powercor solar export limit

0000039284 00000 n Any ideas of how I can get a system that is actually going to generate enough power to charge a battery? hb```f``sd`c`edd@ A >hp`86s8::\ MNmOe0pYuR`i g G7@ $n@]A#&S_2.dx f 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. It is possible to max out the 10 kW inverter capacity with my Tesla, house load and Heat Pump hot water. I havent made any applications yet, but Ill certainly be asking this question when I get quotes!. Because people have been refused any STCs for being just a few watts over, no installer will go over the limit for a normal installation. This is disappointing as this would be an easy option to implement. (Note: it is possible to install a larger system, say 10kW on a single phase property and meet the Powercor rules by export limiting the system . As far as I know, only solar installers can apply for export capacity in the Powercor area. Australian network service providers (including CitiPower) use solar export limits to keep voltage levels in transmission lines operating within safe . A rooftop solar system's grid export limit is determined by the local electricity network operator - sometimes on a case-by-case basis, sometimes according to an across-the-board standard, and . 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. But, if you are living in an area where it is required to install a large solar system a situation around half of Australians are in then export limiting can allow a larger system with normally very minor losses of clean solar generation. Why on earth would I do that if I can help it. So what goes throgh the meter, in either direction, is the difference between what you generate and what you use. If we consider a home in Sydney where no electricity is used during the day, and all the solar panels face directly north, then the percentage of output that will be lost due to a 5 kilowatt export limit would be: So even in a worst-case situation for Sydney, an 8 kilowatt solar system that is exported limited to 5 kilowatts will only lose 4% of generation. 0000038218 00000 n No-one seems to have replied Dirk, so I will try. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Download the first chapter of The Good Solar Guide, authored by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, FREE! 0000011077 00000 n While I dont know where you are a 4 kilowatt solar system should produce an average of around 18 kilowatt-hours a day in WA. We do not prevent customers from installing solar for their own self-consumption. 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. But, now, Goodwe have the GW5000-MS inverter, which, from what I have read, is apparently allowed in WA, for a single phase SWIS grid connection, and, that inverter is a 5kW inverter, that has a maximum panels generating capacity; Assume positive intention.4. I am trying to get a system installed (6.5k smart hybrid inverter with a battery) and have been told by Western Power that I am limited to a 3.0 kva system. I have just had a 6.6kw system installed with a Fronius 5kw inverter and am export limited to 3kw. Its located in Ausnet Services' Distribution Area but Ausnet is not part of the CitiPower, Powercor and UnitedEnergy . 3. We are on a zero limited export. Of course the manufacturers dont want this to be public knowledge and pretend that once you paid for a system you are set for life (yours, not that of the system). It seems so strange that it is clear government policy to get more solar going and yet the network operators are effectively blocking it now. If you are in the solar industry - try to get to the truth, not the sale.5. It does this by adjusting the MPPT but instead of working to maximize power from the panels it reduces it. That would provide both export limiting, and, the incorporation of a battery system (for my household, if we would have a 6.6 kW panels generating capacity system, rather than the 5kW one that we have, something like the BYD LVS 20 or 24kWh battery tower, would, I believe be appropriate), which would provide for energy arbitrage, smoothing both power exported to the grid, and, power imported from the grid, especially during peak demand periods. I could easily share my excess power for the time I am not irrigating my crops. Means that it caps the amount you can reduce your bills for power used outside of daylight hours? The 7kW charger achieves full charge in 6 hours, and one Select the AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 Australia A setting. Ill upgrade the Endeavour Energy area from Ugly to Bad, since things are clearly not all bad there. If at any moment in time you are generating more solar electricity than you need, the excess is exported to the grid. So the size of the system becomes irrelevant if you can only export 3kwh (we are Regional NSW Essential Energy). Is this default, or would it be programmed in if the distributor required it? Hi All, 60% lagging Fronius Wattpilot: A Smart EV Charger With A Short Warranty, You Wont Believe How Dumb The NSW Governments New Battery Calculator Is. A man named Canute, proved that, centuries ago. 0000038296 00000 n The distributor deals with that by putting the voltage slightly up at the sending end. 0000001260 00000 n The new inverter standard AS/NZS 4777.2:2020 has new inclusions to address grid stability issues - a new feature that is necessary to further enhance the hosting capacity to accommodate more solar and renewable energy systems. Rubbing salt into the wound were situations where someone was zero export limited while their next door neighbour wasnt. 100 litres alone means little, but if there are 100 litres per hour, this means 100 litre hours of output. Thats a huge jump and even a smidge higher than the Powercor network wide average of 89%. Powercor will respond in one of three ways: Approve the size system you've requested Limit the amount of power you can export to the grid (e.g. Hi Everyone, 0000007554 00000 n Thanks Steve 0418 815 193. 