3Kw export, due to the length of the transmission lines. Point Cook Solar limit export to zero by Powercor - Solar PV discussion Activities part of Powercors Solar Hotspots program carried out over three months included upgrading infrastructure, adjusting tap settings on street-level transformers, balancing voltage levels on powerlines and various tweakery at zone substations. Are Tesla Powerwall smart enough to let majority of power export to grid and only start charging battery as inverter approaches its export limit? I think I was partially wrong about how my PV is connected to the home and the meter. And yes 5kW export limit applies May I suggest an extra fact check to polish the valuable story above? If you dont get under the covers and look carefully at the logs you might miss this, or think it is a cloud coming over, rather than voltage triggered throttling. Whilst this may not be technically defined as export limiting, as the inverter specifications, specify that the inverter, whilst allowing up to an overload factor of 2, will only generate up to 5kW of A/C power This 80% could translate to an estimated 50,000 current or potential solar customers able to export more solar to the grid. 2. If a home cant export any power at all then there is no financial reason to install a large solar system. 0000022631 00000 n South Australian solar panel owners can currently export 5 kilowatts of electricity to the grid but under Flexible Exports, they could export double that amount 10kW. The new home didnt have solar. This profile also doesnt impose any export limits, because Endeavour Energy didnt require them of my installation (maximum is 30kW for a 3-phase installation, which my one is well under). Wouldnt it be better for the inverter to display its total actual potential output under current conditions? With permission export limiting can be used to install larger systems. As has been explained (and COSTED) on previous occasions batteries are VERY cost-effective.IF you stay away from the hi-tech/overpriced/dependence-creating/unproven battery-systems advocated by commercially self-interested parties. When an inverter is export limited, it has to know how much solar energy is being sent into the grid so it can immediately reduce output if its about to go over the limit. Also, given that export limited inverters (supposedly) work the same, regardless of the grid to which they are connected, why is it so, that states have different rules whereby some allow export limited inverters, and, some do not? But, if you are really keen, I suppose you could use a site such as PV Institutes Live PV Map to see how other solar systems in your general area are performing: Note that patchy cloud can produce a lot of variation in output. 0000001260 00000 n Queenslands Energex area: South East Queensland. Powercor's network solutions manager Claire Cass said of 32,580 customers connected to solar with Powercor in the last 18 months, only 2023 could not export power. 0000009573 00000 n On a related note, we mentioned yesterday that over the border in South Australia, SA Power Networks is readying to ramp up flexible solar exports in an effort to support more solar installations and its pretty clever stuff. sonnenBatterie Evo. You can see from the profile name that it ensures the microinverters conform to the AS4777.2:2015 Australian standard that governs inverters, and it enables the advanced Volt-var and Volt-watt controls for adjusting export power when the grid voltage gets too high (as opposed to abruptly shutting off all export power when grid voltage is too high, which happens without Volt-var and Volt-watt). No-one seems to have replied Dirk, so I will try. just wondering if anybody can shed some light on the following, 0% Its only possible to go larger with a zero export limit: https://www.powerwater.com.au/customers/power/solar-power-systems/pv-class-requirements. It is just the placement of the meter and the current sensor that controls the limiting. The data has 5KW flat lining confirming more is being generated. Our Solar & Battery Calculator can give an idea of if its likely to pay: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-calculator/. Unfortunately, SAPN wont allow more than 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity on an SWER line. Rooftop solar works by turning sunlight into electric power. Does anyone know how the limiter works in this scenario with 2 inverters? 0000009027 00000 n To add to this, in the installer section of the Envoys web server control panel, you can set the profile by which all microinverters operate. Under another option to . 3. This is assuming that my understanding of what I have read, is correct; that such a system would be permitted, in a single phase connection to the SWIS grid. Seem most solar places, even the ones the go on about how good they are, arent that good when presented with this, what seems to be a conundrum for them. Hi i want to install solar with no power Larger inverters that are export limited are allowed on a case by case basis. Phone, email, give us feedback or make a claim. 