mactech
Solar powered Astrophotographer
I had one of the best winter production days ever with 2800w of PV. The extreme cold and snow cover helped.
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Power Production This Time of Year!
- Thread starter MattMan119
- Start date
wattmatters
Solar Wizard
The usual January roller coaster:
ScrodusGargleRotten
Solar Wizard
JBoffgrid2022
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2022
- Messages
- 554
Sooo....
I've been battling low PV production on a new system I've installed.
-(48) 400-500W bifacial aptos panels
-3 EG4 6000XP Inverters
-3 EG4 Wallmount Batteries
We wired the three separate batteries to each inverter respectively and also wired the three batteries in parallel.
When we first commissioned our system, we were instructed by two separate Sig Solar technicians to configure the batteries as a "shared battery" system. After a few days, I noticed the panels even on full sun would not produce more than 8500W total, very meager despite the potential power they SHOULD be producing!
I had a nagging feeling that something was capping or clipping the PV power based on the data charts, and what really got my attention was the amount of watts it was producing. I know the inverters are designed to accept up to 8kW of PV, I thought: "8500W is pretty close to 8000W", maybe the inverter in only allowing a maximum amount of power because it doesn't know there are three separate batteries???
I decided to call Sig. Solar one more time before I went down the road of calling EG4 directly and it paid off! Tech support instructed me that because each inverter has one battery attached to it, the "shared battery" function shouldn't be on.
Low and behold, the system today started to produce almost double the amount it had done the previous day.... I'm very curious how much power this system will deliver later in the year. Any thoughts on what I could expect?
I've been battling low PV production on a new system I've installed.
-(48) 400-500W bifacial aptos panels
-3 EG4 6000XP Inverters
-3 EG4 Wallmount Batteries
We wired the three separate batteries to each inverter respectively and also wired the three batteries in parallel.
When we first commissioned our system, we were instructed by two separate Sig Solar technicians to configure the batteries as a "shared battery" system. After a few days, I noticed the panels even on full sun would not produce more than 8500W total, very meager despite the potential power they SHOULD be producing!
I had a nagging feeling that something was capping or clipping the PV power based on the data charts, and what really got my attention was the amount of watts it was producing. I know the inverters are designed to accept up to 8kW of PV, I thought: "8500W is pretty close to 8000W", maybe the inverter in only allowing a maximum amount of power because it doesn't know there are three separate batteries???
I decided to call Sig. Solar one more time before I went down the road of calling EG4 directly and it paid off! Tech support instructed me that because each inverter has one battery attached to it, the "shared battery" function shouldn't be on.
Low and behold, the system today started to produce almost double the amount it had done the previous day.... I'm very curious how much power this system will deliver later in the year. Any thoughts on what I could expect?
Attachments
Brucey
Velcro Man
Took the 60A breaker out of the path of the hawkes bay 90A. Ran a new set of pv wire out to get the two parallel strings of ten back on their own tracker on the 450/100 to avoid hitting the 4kW per tracker limit.
But in my urgent stupidity last night trying to disconnect frozen mc4s under panels frozen to the ground I managed to discnnect a string of ten and couldn't figure it out this morning. Going to try again tomorrow start with the basics and one panel.
No chance of testing new 90A limit on hb with pretty overcast day.
But in my urgent stupidity last night trying to disconnect frozen mc4s under panels frozen to the ground I managed to discnnect a string of ten and couldn't figure it out this morning. Going to try again tomorrow start with the basics and one panel.
No chance of testing new 90A limit on hb with pretty overcast day.
GABRIEL82S
New Member
Now-Feb are low production mounts from an average of 1200 kw in the summer to 600 in the winter. From an 8.64 KW system
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GABRIEL82S
New Member
I believe Grid is ok for smaller systems/inverters especially when you have 1:1 net metering reduces the cost of extra batteries and help with big load/ start up for small inverters.
