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. And also is it worth installing solar with 0 kWh limit with self consumption around 20-30%( payback 6-7 years). Allows installation but has a zero export limit. 0000022631 00000 n 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/. 3. I cant justify the cost of adding additional solar if the max I can export with Essential energy is 3kwh. They did say that with future upgrades we could reapply, but I cant find a way to do this. Im glad to hear its flexible enough to do that. Ronald was born more years ago than he can remember. Now, that would help protect electricity grids, especially, the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, for the present. As such, unless the investment pays for itself within at most 5-6 years, IMHO it is not a good investment/waste of money and natural resources. 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. More information about the program and how customers can get the most out of their rooftop solar is available at www.powercor.com.au/solar-energy 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. I suspect that it is likely, that that they are all signaled equally, not in truth I dont know for sure. Export limiting generally isnt permitted. I installed 6.6kw solar panels and have Goodwe 5kw inverter and applied for export limit of 5kw. March 2022 6 Powercor means Powercor Australia Limited, ABN 89 064 651 109. portal means the eConnect portal for CitiPower and . I was always of the belief that a 5kW inverter limited the total output/ production from my 6.5kW solar system to 5 kW, irrespective of what is being used in the house. Still a very long payback period, but not as long. 352 0 obj <>stream 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, Powercor's new solar connections export approval rate of just over 60% at the start of the year has increased to above 90%. The majority of customers are approved for the export level they request. We are in an area where only about 20% of the homes have solar. 4. 0000009573 00000 n But it took him about another ten years to focus on it in a way that wasnt really stupid, Good Article. 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. 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. 306 47 That is correct. Weve got a system that can be left alone in my opinion, so adding say 6.6kw and a 10kw battery makes good sense but what a task. 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. hooked up to an energy efficient 44kW motor for a real-world We do not prevent customers from installing solar for their own self-consumption. 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. And, depending on the circumstances of each individual household, 10-15 kW of total panels generating capacity, with limiting export to the grid, to 5kW, could provide better for the months with less available solar radiation, to lessen the demand for grid electricity, peaking on a seasonal basis. Regarding batteries, as we all know from our mobile phones, constantly being charged and discharged, will deteriorate much quicker than PV panels (and the same that goes for phones, laptops, and your electric toothbrush also goes for solar and electric vehicle batteries, unfortunately). 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. I do NOT have a device in my meter box that could tell the inverter anything about consumption and feed in energy. So it is unfortunate that it is necessary, but good that people can still install a larger system and generally have insignificant losses. PDF CitiPower Pty Ltd/ Powercor Australia Ltd 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. 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. Energex doesnt automatically allow inverters over 5 kilowatts to be installed with export limiting, but currently regularly grants permission for single-phase homes on the main grid to install up to 10 kilowatts of inverter capacity with export limiting. Finally! No-one seems to have replied Dirk, so I will try. While export limiting is possible its not always approved. Is this default, or would it be programmed in if the distributor required it? Or is there a build up of voltage in the system? That can raise the voltage to a level dangerous to appliances. Victorias Powercor area: Western Victoria, including a large portion of West Melbourne. Enter your postcode now. What inverter do you have? As batteries currently operate they charge from power in the morning that could otherwise be sold rather than from power that may not be able to be sold in the middle of the day. 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). He first became interested in environmental matters when he was four years old after the environment tried to kill him by smashing fist sized hailstones through the roof of his parents Toowoomba home. I have a new residential PV system in Perth WA, 6.6kW total panel capacity and a 5kW inverter (Growatt Min 5000TL-X). 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. is it 10kW AC or DC?? Single-phase properties can have up to 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity, and 3 phase properties can have up to 30 kilowatts. Some manufacturers may have this pre-selected. The MSO helps us manage and keep our network safe for solar customers. 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. 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. If you are using Enphase microinverters which is extremely likely the whole system can be export limited using the Enphase Envoy gateway. 