PV Solar output monitoring
RideOnTime
Posts: 4,712
Looked at various forums but I can't find a group to compare outputs with. Any ideas?
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Not sure what you are after, can you clarify a bit?
Do you want the output per size of panel? For location? For panel type? etc.
The older I get, the better I was.0 -
Yes, not explained well.
I have recently installed a 3.995 kw system and I am looking for people to compare outputs preferably with the same output system (ie 4 kw, a common configuration).
Clearly I should look on renewable energy forums, but these are quite technical, so I thought it might be better to ask here.
Basically I want to compare / share output data – I get this from my system as a figure every 10 minutes, daily, weekly, monthly etc. Data in a daily format might be a good standard. Whoop it a spreadsheet, do some graphs, a nerds dream, but would be interesting nonetheless.
If you’re thinking why have you put this on Cake Stop – I can only say the title is clear enough. Looking forward to any responses. If you have an installation in a costal location (south coast) that would be interesting…
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I am a proper paid up nerd. I have spreadsheets to keep data about my spreadsheets. I also have PV solar, and I can tell you that your statement "would be interesting nonetheless" is factually incorrect: apart from an occasional check of the total, I have no interest whatsoever in wasting my time analysing graphs that say "the sun's shining... now it's not... now it is a bit again... zzzzz...."RideOnTime wrote:Whoop it a spreadsheet, do some graphs, a nerds dream, but would be interesting nonetheless.0 -
I suspect that the reason behind this is that you think you're not getting enough power out of your system?
The older I get, the better I was.0 -
bompington wrote:I am a proper paid up nerd. ...."
Clearly not as you would find this interesting...0 -
Capt Slog wrote:I suspect that the reason behind this is that you think you're not getting enough power out of your system?
That would be one good reason.0 -
If that's the problem, perhaps you might have a similar set-up to mine - I've noticed that the wiring from the inverter to the meter runs through a cupboard that the ring main runs past: I reckon if I just wire it in then I could easily be generating 7kW or so 24/7 :evil:RideOnTime wrote:Capt Slog wrote:I suspect that the reason behind this is that you think you're not getting enough power out of your system?
That would be one good reason.0 -
bompington wrote:
If that's the problem, perhaps you might have a similar set-up to mine - I've noticed that the wiring from the inverter to the meter runs through a cupboard that the ring main runs past: I reckon if I just wire it in then I could easily be generating 7kW or so 24/7 :evil:RideOnTime wrote:Capt Slog wrote:I suspect that the reason behind this is that you think you're not getting enough power out of your system?
That would be one good reason.
That won't make any difference. The losses from the inverter to the meter are so small that you won't see them, this is because the inverter output is AC.
(And the only way you're going to get 24/7 solar is to move your house to above the Arctic circle in summer
)
The older I get, the better I was.0 -
Whoooooosh!Capt Slog wrote:bompington wrote:
If that's the problem, perhaps you might have a similar set-up to mine - I've noticed that the wiring from the inverter to the meter runs through a cupboard that the ring main runs past: I reckon if I just wire it in then I could easily be generating 7kW or so 24/7 :evil:RideOnTime wrote:Capt Slog wrote:I suspect that the reason behind this is that you think you're not getting enough power out of your system?
That would be one good reason.
That won't make any difference. The losses from the inverter to the meter are so small that you won't see them, this is because the inverter output is AC.
(And the only way you're going to get 24/7 solar is to move your house to above the Arctic circle in summer )
I would have thought it was fairly obvious that I was talking about running my feed in meter off the mains...0 -
bompington wrote:
Whoooooosh!Capt Slog wrote:bompington wrote:
If that's the problem, perhaps you might have a similar set-up to mine - I've noticed that the wiring from the inverter to the meter runs through a cupboard that the ring main runs past: I reckon if I just wire it in then I could easily be generating 7kW or so 24/7 :evil:RideOnTime wrote:Capt Slog wrote:I suspect that the reason behind this is that you think you're not getting enough power out of your system?
That would be one good reason.
That won't make any difference. The losses from the inverter to the meter are so small that you won't see them, this is because the inverter output is AC.
(And the only way you're going to get 24/7 solar is to move your house to above the Arctic circle in summer )
I would have thought it was fairly obvious that I was talking about running my feed in meter off the mains...
Ah I see. It's only obvious if you think that was possible.
The older I get, the better I was.0 -
How is it not possible? It seems quite reasonable to me to augment the 240V AC output from the inverter to the meter with a 240V AC output from the mains. Not legal, not safe, and not very likely to get away with it if anyone noticed that your PV was going full tilt at midnight, but surely possible?Capt Slog wrote:Ah I see. It's only obvious if you think that was possible.0 -
No, not possible.
Think of it as a bit like putting a pipe into a pond and expecting water to flow up it to make a waterfall into the same pond.
You're asking to supply the national grid from itself. The power you'd be trying to fool it with would supposedly flow from the grid through your meter (even if you could make the power move this way) you'd have to pay for it first!
The older I get, the better I was.0 -
No, still not getting why a 240V supply from an inverter looks any different from a 240V mains supply. And yes, I'd have to pay for it, but the FIT is well over double what you pay...Capt Slog wrote:No, not possible.
Think of it as a bit like putting a pipe into a pond and expecting water to flow up it to make a waterfall into the same pond.
You're asking to supply the national grid from itself. The power you'd be trying to fool it with would supposedly flow from the grid through your meter (even if you could make the power move this way) you'd have to pay for it first!0 -
[/quote]No, still not getting why a 240V supply from an inverter looks any different from a 240V mains supply. And yes, I'd have to pay for it, but the FIT is well over double what you pay...[/quote]
That's for you guys that got the 43.3p for the rest of us who missed 12th December because our installer went t@ts up we don't really know waht we might get 21.3p or whatever it is. Clearly this is hypothetical debate as I guess the whole house might go up along with several £100's of inverter. The Network Supplier and providers generally take a dim view of this I would have thought and you might enjoy solar power at HM's pleasure. 0 -
Why do you want to compare outputs, no-one, except perhaps your next door neighbour, will have the same input.
Is it because you want to compare FIT incomes?
I live in a solar powered house, not connected to the grid, I have eight 50w panels, and this supplies enough energy to run everything I need. It's about consuming less, not how much you can make.
I have a friend in Scotland who has a 4kw FIT system and is proud to be able to run a two bar electric fire whilst he is out for the day, but has to rush home to turn it off if it clouds over in case he has to start paying! True!my isetta is a 300cc bike0 -
bompington wrote:
No, still not getting why a 240V supply from an inverter looks any different from a 240V mains supply. And yes, I'd have to pay for it, but the FIT is well over double what you pay...Capt Slog wrote:No, not possible.
Think of it as a bit like putting a pipe into a pond and expecting water to flow up it to make a waterfall into the same pond.
You're asking to supply the national grid from itself. The power you'd be trying to fool it with would supposedly flow from the grid through your meter (even if you could make the power move this way) you'd have to pay for it first!
You're mistaking voltage for power.
Power comes from the flow of current.
You'd be asking for current to flow into the grid at the same rate that you're taking it out.
The older I get, the better I was.0
