Solar PV Hints, Tips & Troubleshooting

THE ALM · 10-09-2021 5:17pm

I think an important bit that is often overlooked is to make sure that the CT clamps are pointing in the right direction (there is an arrow on the ct clamp)

AndyBoBandy · 10-09-2021 5:29pm

The hot press is now in my office (after getting the attic converted it was moved), so I could easily live with it on the external wall of the hot press… would also give me easier and better access to it for changing any settings…

how many CR clamps can be connected to an Eddi!

garo · 10-09-2021 6:39pm

If your car is at home during the day go ahead and get the Zappi now. I have a Zappi - and no Eddi - and I feel the Zappi made more financial sense. I have a 4.8kW E/W system so you will definitely be producing enough to charge the car four months of the year (on sunny days mind). It's also a nice looking charger.

My quote originally came with an Eddi but my installer was too lazy to get the CT wire up to the hot press and I couldn't have the Eddi by the fusebox because that circuit also powers the power shower. So I just asked for my money back. Regretted it the first summer but then got the Zappi last September and have not regretted it since.

You need a CT around the meter to fusebox main live. So it will tell you how much you are exporting/importing. The solar inverter will need this to know when to charge/discharge the battery and by how much. So you absolutely will need a cable going from near your fusebox to your inverter. Your Eddi can't fulfill that role. The myenergi devices also need a CT at this point so they can decide when there is excess and utilise it. That CT can be connected to a Harvi or a Zappi or Eddi. All three talk to each other. You are correct, if you get a Zappi now you save the cost of the Harvi as the Zappi will feed the info wirelessly to the Eddi. If you want the myenergi app to also monitor solar production (for stats and pretty graphs; it has no functional use) you will need a CT around the solar circuit so it will tell you what your solar (plus battery) is producing. Don't think the myenergi system and the inverter can share CTs so you will need three CTs.

This page is a good guide. Look at section 6: https://myenergi.com/wiki/zappi-v2/installation-3/

garo · 10-09-2021 6:43pm

Also don't buy stuff yourself. Ask the Enniskillen folks to do it for you. They get a lower VAT rate so should get it cheaper.

The Eddi can take two CT clamps. https://myenergi.com/wiki/eddi/installation-4/ As I said earlier your solar inverter will need its own clamp. Eddi won't do the job. The installers will have to run an AC cable from your inverter in the attic to your fusebox. So they should be able to run a data cable at the same time.

AndyBoBandy · 10-09-2021 7:39pm

You see although they’ve quoted me for 14 panels (4.7kW), I’m not sure I actually see them getting the 14 on the roof!!! It’s going to involve 3 different roof orientations…

the front (SE) only has room for 2 panels - non negotiable because of 2 Velux windows and a stupid dormer feature;

The side (SW) is the biggest space, and they said 6 panels, and I’m thinking it will be a squeeze to get 6, but definitely 5 should fit..

this is the neighbours roof as it’s awkward to photo mine which is a mirror image of this… panels around the chimney will need optimisers.

then we have the back roof which is WNW, but currently gets the sun from about 11:30am until sundown, but again there’s 2 Velux windows there. The guy said 6 panels, but I struggle to see 6 fitting…

For reference here is a neighbours roof with similar Velux windows, and 4 panels (however these look a lot bigger than 340w panels…)

then also at the back, I have the kitchenette roof which could hold 2 panels, again gets the sun from midday til sundown….

I’m a little bit hesitant to go for the Zappi from the outset as if I end up with only 10-11 panels, the production will be a lot lower (as also the front 2 panels will have long tapered off by the time the side and rear panels are up to full speed!!! So I’d like to get the PV in with the Eddi, and see what sort of excess I actually have before splashing out on a Zappi…… (and if I do have decent excess, I can always plug in the Tesla charger and dial the car down to 5 amps…. I’m thinking I could also put a CT clamp on my existing Tesla charger to monitor its consumption on the MyEnergi hub).

fluffykre · 10-09-2021 7:52pm

When we got our solar installed we got the eddi installed in the hallway beside the fuse board where the clamps where hardwired in without a harvi.

The eddi can heat two elements so they ran two new electrical cables to the attic then fished them down into the wall beside the hot press where the emersion switch is. They wired one into the existing emersion element on the cylinder and the other is terminated into a spare box so if we get a bigger cylinder with two elements it can be utilised (top and bottom). they even added an extra switch in the wall for the second cable, so its ready to go.

Its nice having it in the hallway as you can glance on the display instead of the app to see how generation is going and also the unit has a big heatsink on the back so keeping it cooler in the hallway may extend its life compared to being installed in a warm hotpress.