0000001575 00000 n Rubbing salt into the wound were situations where someone was zero export limited while their next door neighbour wasnt. Does anyone have similar experience with powercor? Hi i want to install solar with no power 0000004059 00000 n But your situation is complicated by already having a 3 kilowatt system. 220 In exchange, the customer receives a small rebate on their bill for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) they export. This gives the advantage of having a new system covered by a new set of warranties. Very true AL0126. Powercor's technical assessment aims for these works to enable at least 80% of new solar applications to export 5 kW. Depending on their location, some may be constrained to a lesser export level or even no exports at all. But there will often be times when the solar system will produce more power than can be exported, so some energy will be lost3. House batteries should have the capability of being set to turn off when they are fully charged and then on towards the middle of the day. IE if Im producing 8KW, the house is using 2KW it will still export 5kw? 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. Many NSW rural situations are limited to 3Kw export, due to the length of the transmission lines. 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 If a home cant export any power at all then there is no financial reason to install a large solar system. 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. Its the same with kW and hours of solar electricity production. It does this by adjusting the MPPT but instead of working to maximize power from the panels it reduces it. 0000029011 00000 n 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 . This 80% could translate to an estimated 50,000 current or potential solar customers able to export more solar to the grid. Thank you. (Image from Finns Tesla App). Even if I were exporting 100% of it, it still would only bring down my bills by a tiny amount per month. I believe it must have been set up during installation, but the installer company claims that this is handled by Growatt themselves. In my mind though the Smart meter at the box would adjust the export limit in line with what the house is consuming? This could be important, given that we have a state parliamentary election due in a couple of months. Ill upgrade the Endeavour Energy area from Ugly to Bad, since things are clearly not all bad there. ), 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. 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. So my understanding of the info above is that my inverter will increase production in unison with demand until it hits 5kw? The distributor deals with that by putting the voltage slightly up at the sending end. 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. In contrast, most other network distributors set a strict upper limit on the size solar panel system you can install, typically 10kW for single-phase properties. Quotes vary and the deal has to be value/advantage logical or whats the point. 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. you aren't allowed to export any power from your solar system to the grid. In future, will powercor allow export limit if they upgrade transformer? I am looking at adding a second system (6.2kW) with GoodWe inverter. The earth is used as one conductor which has a higher resistance than a copper wire. 00@ Oo I have just had a 6.6kw system installed with a Fronius 5kw inverter and am export limited to 3kw. Efficiency has and will improve further over time, but never to the point of perpetuity. About 50%. Generation sources can be, but are not limited to solar, wind and batteries. The reason why your sisters inverter is different from yours is your Goodwe would be because yours has a current transformer device that lets it limit the amount of power it exports to the grid. If your pumping needs are large enough this can pay for itself, but it will be expensive to set up. And Set Power Limit to 100%. I have a 5kw solar system plus a Tesla powerwall 2 on my house . Can you provide comment and evaluation of power tracing please. 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. 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. So, the whole of the system of restrictions and available components, for domestic rooftop photovoltaic systems, needs to be reviewed, to provide for greater usage demands during peak demand hours, greater battery storage provisions (and financial assistance for householders to implement big behind the meter battery storage systems, and, regarding the fragile, decrepit SWIS grid, the allowance of large capacities of panel generation, limited export, inverters, such as the hybrid one that I proposed. NSWs Endeavour Energy area: Western Sydney. Put down your weapons.3. It appears the wire from the inverter is directly connected to my main fuse for the house circuits. But you will probably find that there is another setting that it will shutdown when 10 minute average voltage is a measly 255v. Is this perhaps one of the well-kept secrets about the reality of residential solar production in Western Australia, one that neither the solar installers or inverter manufacturers, let alone Synergy or Western Power want to be publicly known? Powercor program works to increase solar export capacity for 50,000 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. 