Solar Panels

[Quickstatus]

While we try to get the electricity distributor to reassess the solar proposal

Can someone please inform me a bit about the quality and reliability of 3 phase SMA inverters and Trina Panels

 

[rogerkambah]

While we try to get the electricity distributor to reassess the solar proposal

Can someone please inform me a bit about the quality and reliability of 3 phase SMA inverters and Trina Panels

I'm interested in 3 phase too. House has 3 phase for the a/c.

 

[Quickstatus]

And 3 phase for the induction stove

 

[cove]

We had one SMA inverter replaced under warranty. Our Perth home has an SMA and we are 3 phase. I think our home one is just under 20kW to cover our pool heat pump and air conditioning as well as the normal running of multiple fridges, wine cooler and lots of lights.
The Sydney building has good funds on hand so no special levy required. Am unsure where the funds will come from but it will be coming from a land of plenty compared with some apartment buildings.

 

[Flying mermaid]

And 3 phase for the induction stove

We have 3 phase and an induction cooktop and I don’t remember anything special. .

For solar, From memory having 3 phase meant we could put 10kw into the grid as one inverter was connected to one phase and the other to another, but that’s a total non technical memory and could be totally wrong! We have GE panels and 2 x solar edge inverters.

This is an interesting comparison on panels

Best Solar Panels: Which One Should You Choose?

The best solar panels for your home come from brands like SunPower, REC, Panasonic, and more.

news.energysage.com

 

[mrsterryn]

Our Sydney apartment building has just approved a solar system and there were no objections from any owner.

I wish ours would. We are a small block basically town house style

 

[cove]

Just get to a unit holders meeting mrsterryn. I cannot get to lots of the meetings but I stay in touch with the people running the places.
Our next one is in Los Angeles Tuesday night and we will be attending.

 

[equus]

There is not necessarily any correlation between having and consuming 3 phase power, and utilising a 3 phase inverter.

You can very happily have 3 phase power and only a single phase inverter. It doesn't matter if you are consuming on one phase, and generating on a different phase, as the smart meter nets the import / export across all the phases - so it is still seen as "self" consumption of the generation, even if in reality you are exporting all on one phase whilst consuming from the grid on a different phase.

The only advantage of a 3 phase inverter is for the grid feed in. Using 3 phases allows the output to be spread across all 3 phases (obviously) which minimizes voltage rise issues (and obviously spreads the actual power across the 3 different lines). This generally allows for a bigger system (you commonly see the export limits quoted like "5kw per phase").

Have a 3 phase Fronius (only 5kw, but a long lead in), and have had no issues in over 3.5 years so far. Paired with a compromise Canadian Solar panels.

For solar, From memory having 3 phase meant we could put 10kw into the grid as one inverter was connected to one phase and the other to another, but that’s a total non technical memory and could be totally wrong! We have GE panels and 2 x solar edge inverters.

And that is a combination of the two - 3 phase power, and 2 single phase inverters (connected to 2 separate phases). Lots of different reasons for different configurations, and pros and cons. 2 inverters gives double the scope for failure (but provides a 50% continuation should one fail), Other considerations such as number of inputs, orientations etc. make it impossible to compare / comment on reasons without all the details.

 

[Quickstatus]

We have 3 phase and an induction cooktop and I don’t remember anything special. .

For solar, From memory having 3 phase meant we could put 10kw into the grid as one inverter was connected to one phase and the other to another, but that’s a total non technical memory and could be totally wrong! We have GE panels and 2 x solar edge inverters.

This is an interesting comparison on panels

Best Solar Panels: Which One Should You Choose?

The best solar panels for your home come from brands like SunPower, REC, Panasonic, and more.

news.energysage.com

Apparently under 5kW per phase there is no problem. Between 5-10kW, electricity distributor approval has to be sought. 10kW per phase is considered large scale generation.

So my 25kW inverter is 8.33kW per phase...if I export the entire generation... which I am unlikely to.

 

[Quickstatus]

So the installer tweaked the application and now the 3 phase 25kw inverter has been approved.
The larger the inverter the lower the marginal cost. So lets play the game and see what the real outcome is.

 

[cove]

One of my friends has a $9,000 credit on his electricity account at his home. I think he gets 47 cents a unit for 10 years for his power he puts into the Perth grid. There were some dopey offers and he was eligible so he grabbed it.

 

[Quickstatus]

Ill just put in a string of 20kw first and later in the year 5kw on the west roof.

While the $9k could be interest offsetting/bearing, If I had that in the account I would leave it there purely for the enjoyment.

 

[cove]

He is enjoying opening the power bill mail that’s for sure.

 

[rogerkambah]

He is enjoying opening the power bill mail that’s for sure.

Unlike the rest of us who have to pay extra to cover off the silly offer the energy company made at the time.

 

[equus]

Unlike the rest of us who have to pay extra to cover off the silly offer the energy company made at the time.

It had nothing to do with any Energy company - it was entirely a political decision.

 

[rogerkambah]

It had nothing to do with any Energy company - it was entirely a political decision.

It had nothing to do with any Energy company - it was entirely a political decision.

But aren't the energy users that didn't/ couldn't for whatever reason avail themselves of the offer are still contributing to the largess of those that could?
Bit like a reverse Robin Hood.

 

[Quickstatus]

dont let the poor get in the way of the wider climate change narrative. Successful Govt intervention that benefits the poor is very rare.

 

[downgraded]

It had nothing to do with any Energy company - it was entirely a political decision.

The thing that I'd still like to understand is that if it was all politics and not the electricity company, why does my retailer offer me an extra 6c per kwh over and above the 60c PFIT we already get?

 

[Quickstatus]

They just charge it to the overall tariffs. The retailer is not losing money.

 

[downgraded]

They just charge it to the overall tariffs. The retailer is not losing money.

I get that. But I'm the supplier detached from their consumers yet with the apparent difference between the "outrageous" PFIT and consumer kwh rates they are still prepared to pay an extra 10% and still make a profit.
We've got 2.5kw of panels, consume about 5kwh per day net, and bank about $800/year in refunds from our retailer, a scenario that's still profitable to them one presumes.