Home solar installation

[T1 Terry]

That graph only shows kw output George, not line voltage.

I have had Ausgrid check it and the results on test were: Inverter OFF 249V, Inverter ON 254V however, when checked on 24/10 via our Smart Meter it showed, inverter On, 9:55am 255.8V, 10:55am 259.3V.

I'm guessing Ausgrid is measuring at the transformer and your measurement is at the point it leaves the meter box .... the Ausgrid inverter operation is probably mirror image because they are looking at the voltage inverter control is switched on and the voltage when control is switched off .... much like trying to program Midnite battery controllers, they are looking at the points of control, not the actual function.

We can watch the sun effect on the neighbourhood solar on the Winnie analog voltage meter, swings from 245vac to 255vac, doesn't quite reach the 260vac before it drops back, and our readings are filtered by a 20 mtr extension cord.

It has been the case for a few yrs now, unless you are storing the generated solar output in your house battery or EV battery, you can't compete with everyone who is trying to feed into the same network and the voltage tapped at the transformer ..... they added those extra transformers for a reason, to stabilise the local area network voltage ..... if the local solar farm has a finer control on the grid supply voltage because it is at the much higher 3 phase level, any home inverter system will struggle to compete.

Store it and sell it at the morning or evening peak, when there is very little solar input available, and you will be able to supply to the local area network, but make sure you get a good price for it ........ don't get sucked in to becoming part of a virtual power plant (VPP) because they will cycle your battery pack excessively by charging it when power is cheap, then draining it to resell that cheap stored power at the peak power price, but you don't get compensated for the damage they are doing to your battery pack, they don't care about any long term consequences of rapidly charging and discharging your battery ..... they won't have to replace it ......

T1 Terry

[Newcastle George]

That graph only shows kw output George, not line voltage. I was aware of that

I have had Ausgrid check it and the results on test were: Inverter OFF 249V, Inverter ON 254V however, when checked on 24/10 via our Smart Meter it showed, inverter On, 9:55am 255.8V, 10:55am 259.3V.

I'm guessing Ausgrid is measuring at the transformer and your measurement is at the point it leaves the meter box .... the Ausgrid inverter operation is probably mirror image because they are looking at the voltage inverter control is switched on and the voltage when control is switched off .... much like trying to program Midnite battery controllers, they are looking at the points of control, not the actual function.
Ausgrid took their readings at the meter box with the solar connected and disconnected

I have only started having this problem about 3 - 4 months ago.

George

[T1 Terry]

That graph only shows kw output George, not line voltage. I was aware of that

I have had Ausgrid check it and the results on test were: Inverter OFF 249V, Inverter ON 254V however, when checked on 24/10 via our Smart Meter it showed, inverter On, 9:55am 255.8V, 10:55am 259.3V.

I'm guessing Ausgrid is measuring at the transformer and your measurement is at the point it leaves the meter box .... the Ausgrid inverter operation is probably mirror image because they are looking at the voltage inverter control is switched on and the voltage when control is switched off .... much like trying to program Midnite battery controllers, they are looking at the points of control, not the actual function.
Ausgrid took their readings at the meter box with the solar connected and disconnected

I have only started having this problem about 3 - 4 months ago.

George

That makes the Ausgrid reading interesting, there is a 5vac difference between your system not supplying to the grid and when it is supplying to the grid. Was the 259.3v @ 10:55am the point where the system turned off? For what ever reason, the voltage reading at the inverter/meter box is increasing a further 3.5vac within an hr. Either the grid voltage rises to that 259.3vac, or there is a high resistance joint that is causing the problem ......

We had wildly fluctuating voltages here a while back, turned out to be a burnt neutral block at the transformer ..... Once they fixed it, our RCD's stopped tripping out and the house neighbour on the other side stopped getting electric shocks .... that was what finally got them out here to have a look and see if there was a problem at their end ..... SA Power Network can get away with a lot of things, but electrocuting someone connected to their grid doesn't appear to be one of them

T1 Terry