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 word first can be confusing. Was sure if its been configured correctly or if this is just how it works? The battery is charging from the DC current which is before the inverter. If you are in the solar industry - try to get to the truth, not the sale.5. 100% reliable export limit control function as per AS4777.2 to limit the export output where the . 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. 0000010603 00000 n The infrastructure is not sufficiently flexible to deal with this. 5 kilowatt inverter + 6.6 kilowatts of solar panels (no export limiting): 0%, 6 kilowatt inverter + 8 kilowatts of solar panels: 4% loss, 7 kilowatt inverter + 9 kilowatts of solar panels: 8% loss, 8 kilowatt inverter + 10 kilowatts of solar panels: 13% loss, So, on the one hand, the Victorian Government is. 0000027694 00000 n I wouldnt drive anything else. 240 Tasmania: Under 1% of Tasmanians are on SWER lines, so the generous export limit should often be available. Can anyone shed any light for me? Am planning to install solar 6.6 kWh system and upon checking with powercor they are giving export limit as 0 kWh. (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 . About CitiPower and Powercor FACT SHEET: SOLAR EXPORT APPROVAL Set appliances to use your solar power Maintenance and safety checks are important 3. 0000038030 00000 n What is the go generally with adding an additional solar system to your home? Please keep the SolarQuotes blog constructive and useful with these 5 rules: 1. Most systems have mostly N facing panels, so really only generate peak power for a few hours a day (often 10am>2pm approx) Powercor claims 30% increase in rooftop solar export approvals Origin offers 8 cents per kWh until a daily export limit of 14 kWh is reached. it is, kind of, effectively export limiting. If at any moment in time you are generating more solar electricity than you need, the excess is exported to the grid. 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. And doing so potentially puts you running in a non compliant state. Youll also start receiving the SolarQuotes weekly newsletter, keeping you up to date on all the latest developments on Australias solar scene. Solar system size limits explained by state | Solar Choice For example, if you are export limited, only the Envoy-S with consumption monitoring can provide this. NSWs Essential Energy area: Regional NSW. Im on a swer line in rural south Australia. It is critical that you install an approved smart inverter and set it correctly. Were continually investing in our networks and aim to keep customers informed if additional export capacity becomes available in their area. 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. There are two options: 1. Im afraid thats a tough situation. Great article and content on this website I have divided Australias regions into three categories: The information below assumes the property is on the main grid. 0000039096 00000 n The data has 5KW flat lining confirming more is being generated. Larger inverters that are export limited are allowed on a case by case basis. Western Australia Horizon Power area: Regional Western Australia. Solar Analytics confirms in this scenario its only exporting up to the limit; 3kw. Exporting surplus solar power is good because it reduces fossil fuel generation and pays you a feed-in tariff that reduces electricity bills. 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. Its located in Ausnet Services' Distribution Area but Ausnet is not part of the CitiPower, Powercor and UnitedEnergy . 220 Your dedicated meter will inform the inverter, and it will immediately reduce the power, so it doesnt exceed 5 kilowatts1. We respect your privacy and you can opt out from the newsletter at any time. hbbf`b``3 I j is there a inverter that stops power going back Theres more good news, with further improvements to come. Actually I made a chart showing the percentage of electricity lines in each state that were SWER but I left it out for the sake of brevity. This applies to both single-phase and three-phase properties. 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. But whether or not extra solar capacity will pay for itself is another matter. As per current standards, a single phase premises is limited to 10kW generation and 5kW export. Rooftop solar | CitiPower & Powercor Whats the logical and practical way forward? Heres the Fronius Smart Meter that you need if you want to export limit a Fronius inverter it will add about $500 to the cost of the system: An example of how export limiting works You have an inverter thats exported limited to 5 kilowatts. Solar export limiting, or 'export limiting', occurs most often when there is more power being pushed into the grid than it can handle. 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. Select your country/region. Now, there are quite a few profiles on offer that can be programmed into the microinverters. South Australia Power Networks (SAPN) area: SAPN is the only distributor in South Australia. ), 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? 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. Queenslands Ergon network area: All of Queensland on the main grid outside of South East Queensland. If you cant store the power (too expensive) and you cant export it, why the requirement (or desire) to put in large systems? 