Shonky solar companies

[Busman]

Well its seems even well know solar companies are shonky.
We have a 3Kw system with a 5Kw inverter which means we can add another 2 Kw of panels. (actually 3 Kw to allow for losses)
So I rang the original installers, Solargain, national company I think and was told:

You CANNOT add any more than 2Kw, you will be prosecuted !
Your inverter does NOT qualify for rebates to added panels !
Both MPPT strings have been used so any addition will mean rewiring some of the original.
It will NOT be economic to add new panels.
I DO happen to have some second hand panels I could let you have at a "special" price of $1400
Email quote arrives for $1700 WTF !
STICK IT !

Local sparky that does a lot of solar, one man show says :
Can go 33% above limit to cover DC losses
New panels DO qualify for rebates "what are you talking about ?"
Only one MPPT string has been used, just need to add another to the vacant terminals
Still waiting for final figure but he says around $3-$ 4K fitted and system upgraded to current standards with rooftop isolators, that's economic ! Just depends on finding similar size panels.

SO, more output, new panels, system upgraded as against the first lot ? It pays to shop around !

Plan is to move VP to the house and use the 3Kw available and the 800 Ah Liths to run the house, the current system can then send all back to the grid at 52 cents a kilowatt hour.

I know, I know, we are part of the problem of high power prices, tell the pollies, not me !

[T1 Terry]

Be real careful they don't pull the "this is not the system originally submitted to qualify for the rebate, this is a new system and therefore does not qualify for the same rebates as originally contracted" Every system that qualified for the high rebate is now being scrutinised looking for loop holes to end the contract, be careful you don't give them an escape path.

T1 Terry

[bagmaker]

As they were quoting you at the time, William, they are breaking quite a few advertising laws by misleading you.

I would think there is a scope for solar users to "flood" their system with a yet-to-be-invented gizmo that allows mulitple X the panel input but only lets the "contracted" kw out to the grid -at all times - whilst heating or pumping water or summink with the excess.
This would maximise the contractrual return to the user.

In the real world, though, I am a little surprised at what people are signing up to nowdays.

[Wilbor]

I haven't heard from Shonky for a while, guess he is still out there

[Busman]

The original agreement was for 5Kw so they can't do anything, doubt they would even notice a couple of extra panels on the garage anyway.

Our opposition supplying Woolies with the same product has just put in a 30 Kw system but they have decided he can't export excess, so he is pretty pissed ! More than supplies his daily needs but of course configured at 400 V DC so if he added storage he would then have to use the solar generated 240 AC to run a 240 V charger to fill the ELV storage, then re invert that as it was pulled from the storage at night back up to 240 V AC. Methinks he should have done more investigation ?

[T1 Terry]

The original agreement was for 5Kw so they can't do anything, doubt they would even notice a couple of extra panels on the garage anyway.

Our opposition supplying Woolies with the same product has just put in a 30 Kw system but they have decided he can't export excess, so he is pretty pissed ! More than supplies his daily needs but of course configured at 400 V DC so if he added storage he would then have to use the solar generated 240 AC to run a 240 V charger to fill the ELV storage, then re invert that as it was pulled from the storage at night back up to 240 V AC. Methinks he should have done more investigation ?

The answer to that one is easy, as the grid will not accept the excess they have no call over the solar configuration. Reconfigure the solar to 8 banks of 50v each. Add a 48v battery pack to each of these banks but connect them in series, the total is still 400vdc. Now add a 48v inverter to each battery bank, link these in parallel and you have a serious 240vac power supply plus the original 400vdc system. Now there is sufficient 240vac to power most of the 240vac requirements 24/7 yet still able to export the contracted amount to the grid. That will p*ss the supply company off to the max and learn them a lesson in smart arse pay-back

T1 Terry

[Jon and Kay]

Speaking of Shonky and solar companies , has anybody heard of Shonky lately?

[Busman]

The answer to that one is easy, as the grid will not accept the excess they have no call over the solar configuration. Reconfigure the solar to 8 banks of 50v each. Add a 48v battery pack to each of these banks but connect them in series, the total is still 400vdc. Now add a 48v inverter to each battery bank, link these in parallel and you have a serious 240vac power supply plus the original 400vdc system. Now there is sufficient 240vac to power most of the 240vac requirements 24/7 yet still able to export the contracted amount to the grid. That will p*ss the supply company off to the max and learn them a lesson in smart arse pay-back

Why worry about the 400 VDC system, why link ? I don't get the thinking behind this, once you have your 50 volt systems each with it's own paralleled inverter, why bother ?

They are allowing NO power back to the grid, my guess is that as it is a rural property and the size of the system different rules apply
Up here just about any house can have a 5Kw system exporting to the grid, dunno why it does not apply to him, apart from the above.

[T1 Terry]

The answer to that one is easy, as the grid will not accept the excess they have no call over the solar configuration. Reconfigure the solar to 8 banks of 50v each. Add a 48v battery pack to each of these banks but connect them in series, the total is still 400vdc. Now add a 48v inverter to each battery bank, link these in parallel and you have a serious 240vac power supply plus the original 400vdc system. Now there is sufficient 240vac to power most of the 240vac requirements 24/7 yet still able to export the contracted amount to the grid. That will p*ss the supply company off to the max and learn them a lesson in smart arse pay-back

Why worry about the 400 VDC system, why link ? I don't get the thinking behind this, once you have your 50 volt systems each with it's own paralleled inverter, why bother ?

They are allowing NO power back to the grid, my guess is that as it is a rural property and the size of the system different rules apply
Up here just about any house can have a 5Kw system exporting to the grid, dunno why it does not apply to him, apart from the above.

Ah, I read your original post as the excess not being allowed on the grid, the fact that none is allowed on the grid is a different thing. The question then is, why is the system at 400VDC to start with?

T1 Terry

[Busman]

Well why not ?
Even house systems are series connected panels resulting in high DC voltages, haven't seen one done any other way apart from VP and that is a ELV system on the DC side. And all RV's etc as well.