11kW panels with 10kW 3-phase inverter (Fronius Symo + Fronius 3-phase meter). I got a question about export limiter that I hope to get some answers from the community. But if you had a larger solar system with a larger inverter that was export limited to 5 kilowatts it could potentially supply 2 kilowatts to your home while exporting 5 kilowatts to the grid. 0000039018 00000 n Tasmania: Under 1% of Tasmanians are on SWER lines, so the generous export limit should often be available. I realise that Australian legislatures do not care about the future, but, the future is coming, whether the legislatures like it or not. A Decent Battery From sonnen. I think it is illegal in WA to rewire your inverter or modify any parameters, as it may result in more than 5kW being sent to the grid, so I will just bite the bullet and see that I use as much solar as possible. 100% embedded generation system to the CitiPower and Powercor low voltage networks. So if an inverter that is export limited to 5 kilowatts is providing 8 kilowatts of power, none of it will go to waste provided the home is consuming at least 3 kilowatts at the time. For any amount above the daily export, you will receive our standard retailer feed-in tariff of 5 . I prefer a profile that just has the voltages set to a high voltage threshold, and if I have to sacrifice V-W mode, so be it. STCs can be received for panel capacity up to one-third greater than the inverter capacity. If your solar company provides you with the Solar pre-approval (SPA) number for your pre-approval, we can check specifically what was decided on with regards to exporting. I was really keen for this system with a battery as most of my power is used at night and I like the idea of power during blackouts, which do happen quite a lot here. But this is at least partially because when you throttle back output, you also reduce the amount of voltage rise you are causing on your local connection to the point of interconnect which is probably contributing to the issue. Shane, you appear to be mixing up kW and kWh easily done! Generation sources can be, but are not limited to solar, wind and batteries. And doing so potentially puts you running in a non compliant state. This means you tend to see panels at the end of strings shutdown soonest on voltage risk conditions, as they have the highest voltage rise being at the end of the string. Recent work by Victorian DNSP Powercor on some problematic parts of its network is enabling more solar power from rooftop panels to be exported to the grid. %%EOF But youll need to be confident you wont be hit with high demand charges during the evening peak that will wipe out any advantage. I dont quite understand how the DC energy from the inverter can go to my home circuits first, before any excess current is fed into the grid. I have spoken to one installer , but he couldnt really help me . I have solar on my house and having it installed at an investment property, but not sure what to do now as there will be no benefit of feed in tariff. hooked up to an energy efficient 44kW motor for a real-world What made the situation all the more frustrating is periods of high congestion which can threaten the stability of a local network can be quite brief. Victorias Jemena network area: A small but crowded chunk of North and Western Melbourne. It appears the wire from the inverter is directly connected to my main fuse for the house circuits. 0000039284 00000 n As a single example, the Renault Kangoo ZE van (I think that it is the only battery powered cargo van currently available in Australia) has a 33kWh battery, and, To go further, Kangoo Z.E boasts a Z.E 33 (33kWh) battery, Many Australian homes are not allowed to export more than 5 kW to the grid. The installation of solar photovoltaic systems as well as the correct inverter settings are critical to ensuring customers get the most for their investment in this technology. Im in the Endeavour Energy area. amended or replaced from time to time. I have not been able to get an answer from Growatt Australia yet, it seems there is a bit of a cover-up going on. And, if a street full of these, plugs their cars into the grid, for recharging, starting the recharging between 1700 and 1800, lots of entertaining fireworks, along the street powerlines exploding. Allows installation but has a zero export limit. The fact that export limiting is necessary is not a good thing. Powercor wrote back with the following response:"Due to the size of t . Most systems have mostly N facing panels, so really only generate peak power for a few hours a day (often 10am>2pm approx) I have just had a 6.6kw system installed with a Fronius 5kw inverter and am export limited to 3kw. Or is there a build up of voltage in the system? Some manufacturers may have this pre-selected. You could approach SAPN and ask for special permission to install more solar capacity on an SWER but I