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. As a general rule, 5kW tends to be the upper system size limit for single-phase connections, but some networks allow up to 10kW. 2. Victoria network plans upgrade to allow for more rooftop solar exports 0000028229 00000 n Assume positive intention.4. 5kW times the number of hours is the total production over that time. So what goes throgh the meter, in either direction, is the difference between what you generate and what you use. I have 3 x PV systems on one phase. My solar installer applied to Powercor to install a 5.4kw system at my Point Cook address. But just note, not everyone Envoy has required bits to do export limiting. The fact is that Powercor does not set an upper limit on the size solar panel system you can install, up to 30kW. Power failure: Homes hit by solar limits as distributors protect 2. I am a total newbie to this but I am unclear why export limiting is good? The standard relating to solar inverters is about to change. 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. So, I am pretty much left in the dark about whether all the energy my panels are theoretically producing is being utilised, or (which is my fearful assumption) up to 1.6kW are wasted whenever the panels produce more than 5kW AC. 0000027818 00000 n What is 'zero exports' or 'export limiting', why is it affecting If you are interested you can read about this here: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/inverters/mppt/. The ideal way to measure the power flow in and out of your house would be to ask your existing electricity meter. The inverter reduces the amount of electrical energy supplied by the solar panels. Unfortunately, SAPN wont allow more than 5 kilowatts of inverter capacity on an SWER line. I have a 10kw Solar Edge inverter limited to 5kw. 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. A condition of this basic connection offer is that all inverter energy systems must have the volt-watt and volt-var response modes enabled with the following settings: Also note that for new installations in WA, only residences with inverters of 5 kilowatts or less can receive the states, Western Australias Western Power area: Perth and South West WA. 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. So the size of the system becomes irrelevant if you can only export 3kwh (we are Regional NSW Essential Energy). This is often referred to as 'network constraints'. hour of charging is enough to drive 35km.. I want about 10Kw of panels so I can run pumps etc. Im trying to get some unbiased advice on whether or not we should add more solar. What am I missing? When it comes to the limiting imposed by the electricity companies feed-in regulations, it means that, at any one time, not more than 5kW (100L) maybe be output to the grid (hose), it has nothing to do with the total over a certain period of time. 100% So yeah, the Envoy is essentially all you need to configure export limiting or anything else if you have an Enphase microinverter set-up. DC Input Power (Wp) 10000, from its published datasheet. 0% I am surprised to hear that Powercor has allowed you to increase your exports, but that is good to hear. <]/Prev 115522/XRefStm 1575>> In writing I was advised: Australian Rooftop Solar Powers Rise Astounding, But.. Australias Emissions: Electricity Down, Transport Up, Compare Feed-In Tariffs And Electricity Plans, Victorias Powercor Lifts Its Solar Exports Game, 3029: Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina, 3030: Cocoroc, Derrimut, Point Cook, Werribee, Werribee South, 3551: Ascot (Greater Bendigo), Axe Creek, Axedale, Bagshot, East Bendigo, Emu Creek, Eppalock, Epsom, 3337: Kurunjang, Melton, Melton West, Toolern Vale, 3340: Bacchus Marsh, Balliang, Coimadai, Darley, Hopetoun Park, Long Forest, Maddingley, Merrimu, 3352: Bonshaw, Bungaree, Bunkers Hill, Burrumbeet, Cambrian Hill, Cardigan, Cardigan Village, Clarendon, 3305: Bolwarra, Cape Bridgewater, Gorae West, Heathmere, Portland, Portland North, Portland West, 3444: Baynton, Kyneton, Lauriston, Lyal, Metcalfe, Redesdale, Tylden 3465 Alma, Bowenvale, Daisy Hill, Maryborough. Or is the energy produced by the panels but dissipated somehow? Some say so you want to replace your system? ACTs EvoEnergy Network Area: Covers most homes in the ACT, especially in built-up areas. Thanks. How do I get around this with SAPN , am I allowed to export limit on a swer line in Sth Aust. I know in the movie the Bad was worse than the Ugly, but thats not the way Im doing it. 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 . Do you know the situation here? 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, startxref Our Solar & Battery Calculator can give an idea of if its likely to pay: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-calculator/. What Happens to the Surplus Power That Can't Be Exported to the Grid? 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. Are Tesla Powerwall smart enough to let majority of power export to grid and only start charging battery as inverter approaches its export limit? If you are in the solar industry - try to get to the truth, not the sale.5. 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? 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. Only residential homes with inverters of 5 kilowatts or less can receive the states. There are versions without this consumption monitoring (old Non -s version of Envoy and even the Envoy-S without consumption monitoring). Though endless quibbling over unnecessary details might keep the presses churning, a FACT remains that Ive been using ever-more-cost-effective batteries since 1980.