PV production meter (for SRECs) with Sol-Ark hybrid inverter

[Think About It]

I'm confident that Sol-Ark will release an ANSI C.12 certified solution and this discussion will become a moot point. The question is when.

 

[629658]

No not too bad. I have a TED energy monitor. No longer available it been a great purchase and is very similar to mine. I have 8 branch circuits I monitor too.

I can tell you I have caught issues with incorrect billing and the way they counted our PV production by our utility only because I account for each kWh. Not often but it has happened. I wouldn’t own a PV system without one. My SMA was just horribly inaccurate. Sol Ark is closer but still not accurate enough for me. I have an excel spreadsheet that I’d be willing to share.

 

[Think About It]

I can tell you I have caught issues with incorrect billing and the way they counted our PV production by our utility only because I account for each kWh. Not often but it has happened. I wouldn’t own a PV system without one. My SMA was just horribly inaccurate. Sol Ark is closer but still not accurate enough for me. I have an excel spreadsheet that I’d be willing to share.

I understand. ANSI C.12 certified means that it has been certified to comply with the ANSI standard for Revenue Grade Metering.

 

[jmacdonald077]

Anyone have updates on this thread? In the same boat as the OP

 

[Oldphile]

My first 15K went live last December. My installer included SREC in the payback calculation. The first month after PTO I called them to ask if they had submitted my system for SREC. Answer; Sol-Ark production monitoring isn't accurate enough to qualify for SREC. If Sol-Ark ever resolves this it most likely will only be for new units. The built in CTs aren't accurate enough. The CTs are probably soldered into the PCB.

 

[BackyardBandit]

Bump. Has anyone ever figured out how to capture "total production" from a Sol-Ark (or EG4) inverter, not just the exported energy to the grid?

 

[houseofancients]

Something like this ?

 

[BackyardBandit]

Something like this ?
View attachment 203330

The "Solar PV" value should be correct if the CT's are revenue grade. Would be nice if there was a way to display it in a monthly value instead of daily without having to do math manually.

Correct me if I'm mistaken: the value for SREC reporting would be ((Load Consumption + Exported to Grid) - Imported from Grid).

I wonder if there's a standalone RGM that can automatically math this out and display the monthly total.

 

[houseofancients]

The "Solar PV" value should be correct if the CT's are revenue grade. Would be nice if there was a way to display it in a monthly value instead of daily without having to do math manually.

Correct me if I'm mistaken: the value for SREC reporting would be ((Load Consumption + Exported to Grid) - Imported from Grid).

I wonder if there's a standalone RGM that can automatically math this out and display the monthly total.

ct's are revenue grade, using an external meter ( SDM630 )
you forgetting losses and self consumption.

btw this is a default view of solar assistant

 

[Mike 134]

The "Solar PV" value should be correct if the CT's are revenue grade. Would be nice if there was a way to display it in a monthly value instead of daily without having to do math manually.

Correct me if I'm mistaken: the value for SREC reporting would be ((Load Consumption + Exported to Grid) - Imported from Grid).

I wonder if there's a standalone RGM that can automatically math this out and display the monthly total.

My SREC payment is based only on production.

Consumer FAQs – Illinois Shines

illinoisshines.com

 

[BackyardBandit]

So

My SREC payment is based only on production.

Consumer FAQs – Illinois Shines

illinoisshines.com

Understood, that's how it works with pretty much all grid tied inverters, a pair of CT's capture the values as they exit the inverter through the AC connections.

With hybrid setups, there's PV produced power that can go out of the grid connection AND the load connections. Wouldn't that necessitate an additional set of CT's on the "load" side of the inverter?

I'm trying to figure out an approved (by GATS) way to capture total system production from a hybrid inverter (Sol-Ark and EG4) with revenue grade CT's. As I have come to understand these inverters don't have that function natively.

I believe houseofancients has the answer, now I just need to figure out how to do all that and get the system to report it in a way that an SREC aggregator can make sense of it as these will be customer owned systems, and I need to make it dummy proof. All of our other grid-tied systems have a way for an SREC aggregator to view the data remotely, eliminating the customer from the reporting process.

 

[houseofancients]

So

Understood, that's how it works with pretty much all grid tied inverters, a pair of CT's capture the values as they exit the inverter through the AC connections.

With hybrid setups, there's PV produced power that can go out of the grid connection AND the load connections. Wouldn't that necessitate an additional set of CT's on the "load" side of the inverter?

not really, every hybrid has internal shunts to measure output
CT's / External meter are used to find power usage that the Hybrid can't measure by itself.
There for a CT/Meter should be connected/mounted as close to the power entry point as possible

I'm trying to figure out an approved (by GATS) way to capture total system production from a hybrid inverter (Sol-Ark and EG4) with revenue grade CT's. As I have come to understand these inverters don't have that function natively.

they do

I believe houseofancients has the answer, now I just need to figure out how to do all that and get the system to report it in a way that an SREC aggregator can make sense of it as these will be customer owned systems, and I need to make it dummy proof. All of our other grid-tied systems have a way for an SREC aggregator to view the data remotely, eliminating the customer from the reporting process.

 

[BackyardBandit]

not really, every hybrid has internal shunts to measure output
CT's / External meter are used to find power usage that the Hybrid can't measure by itself.
There for a CT/Meter should be connected/mounted as close to the power entry point as possible

they do

Well then, that certainly makes it simple. Thanks much!