ScrodusGargleRotten
Solar Wizard
My guess is peaking at ~70 KWh / day in late June. 45 in OCT, and 30 in Dec. I dont know where you are so that would help.
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timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
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- 25,718
Whenever I say grid, it's only for backup.
I would never have a grid-tied system. It's a losing battle, that's only going to get worse.
42OhmsPA
Who likes Electrical Gremlins?
That's excellent. I got 1.4KWh on a 14.55KW array.Consider yourself blessed! Some days I get 2. Yes, 2 KWH on a 6600w arrayView attachment 273129
Things are definitely looking up. I beat Dec already.
I shattered last Jan.
Attachments
ScrodusGargleRotten
Solar Wizard
You must have installed more PV between September and October.
No way you only got 200 KWh on me in July with over double the array.
But congrats on the 1.4 you got!
Snow cover or?
42OhmsPA
Who likes Electrical Gremlins?
Mid October, 14th iirc, I closed the disconnect on my 3.7KW SW facing tilting array.
Lol thanks, yea that was snow.But congrats on the 1.4 you got!
Snow cover or?
teal95
Solar Wizard
Finally today I got to the point where I was actually producing more than the house was using. It was only a couple of hours but it's the first since ~November. I need more vertical panels, although with it getting above freezing the main array panels did mostly melt off.
timselectric
If I can do it, you can do it.
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2022
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Melting is good. I only have 41 panels, still under frozen snow.
Made 39kwh today. Things are getting better.
Made 39kwh today. Things are getting better.
MattMan119
Solar Geek
I am very lucky most years I do not have a deal with heating more then a morning here or their, at most 4 days a year. This year I had to deal with the last week under I have much better understanding of heating in the winder months with little or no solar. Yes is was mild compared to what you folks get, but wow.. If I did not live in Florida I would move after this week.. lol … I assume thee is a lot of alternative heating methods like, gas, propane, oil and so on.?
Brucey
Velcro Man
For the diyer wood is a nice option and can often be gathered locally.
NY state is pushing heat pumps hard, but the other day I saw someone saying they had 400A service, and that was because the heat pumps resistant strip heaters could pull 30kW....personally I think it's crazy to become dependent on electricity for heating in north east winters, at least with propane you can light your stove for emergency heat, have hot water etc. Just look at the recent buffalo snow disaster. If those folks didn't have gas there would have been many more deaths.
MattMan119
Solar Geek
Yeah I have two heat pumps, but I wake up and I have used 4kwh already .. just heating,, yeah I would not depend on power for heat… got to be alternatives.. it worries me they control the on/off switch to the big sources, why the resistant to be sell reliant…
Zwy
Emperor Of Solar
I run heat pumps or radiant electric to use excess, it isn't primary heat. But come February, we can usually heat the house entirely with electric. Ambient temps are higher so greater efficiency on the heat pumps and days are slightly longer. Sky is clear with temps that help panels produce.
JBoffgrid2022
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2022
- Messages
- 554
That is not what I was hoping for.... but we'll have to wait and see what happens. I calculated 20kw per hour, for at least 5 hours on sunny days.
ScrodusGargleRotten
Solar Wizard
Where are you?
I was certainly doing the math on the low end. You should be better
This tool seems to be the best.
PVWatts
Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations
teal95
Solar Wizard
Main array is 20 kW. It made 2.5 kWh yesterday. Vertical is 2100 W. It made 10 kWh yesterday. A few days ago when it was really cold (single digits) I saw it making 2380 W.
Brucey
Velcro Man
With 22kW of panels getting 20kW out of them regularly seems tricky.
Probably more like this:
ScrodusGargleRotten
Solar Wizard
Solar is a bell curve. I normal only get 90+% for 1.5 hours / day.
teal95
Solar Wizard
Last summer I had one day that I got 100 kWh out of my 20 kW of panels. Most days it was in the 90's. Winter is a different animal.
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