Solar for Dummies.
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Can you not post pictures of your inverter screen? This would take little time to figure out if you provided that. There should be another CT clamp in your consumer unit and a meter not unlike this:
Could you provide a complete description of what you have installed;
- What is your inverter make and model
- How many panels and what capacity
- Do you have a battery and if so what capacity
- Do you have an Eddi and if so is it on
- Do you have an EV charger and if so what brand.
I know this information is already posted across multiple threads but for the best response help folks out by being clear. Also photos of the information displayed on the inverter.
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I take consumer unit to be the fusebox. We had a new one installed as part of the work. The only clamp visible is outside in the meter box, attached to red wire and arrow pointing back to house.
It is a 16 panel array on two strings giving 7.36 Kw.
The battery is by Sofar Solar and is 5.1Kw.
The inverter is by Sofar Solar and 6 Kw.
There is an Eddi that is working on timer to boost hot water temperature and to take excess solar.
I will post photos as requested and of inverter display panel which shows energy going TO the grid on a dull wet evening as daylight fails.
MyEnergy have been on phone and fixed up the App a bit but cannot put up solar information until CT issue is sorted.
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OK, I'm just going to go a head a work off what you posted. The display indicates Bat: Standby mode, which is correct which the battery is full. It also indicates you're exporting .44KWs to the grid and your household consumption is critical load is zero and your solar generation is zero. I'm not sure if you took the picture recently but if it's displaying 0.0Kws always then that is definitely a sign or two problems not one. The factor your inverter is showing an export while your generating nothing and the battery is not discharging means there is definitely a problem with the Inverter. The Inverter CT clamp is either broken or miss configured. I suspect it's miss configured and you're actually importing .44KWs as opposed to exporting.
You can do a couple checks;
1) If he installed some backup sockets for you (unclear if he did) , plug in something like a kettle and check if you see a positive load beside the lightbulb.
2) Turn on the kettle in the kitchen, does the value for export to the grid increase or decrease or do nothing?
3) When you're generating Solar power (pick mid day) are you exporting or importing from the grid based on what the Inverter shows.
Three Scenarios:
1) The install placed the CT clamp for the inverter in the wrong position.
I think this is what's happened. I think he placed it not in the Consumer unit but beside the inverter and it's seeing all house load as an export. If the Inverter says you're exporting but myenergi says you're not or importing a small amount, thats what has happened.
This would also explain why you are seeing exports at weird times as sometimes the battery needs to rebalance and will just discharge a small amount. The below diagram shows the issue.
2) The install has the CT clamp reversed
If you turn on the kettle and you're exporting more based on the inverter display, then this is what's happening. You can double check this but comparing the number on the inverter with the myenegi app, if they are roughly of the same magnitude, this is what's happening. It doesn't look like it's possible to change the direction of the CT clamp via configuration in the Sofar inverter (it is on other brands such as Solis).
This would explain potentially why the Eddi was coming on all day regardless of excess power.
3) The CT Clamp and meter is was a dud and will need replacement.
Obviously there is another scenario, where the CT clamp is both in the wrong position and reversed.
You may have multiple issues with your install or not. Everything starts with this issue with the Inverter, if you can get that fixed likely you will start seeming the weird behaviour on the Eddi and Harvi.
If you could do the checks above that I've outlined it would rule certain things in or out.
Post edited by Manion on1 -
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OK definitely progress, your clamp is not a dud, so scenario 3 ruled out. We also confirmed that it's not in position 1 in the diagram below as you won't see the kettle load. Could you take a photo of the screen with the kettle on. Not that I doubt you, just to be doubly sure the power is going out not in. At the same time (while the kettle is on) could you note down what the MyEnergi app is saying. If my Energia is showing an import of roughly 3Kw (or whatever the value is on the inverter) then the CT clamp is either reverse or in position 2.
How to determine if it's reversed or in position 2?
Tomorrow once the sun is up you should see some solar power generation on the Inverter. If you don't then you've two problems. Turn on the kettle again in the kitchen, if your inverter shows roughly the same as the Energia app (though in the opposite direction), that means the CT Clamp is in position 2. If the Inverter export load - solar generation is equal to the Energia load then the CT Clamp is reversed. e.g if Solar generation is .3KWs and the inverter shows an export of 2.7kws but the Energia App is showing an import of 2.4Kw's. Or just take a photo of the inverter and Energia app readings tomorrow mid day and we'll work it out for you.
The benefit of this approach is that when the guy comes back to fix it (And someone will have to fix this because there is definitely a problem) you'll be able to validate that everything is working by just turning on a kettle and looking at the inverter screen.
As an Aside: Once you get this sorted out we can chat about what your state of charge should be on the battery and if you have backup sockets. With the Sofar you can set a gird charge to be something like 20% leaving you nearly the full capacity of the battery to balance out your consumption.
Post edited by Manion on1 -
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Ah right, didn't realize you have an issue with the Energia app as well. Don't worry about the green leaf issue, once you fix the inverter problem solar will show up on the Energia app.
Yes it does fall to 20% What happens when we have a series of zero solar energy days? Does the inverter know to keep the battery topped up to the 20%? I presume in last few days it is solar alone that has fed the battery. There was a feed into the Eddi this afternoon also.
Your inverter is slightly different to mine but once the mode for the battery is set to self use it will automatically charge and discharge the battery and ensure it has the minimum needed power from the grid. If Solar is low it would top up from the grid. On the main display (the one you posted a picture of previous) press down and keep going uptil you see stat of charge. It should be something like maybe 10%.
Given what you've said before the battery was on Time of Use mode, charging up in the morning. I'd actually assume it's 100% because of that. Yer man setting it up that way really made it worthless to you because combined with the inverter CT clamp issue you've just been losing any solar excess generated. Which I suppose wasn't that bad since you have a backwards spinning meter. If it was me with my meter I'd have just lost all the solar. The battery was full so it could not go there and the the CT clamp showed incorrectly you're exporting. Anyway, nearly there.
Post edited by Manion on1 -
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