I would me more in favour of hard wiring the CT clamps being using the existing cable or extending the cp clamp cable using cat5. This would avoid any wireless interference

bullit_dodger · 10-09-2021 8:19pm

Nice to see the photos.

I just got mine in last week, and they seem a lot bigger on the roof than I thought they'd be. Also suffering with the velux windows problem too. Have 10 panels on the other side, and I know if it was me up the ladder.....I'd have snuck another one up there and made it 5x !! With an east/west facing roof I'd liked to have a 50-50 split, but there's some positives I guess, big production is later in the day now. (picture below is facing east)

These are 380w panels - so I suspect your neighbors are probably around the same judging from the size of the window - assuming that the windows are a standard size?

I wouldn't worry too much about time of day your capturing the energy. Ultimately it's energy captured, you're either going to use it, bang it into the battery/hot water tank, or finally export it. With a FIT (even if it's rubbish) you'll get something for it, so I'd be of the mindset throw up as many panels as you can. I know some people would like the panels all symmetrical. Me? Couldn't give a monkeys if it meant I could fit more :-)

There are some bigger panels around too. Might be worth investigating. They are around the 450w range, but bigger panel. So you'd have the same area of production with the 450w panels that you would with the 350-380 ones, but less panels if you follow me? It might work out better for you with your space. Dunno, you'd have to draw it out I bet

AndyBoBandy · 10-09-2021 8:57pm

I dont plan on giving any of it away to the grid if I can help it...

I'll have the Eddi, as well as a 5 kWh battery to take any excess, and then if they are hot/full, and I still have excess, I'll put the rest into the car.

I just tried it there, and I can dial the car down from 32a (7kW) to 5a (1kW) and everything in between. Only issue is I have to do this in the car itself, but that's fine, I can live with that for a while, and if it turns out I have regular excess and decent generation next summer, I'll go for the Zappi.

Am I right in thinking I could add a CT clamp at the consumer unit to the cable that goes out to the (dumb) Tesla charger, and then add that CT clamp to the MyEnergi Hub (providing it's connected via the Eddi or a Harvi)? And I can even designate it as a car charger in the app so the icon appears?

At this point I'm thinking I'd definitely need a Harvi for additional CT clamps. I'm thinking 4 clamps in total? I assume the Eddi doesn't need a clamp and monitors its own usage?

House Feed from grid
Solar generation from inverter
Battery
To dumb non Zappi car charger

Blue4u · 10-09-2021 9:00pm

Hi, I am looking for some advice, have a solar PV system in place with GivEnergy. I don't really monitor it like i should but when I checked earlier this week it is only generating about 20-50 watts....if I go back about a month it was up at 2-3kw during peaks hours. Now I know sun etc but the other days it was shining directly down and yet the system said only 20 watts was getting generated

I have contacted the supplier but no response. Any ideas? Thank you

graememk · 10-09-2021 9:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874190#Comment_117874190

You cant monitor the battery using a CT* and the Myenergie system, using a hybrid inverter. - the myenergie cant see past the hybrid inverter, so anything coming from that, be it solar, or battery its all the same.

*you can monitor standalone storage inverters, Also DC currrent can be measured by a ct but its not the same ct's, and needs a voltage source.... etc

garo · 10-09-2021 9:46pm

That definitely does not sound right. Talk to the installer to fix it. Is there any shade on any of the panels?

graememk · 10-09-2021 9:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874198#Comment_117874198

Where's your inverter, When its daylight again, go look at the screen on it, that might give some clues/error codes and that would narrow down it a bit more.

Blue4u · 10-09-2021 10:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874384#Comment_117874384

No shade on panels....

Blue4u · 10-09-2021 10:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874386#Comment_117874386

Inverter is in attic....

Its very strange, so if I look at yesterday it started generating at 7.30 and it reached a peak of 60 watts during the day, was up and down all day but was working.....now i have 19 panels so it should be a lot more

graememk · 11-09-2021 12:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874478#Comment_117874478

Yeah should be getting much more than 60w

DrPhilG · 11-09-2021 12:32am

You should still get 60w when it's near dark!

Bobeagleburger · 11-09-2021 7:15am

Doesn't sound right at all

Bobeagleburger · 11-09-2021 7:24am

The panels don't have to be vertical. They can be fitted horizontal too. Looking at some of the photos it might work better that way.

Then installer will know fairly quick anyway when he arrives.

Jonathan · 11-09-2021 2:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117873938#Comment_117873938

Get the lads out and see what will fit. It can be very deceptive.

