Leaking Power?

MuddyDog

Had solar panels a few days now and I don't quite understand why it looks like I'm getting more power from the grid than my house is using? Unless I'm mistaken in understanding the attached pic on my inverter!?

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058356062/leaking-power

The inverter needs power to operate so it will always show a small discrepancy.

mjatkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058356062/leaking-power

Also there's something not right with your system, it looks like the coms to the battery is down, I think that connection is hard wired between batteries and inverter, which means the inverter won't be able to use batteries to run the house or export to grid.

This was ours day after install.

graememk

Can Null is when no battery is installed

MuddyDog

I don't have a battery.

MuddyDog

If I got a battery in a while I assume can install myself as the installer showed me where to plug it in and left the necessary cables. My only question would be seeing as I have a constant unit rate all day and night how would I best utilise charging it without pulling from the grid? Eddi is attached to the hot water so excess goes there rather than to the grid but is it simply a matter of setting the batteries priority order in the app to be behind the house itself and that'd mean the battery will only charge if there is capacity to charge for free from the panels?

Also, while I'm at it.....will I get back paid from when I started sending back to the grid? The paperwork hasn't reached my supplier/ESB yet as far as I know but it'll be dated at the install date etc. Or will I only start getting paid from the date the ESB processes the paperwork?

mjatkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122265162#Comment_122265162

Staying on that tariff you would benifit by charging the battery during the day as well as supplying the house and depending on the size of your system maybe export back to grid, pv order is house load, battery then grid so depending on how large the battery was and how charged it was you may get through the night running the house from the stored energy.

This may work for the sunnier months but come winter you probably won't generate enough to supply house and charge battery, this was why we have switched to the Energia EV plan which gives you 4 hours (2-6am) @ 0.075cent per Kw.

Currently we are charging the battery fully at night then using pv and battery to run the house (and export) and if there is any remaining power in the battery after 10.30pm we are dumping that back to the grid adding to any of the days export at 0.24cent per Kw.

Now there are other EV plans (Pinergy) with lower EV rates and higher export rates, but on my calculations the Energia worked out best (biggest charge window).

Thanks

conor_mc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122265162#Comment_122265162

What source is your central heating? Exporting excess to your Eddi/immersion rather than FiT is probably less financially beneficial than heating the water with 10c natural gas, even though it’s cleaner which may be an important consideration to you personally.

MuddyDog

CH is oil.

conor_mc

Eddi makes sense in that case