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. I am a total newbie to this but I am unclear why export limiting is good? 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. Weve seen a rapid growth in rooftop solar systems.With each installation, were facilitating rapid growth in the amount of solar capacity on our network. just wondering if anybody can shed some light on the following, I think the installers like the Volt-watt modes, because if you dont know where to look they hid the problem at your expense anyway. In looking to the future, regardless of whether we like it, in spite of, and, despite, the great efforts of the WA state government, and its parent, the Australian feral LNP/ALP government, battery powered road vehicles will come to Australia, and, displace ICE vehicles. 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. 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. 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 . Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals 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 . Although my testing shows that the micros technically operate quite independently, it is important to understand, only the Envoy can provide some critical components to a properly working Enphase System. SAPN has told me I cant have more than a 5 kw inverter , but thats just not enough. Would the gateway signal the micro inverters to shut down one at a time, or to all reduce output equally? But I can tell you a few things that might help with some of your pondering :- 1. I think is is utter madness that the VIC government is handing out generous rebates of $1850.00 and 4 year interest free loans of up to $1850.00 and Powercor has zero feed in capacity for excess solar power. Victoria's "Hotest" Solar Postcode is 3977 at last look. Of more concern is occasional spikes in consumption which go past the 5kw limit. We have had solar for 6 years and just recently moved homes. 253 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. embedded generation system to the CitiPower and Powercor low voltage networks. This could be important, given that we have a state parliamentary election due in a couple of months. Even if you have the Envoy-S, I believe at least on paper there was a Enphase Envoy-S Technically, what will happen is the inverter will reduce the solar systems output so the generation will be forgone, but I dont want to go into too much detail in this article. 0% Put down your weapons.3. If you use a pre AS4777.3:2005 the limits are probably even higher, but you loose some other features (like frequency ramping which is probably very sensible to have if you want to be a good grid citizen), and you probably are not supposed to run those unless it is a pre 2016 install. I know in the movie the Bad was worse than the Ugly, but thats not the way Im doing it. I can also see specific profiles for other grid networks, such as Ausgrid and Ergon, that likely have specific requirements of the inverters. I have divided Australias regions into three categories: The information below assumes the property is on the main grid. Please stay on topic. 11kW panels with 10kW 3-phase inverter (Fronius Symo + Fronius 3-phase meter). 0000037952 00000 n Great article and content on this website the system is set to export the maximum amount of power approved in our Solar Export Pre-Approval to you your obligations as the owner and operator of an 'embedded generator' exporting . But I will warn you, even with the high cost of grid electricity and the low solar feed-in tariff in Western Australia, batteries normally wont pay for themselves. Victorias AusNet network area: The eastern third of Victoria, not including Melbourne or French Island. With permission export limiting can be used to install larger systems. both said and only supply me with power from the grid P/Prated (%) 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. 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%. And, when battery powered road vehicles with adequate distance capacity (I have read that VW expects to release a battery powered station wagon, with range between charges, of 700km, in 2023 (although, unless Australia wakes up, such vehicles will be unlikely to come to this neolithic country) ) are available, and, even for the rare ones that apparently, already exist in Australia (having not yet seen a battery powered vehicle in Australia, I wonder whether they are simply an urban myth, as to their presence in this backward country), when would they get charged, if people would only charge them at home? Certainly this dumb meter is not capable of sending current from the inverter selectively to my home circuits and any excess to the grid? Website link shows system producing well over 10 kW. It is critical that you install an approved smart inverter and set it correctly. What am I missing? Here at SolarQuotes, we had been hearing quite a few complaints about Powercors zero export limits. 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. We just had a 30kW inverter solar install for our business and it has been limited to 1.8kW export. 