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Installation has just (Friday 13/11/20) been completed on my roof in Stockport of 28 solar panels and a PV Grid Tie single phase inverter charging 4 x 3.5kWh Li-ion batteries via a 3kW AC Coupled inverter. The included phone app shows that I am now drawing very little grid power and the batteries are fully charging even on fairly dull days, and are still fairly “full’ next morning. However, my daily meter readings are little changed from pre-solar times which means that my electricity bills will not decrease. I am not particularly concerned with selling power back to the grid as I understand that this is poorly rewarded at this time, but I am worried that the electricity which the sun is now freely providing directly for my consumption will still be charged for as if it were coming from the grid. I was expecting my meter to more or less stand still, or even “run backwards” but that isn’t happening. Is there a way to fix this please?

Some pretty high value info in this thread, just tagging members that might want to be made aware @ArundaleP @Jequinlan @D10hul 

 

Have a lovely Saturday everyone! 


Thanks @Tim_OVO . Interesting read. And great info as always from @Transparent 


Heads up everyone, those recent posts from Transparent have now been moved to its own tutorial topic, here


That’s the posts about lightning protection for Solar Panels, which @Tim_OVO ‘s referring to.

I raised the issue here because I checked the specification for the Solis Inverter which @dnshorto has just had installed. It stated that the unit has integral “surge protection”, but without saying what it was protecting against.

extract from ENF database https://www.enfsolar.com/pv/inverter-datasheet/12271

 

As the Inverter does not appear to have a separate earth connection through which it could send the energy from a lightning strike, I’m assuming that the anti-surge provision is to prevent spikes/transients rather than a lightning discharge.


I’ve just added a post about surge protection devices (SPDs) on AC mains.

This will hopefully explain a bit more about the level of Suppressor that might be integral to the Solis Inverters.


I have the same issue as dnshorto after a large solar install 24 panels = my meter is still clocking the same levels of usage! Help please required? 

I already had a first generation SMET 1 smart meter installed by SSE OVO VElster AS300P] in 2016/17 prior to a large new Solar PV system installed in mid-Dec 2022. A sizeable 24 panels x 380W = 8.8kWh array, with a potential to generate  up to 8.8kW x 4 or 5hrs/day = 35 to 44kW++ peak per day. My Av. daily consumption from the previous year without PV was 22.6kW and testing it and compiling accurate figures since then confirms it has pretty much not changed now at a daily Av. of circa. 21.0kwh. .All figures quoted are from my readings of my SMET 1 utility meter i.e. my utilty billing]. I have micro-inverters, a SOLAR edge SE800H single phase Inverter, a Luxpower Tek LXP3600 ACS control monitor module and  I have a Pylontech battery storage to 6.6kW. I am getting good solar yields some days., to the point i should be off grid many days. The installer is coming back to have a look but to be honest i find them lacking in expertise and dragging their heals.

I have read in some other places that SMET 1 meters are not always compatible and I am not sure even if SMET 2 are either but i find this thread a little confusing. Can somebody clarify a summation  of what the most likely issues are in rank order?  dnshorto  how did you finally resolve this? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated as my return on my expensive investment is so far standing at NIL! 


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