would not be optimistic about that. No matter how badly you may want to export limit your solar system, it can only be done in locations where its permitted. ) While there are some energy management measures that could help around the edges, I cant think of any good solutions for the typical business. The reason for this query, is that, in the past, my understanding has been that, in WA, where export limiting is apparently, banned by the gratuitously oppressive state parliament, and, where a limit of a 5kW output inverter, is allowed, for a single phase grid connection on the SWIS grid, a limit of 6.66 kW of panels generating capacity, is imposed for single phase connections to the SWIS grid, and, thence, the limit of panels generating capacity, to which the federal solar panels rebate applies, for such a connection, has been the 6.66kW. 0000001916 00000 n Of more concern is occasional spikes in consumption which go past the 5kw limit. Solar Export Limiting: Why You Should Know About It 0000038218 00000 n %PDF-1.4 % But there will often be times when the solar system will produce more power than can be exported, so some energy will be lost3. So it is unfortunate that it is necessary, but good that people can still install a larger system and generally have insignificant losses. Installers must also follow the recommendations of the inverter manufacturer and they may say the limit for panel capacity is less than one-third more than the panels capacity. Thank you. That said, provided the Installer included your details and phone number in the customer section when the SPA was lodged, the solar team intends to follow up with customers if capacity becomes available to export into the grid through upgrades to the network.. According to NT Power and Water they will normally allow up to a 5 kilowatt inverter with single phase power and up to a 7 kilowatt inverter with 3 phase power. There are versions without this consumption monitoring (old Non -s version of Envoy and even the Envoy-S without consumption monitoring). Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 0000027694 00000 n If you can export 3kva that means you can have a solar system with up to 4 kilowatts of panels. The earth is used as one conductor which has a higher resistance than a copper wire. Interesting article. Why my Power Limit is set to ON with the % whereas her Power Limit is set to OFF and she has been exporting. Still, few people will want more than the 13.33 kilowatts of panel capacity single phase homes can generally install: The Bad: Homes with single-phase power on the main grid can have up to 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity but can usually get around this limit by installing an export limited solar inverter of up to 10 kilowatts. 0000004059 00000 n Please stay on topic. In reality, the losses will be considerably less. 0000038830 00000 n Website link shows system producing well over 10 kW. Please confirm the maximum export limit in the relevant section of this application.. Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals Does anyone have similar experience with powercor? Yes I do have Enphase micro-inverters and an Envoy gateway, though not enough sunny roof to exceed 5kW, so my interest is rather academic but real. 0000005359 00000 n While losses increase as the solar power system size goes up, even with 10 kilowatts of panels which is twice the export limit, only 13% of generation is lost. 0000004823 00000 n I had applications rejected, and when I asked there was NO course for negotiation or discussion its the RULES is s synopsis of the responses. Theres more good news, with further improvements to come. Unfortunately, the meter companies and inverter manufacturers cant get their shit together, and the utility meters refuse to talk to the inverters. See image at http://www.johnrogers.com.au/battery_charging_noon.jpg, CORRECTION: My 13.25 kW system will not go above the 10 kW inverter limit unless my house battery is charging and then it can go to 13.25 kW. The uptake of solar has surprised the powers that be so they are basically wasting free energy and penalizing the producers in the process. Some households lose 20 per cent of their solar output from grid If the transformer capacity is limited, you could install solar initially with a low export limit (eg 1 kW) and then have your export limit increased when the transformer was . I still dont know if they have programmed the inverter to reduce the overall output by a percentage or not. There are two options: 1. DC Input Power (Wp) 10000, from its published datasheet. A 5 kilowatt inverter will never supply more than 5 kilowatts of power no matter how many kilowatts of panels it has. Three-phase homes can install up to 15 kilowatts of inverter capacity or 30 kilowatts with export limiting, except in South East Queensland where special permission is required from Energex to install an export limited inverter over 15 kilowatts.

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