0000028638 00000 n South Australia Power Networks (SAPN) area: SAPN is the only distributor in South Australia. And Set Power Limit to 100%. Sometimes Powercor can reduce that to a lower figure, or even set a zero-export limit. Origin offers 8 cents per kWh until a daily export limit of 14 kWh is reached. A small solar system can be financially viable. While this is fine during the week when we are open, it seems a huge waste of electricity on the weekends when we are closed. The good news is, even in a worst-case situation, the amount will be fairly minor. Hello. About 50%. Your meter is on the connection between the mains network on one side and the combination of your inverter and your loads on the other side. hbbf`b``3 I j I realise that all the political parties in the the WA state parliament and especially, the Synergy/Western Power conglomerate, that controls approvals of domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems connected to the SWIS grid, are opposed to domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems (even though we stabilise and sustain the grid), but, I am wondering whether any reason has ever been given by the oppressive authorities, for banning export limited inverters in WA. The Ugly: In these areas export limiting may not be allowed at all. ), Finally understand, the article above is very well written for the layman 2. Do you know the situation here? 0000004736 00000 n 0000038484 00000 n And, no matter how powerful, the members of the legislatures imagine themselves to be, and, no matter how trump-like, they are, they can not stop the future. If you are interested you can read about this here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/inverters/mppt/. Can anyone shed any light for me? 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. Im afraid in a typical situation the inverter wont show its potential output. Im surprised this hasnt hit the mainstream media yet. But you probably would not recover the cost of the battery within its lifetime. Generation sources can be, but are not limited to solar, wind and batteries. I have 3 x PV systems on one phase. I realise that Australian legislatures do not care about the future, but, the future is coming, whether the legislatures like it or not. But if you dont use much electricity it may need to be very small, as I explain here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/zero-kw-export-solar/. In addition, all modern solar inverters must comply with AS4777.2015 at least. 306 47 Some say so you want to replace your system? So it is unfortunate that it is necessary, but good that people can still install a larger system and generally have insignificant losses. Below is the email response I received from Powercor. IE if Im producing 8KW, the house is using 2KW it will still export 5kw? In a Enphase system, only the Envoy can provide this. . amended or replaced from time to time. Hi i want to install solar with no power And doing so potentially puts you running in a non compliant state. To get your quotes, please enter your postcode: Flexible Solar Exports To Ramp Up In South Australia, Australian Solar Systems Interest Index: September 2021, 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. Aside from that, when you have high resistance lines, there is a voltage drop over their length. Youre using a total of four kilowatts to cook your lunch, so your home is exporting 4 kilowatts, which is below the limit. 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). 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.. You could have mentioned that SWER stands for Single Wire Earth Return and why that matters. endstream endobj 351 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/Index[17 289]/Length 31/Size 306/Type/XRef/W[1 1 1]>>stream Thank you. As the LG Chem battery charges using DC current from the panels it is possible to go over the 10 kW inverter limit by charging the LG Chem battery in the middle of the day. 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. This is often referred to as 'network constraints'. The fact is that Powercor does not set an upper limit on the size solar panel system you can install, up to 30kW. Whats the logical and practical way forward? If thats not a good option, you can consider getting a demand tariff and doing pumping outside the peak period when the cost of grid electricity will be relatively low. Unfortunately, the meter companies and inverter manufacturers cant get their shit together, and the utility meters refuse to talk to the inverters. 258 My question is should that then eliminate the 5 kw inverter of the powerwall wich Energex claims is part of the 10kw allowance on a single phase? 207 Or is the energy produced by the panels but dissipated somehow? The following is a list of the areas in case youve been missed. 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. They hid the problem pretty well, because they do tend to reduce the amount of shutdowns. Even if I were exporting 100% of it, it still would only bring down my bills by a tiny amount per month. If youre not satisfied with what answers our calculator gives, let me know your figures for grid electricity and solar feed-in tariff and Ill come up with an estimate for you. 0000008043 00000 n So my understanding of the info above is that my inverter will increase production in unison with demand until it hits 5kw? Normally single phase properties can have up to 5 kilowatts of solar inverter capacity and 3 phase properties can have 15 kilowatts. Or is there a build up of voltage in the system? 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. Have a good christmas. That is correct. One thing I find is that Voltage control works well: instead of the inverter resetting if the voltage gets too high, my inverters roll back output, so it actually helps my neighbors too because their inverters reset less often. 0000006578 00000 n What inverter do you have? Nobody wants to see solar energy . A Decent Battery From sonnen. In writing I was advised: Powercor's technical assessment aims for these works to enable at least 80% of new solar applications to export 5 kW. 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. 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. essential enrgy in central west nsw (Orange) are generally restricting to max 5kw export limit regardless of 1ph or 3ph: 2 x 3ph residential applications approvals cutnpaste below only difference was one specifically stated APPROVAL/SITE SPECIFIC CONDITION(s): Total Site to be export limited to 5kW 3 phase 1.66kW/per phase (and the padmount sub for the subdivision in on the property boundary) We installed 4.5kw with a 5kw inverter in 2014. If you can go outside and scream at the top of your lungs with no chance your neighbours will hear you, then theres a good chance you are off the main grid and face much stricter limits on exports. 