Solar PV Hints, Tips & Troubleshooting

With a Solis hybrid inverter plus a 2.4kWhr Pylontech battery, what determines the maximum power that can be output from the battery?

The Pylontech battery specifications indicate a 25A (=1.2kW) recommended discharge rate and 50A (=2.4kW) maximum discharge rate. How does this work in practice? Does the Solis configuration for Pylontech batteries mean it will only draw 25A or can it draw up to 50A for short periods?

For example what will happen at night if a 2kW heater is turned on for 10 minutes, assuming all other house loads are 0. Will the inverter draw 42A from the battery to fully power the heater for the 10 minutes, or will the battery output be limited to 25A and the additional 0.8kW must come from the grid?

Does the same limit apply if using the Backup socket when the grid is down?

Rewiring the house. Don't have an electric car at the moment but will in the future I guess. As such, I want some prep wiring done when the time comes to put in PV cells and charging point. Could someone suggest what I might need to do from a wiring perspective?

I see a lot of people talking about over voltage issues.

My friend is getting grid over voltage alarms on his every second day.

Are these anything to be worried about?

What is over voltage and how do you fix it.

Finally got around to installing my own solar.

4.5kW DC E/W split with a 3.6 solis inverter. Have an electrician lined up to do the hook ups next week and install the Zappi. Total cost will be 4.4k after the electric car grant.

This is the first of 3 arrays and at least 20kWh of battery storage I plan to over the next 5 years. But they have to wait for building work and a heat pump install. Will have 2 EVs come July.

Yes bring two Cat6 (or 5e) one to the main board and one to your comms cabinet. I just built my house and wired for two EV charge points and only brought one Cat 6 to each point and now I realised I should have brought 2. As they use the cat6 for the CT clamps to your main ESB incomer and now there is none to hard wire in my Zappi to my network. Its a bit of a shame really but there is always wifi to connect it anyway.

Make sure the power cables to the charge point have to be at minimum 6mm2 cables (please correct me if I am wrong on the sizes). Also make sure the main tails coming into the house are adequate. My Zappi installer said one of the main reasons he fails installs is because the main ESB tails are too small for the load.

For solar PV I don't know, lads on here will better able to spec this for you.(off the top of my head they were two single core cables from each string, but I could be totally wrong..)

We are in the process of completing the NC6 documentation for the ESB to let them know of our DIY solar install. It looks like this involves completing and sending them the following documentation:

• NC6 https://www.esbnetworks.ie/docs/default-source/publications/micro-generation-notification-form-(nc6).pdf?sfvrsn=7f7aefee_27
• "NC6-01-R7 Micro -Generation Protection Settings Confirmation Certificate" https://www.esbnetworks.ie/docs/default-source/publications/nc6-01-form.pdf?sfvrsn=dbcb6c35_22
• The "EN50549 Certificate of Conformity" (The supplier of the Inverter, Solartricity, gave us this on request)

We have been able to pull together all the relevant documentation bar one mentioned in the NC6-01-R7. It looks like they need an additional fourth document too:

• "Type test certificate"

Does anyone know what this certificate is? Googling it doesnt return much information. Would it have come with the inverter? If so, i can ask the supplier if they can give us a copy.

Also, in the same NC6-01-R7 form, what do you put in the line below under "Corresponding Type Test Certificate"?

It should pull from the battery if the battery has enough juice in it.

The battery might be set though to only allow a low discharge rate, like mine was, it was set at a max discharge rate of 5 amps or something!! (this could be a default value on Solis hybrid inverters).

I'd have a look in the storage battery options in the menu (code is 0010), and check what the discharge rate is set at.

It should do, it was actually 8 amps mine was set to as well, for some reason i had 5 in my head, but it was indeed 8 amps!

Love to get an answer to this as well, I have been adding a couple of units to my reading to show some usage. I did see somewhere someone did and the "computer says no" issue happened and wouldn't accept it for billing but can't think of where I seen that. I would also love to know where all the reversed units go when you eventually have no option but change meters when the time comes. I see people here on boards say your new meter is set at 0.

I have literally just sent Solis an email requesting both documents and requesting them to confirm what should be written in that section.

Will update you when they respond, PM just incase so I don't forget :)

Good timing! That would be fantastic if you could give us an update. Thanks!

Did this work, I seem to be drawing from grid will full battery and lots of export. Think there must be a setting somewhere that is not correct

Did you go to 65A ?

I tired changing mine but it won't save the setting, seems to default back to 8A 😒

Didn't we decide it can't be adjusted when it's full or close to it, wait until battery is filling to change I recall