Prior to installation, I measured it all out was sure I was only going to get 12 panels on my south facing roof.

Lads arrived to install on Thurs and were actually able to fit 14 panels on, and didn't have to move the stupid ensuite lighttube either.

slave1 · 11-09-2021 3:10pm

That sounds like the last reading from when you were generating. Sounds like your inverter hasn't kicked it properly from last power down

Blue4u · 11-09-2021 6:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117875089#Comment_117875089

I know, Up till a month ago was getting a lot more. I went up and no red lights or anything. Powered the entire system down. Then turned it back on. Still only getting 50watts and sun is shining on the panels. Something up alright .

championc · 11-09-2021 6:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117874478#Comment_117874478

So what's the voltage of each string ?

But even if one string was faulty, the other should be ok.

Are you getting 60w from the app or the actual inverter ?

You do have two strings, don't you ?

Blue4u · 12-09-2021 3:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117877776#Comment_117877776

I have zero idea how to check any of that. I log into http://www.givenergy.cloud/GivManage/login

Apart from the main screen I have no idea what to check outside that. I'm the type of person "plug n play" was invented for.

I expect 2 strings as 19 panels. I think you can't have 19 on one string from recollection?

bullit_dodger · 12-09-2021 3:46pm

Hi "Blue4u", when did you get it installed? If it's recently enough then you should be covered under the installers support plan. Any (all?) of then would be happy enough to log into your system remotely assuming you have WIFI setup on it and have a look. Often they can see the fault problem and fix remotely without even sending out an engineer to have a look. Sometimes in as short of a few minutes. Don't give out your username/password on the forums anyway, as while most people here are above board, there's always some yahoo who'll abuse.

Course you might have a more complex problem that can't be sorted out over the phone/internet, but they'd be able to asses that. Might be something as simple as a firmware upgrade which they can do remotely.

There's a lot of things you can do such as looking at the currents with CT clamps, but since in your own words, your more a plug and play type of person, I'd probably just give them a call.

championc · 12-09-2021 6:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117880704#Comment_117880704

Does it have an LCD display panel ? You should be able to see the stuff I'm asking about in information menus or even on the main display.

Photograph it and post it in here and we can guide you.

Blue4u · 12-09-2021 8:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117880807#Comment_117880807

Hi, it was installed in 2019...I did log a call with the supplier but nothing back yet so I said I would ask in case I am doing something stupid on it.

garo · 12-09-2021 9:24pm

Post a screenshot of what you see when you login. I logged into their demo site and don't see anything excet for power. So no voltage or current.

AndyBoBandy · 12-09-2021 10:09pm

Few questions on the Eddi if anyone can help..

Does it take the excess generation all day, or does it only take it up to a preset point either in time or kWh? As in can you set how many kWh goes into it in a given day before it stops, and the excess generation the Eddi was using then goes elsewhere (battery)?

My water cylinder doesn’t have a thermostat so I’ve no way to know how hot the water is.. Is it trial and error as to how much energy it takes to heat the tank up? Normally in Summer I run the boiler for 30 minutes a day in ‘water only’ mode via a Nest schedule, which seems to cover all our needs. What would the Eddi need in terms of kWh to replicate this?

I did get a new 120L stainless steel insulated water cylinder about 6 years ago when we got the attic converted, and I installed a new heating element in it that I picked up in Woodies (twin element sink/bath), so would that be sufficient to work with the Eddi?

Once my gas central heating starts kicking in as it gets colder, it also heats the water cylinder, so I’m guessing once the heating starts coming on, I just switch the Eddi off for the entire time the heating is regularly coming on, or would the Eddi somehow know when it’s needed to put excess generation into heating water?

Jonathan · 12-09-2021 10:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117882516#Comment_117882516

The immersion itself will have a thermostat in it. Take off the plastic cap and you can set the temperature (most are set to 60C).

Eddi will keep dumping heat into Heater 1 until it can take no more, and then it will dump into Heater 2 (if you have one). It retries Heater 1 every 15 mins to see if it can store any more heat.

In your case, you would wire the sink element as Heater 1, and the bath element as Heater 2.

No need to turn off the Eddi in winter (assuming you have a cylinder stat connected to boiler).

graememk · 12-09-2021 10:22pm

I'll answer a couple of these q,

The immersion has it's own thermostat, it will shut off when the tank gets up to temp.

The eddi will keep putting power into the immersion until it shuts off. Doesn't need a timer or schedule.

Solar PV Hints, Tips & Troubleshooting

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