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. This is because even if there is only a refrigerator running during the day it will reduce the losses from export limiting and if an effort is made to shift electricity consumption to the middle of the day then losses can be mostly or entirely eliminated. Metered and a non metered version. you aren't allowed to export any power from your solar system to the grid. 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. But you may as well just get a standard inverter and send your excess electricity into the grid. 100% In my case, I have N & W facing panels, My inverters clip to 5Kw for a few hours, but I can still export a reasonable amount. I was told that as there is an export limit of 5kW and I already have 3.5kW system, my new system will be export limited to 1.5kW. If that doesnt worry you then you can get a battery and just hope it mostly pays for itself. 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. If that is the case it seems counter intuitive to me as I dont know if demand will outstrip production until I actually turn the appliance (eg A/C) on and check the display. In my mind though the Smart meter at the box would adjust the export limit in line with what the house is consuming? 0000007057 00000 n I have noticed that one string seems to be performing well under the performance of the slightly smaller string. But still the solar companies keep trying to sell it to me.. Western Australia Horizon Power area: Regional Western Australia. NSWs Essential Energy area: Regional NSW. Under another option to . ) 10kW of inverters with 11.325kW of panels. A Decent Battery From sonnen. I have 13.25 kW of panels with a 9.8 kW LG Chem battery and a 10 kW inverter export limited to 5 kW. A 5 kilowatt inverter will never supply more than 5 kilowatts of power no matter how many kilowatts of panels it has. 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. 0000037686 00000 n But just note, not everyone Envoy has required bits to do export limiting. 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. Now, that would help protect electricity grids, especially, the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, for the present. Thats a furphy from go to whoa. Larger inverters that are export limited are allowed on a case by case basis. So yeah, the Envoy is essentially all you need to configure export limiting or anything else if you have an Enphase microinverter set-up. 0000009027 00000 n Voltage (V) measured at inverter terminals Ready for some quotes? I was lucky to have an early approval, so limited to 10Kw (or due to bad calculation by the approver, 8.6Kw, where he said ALL the Neutral current went down the common Neutral wire, where in fact only the difference between the phases goes down the Neutral (2 phase, 180 degree). Similarly, which would be more detrimental to a fragile electricity grid, through power exporting; a 5kW inverter with no export limiting, or, a 10kW inverter, with export limiting set to 1kW? Reminder: In Australia, you are allowed to install 33% more panel capacity than the inverter capacity for example, a 10 kW inverter can have up to 13.33 kW of panels attached. I just dont understand it. This certainly goes well beyond initial configuration and reporting. What I find is installers dont seem to like it when I tell them my plan. The loss figures above are for Sydney and are affected by the climate. Up until quite recently, Powercor had been informing a large proportion of households looking to install new solar systems they will have to cop a zero export limit due to high congestion created by exports from existing systems. 352 0 obj <>stream 100% Is this correct? Victorias Jemena network area: A small but crowded chunk of North and Western Melbourne. Efficiency has and will improve further over time, but never to the point of perpetuity. I live in Warrnambool, Victoria. When a home is exported limited, all the power the solar inverter can produce is available for the home to use. And yes 5kW export limit applies May I suggest an extra fact check to polish the valuable story above? The current Envoy they will be selling is the Envoy-S. Before that was the straight Envoy which did not have the consumption monitoring / metering needed to do export limiting. Worried the impact this will have currently when we charge an EV in the near term. I cant justify the cost of adding additional solar if the max I can export with Essential energy is 3kwh. For any amount above the daily export, you will receive our standard retailer feed-in tariff of 5 . 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. Only residential homes with inverters of 5 kilowatts or less can receive the states. I have an existing 3.5kW PV system with Solis inverter. 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. 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. In future, will powercor allow export limit if they upgrade transformer? 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. As discussion of the topic of export limiting, is continuing, what,if any, is/are the direct effect differences to electricity grid load (as in the load on the wires, not the load as the term used for meaning demand), between a 5kW inverter, and a 10kW inverter with 5kW export limiting? There may well be a tipping point in battery prices where a drought of mid day solar will be followed by very little evening use and possibly large numbers of households abandoning the grid altogether. 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, Allows installation but has an export limit.

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