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Grid Tie System with Standby Generator

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  • Dpelec
    replied
    I had 2 separate buildings downstream from the Mains with an emergency generator at the mains intake position. We installed 4 X cut off contactors with the coils on each controlled by a wirefree 5km mains link.This was connected to the Mains Aux in the ATS.Grid Failure Happy Days Solar safely disconnected.

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  • sushant
    replied
    Hi Russ / inetdog / SunEagle

    I will start my post by apologizing to all of you to barge back into the forum even though I was kicked out of it 2 years back. Now logging in with a different ID. I took my time to find my answers, install the system all by myself and get the system running as per my requirement.

    The reason for coming back and posting is very clear. I wish to answer the allegations that were put on me and my respected country after you disabled my comments. Well, I hope you realize what you had written about my countrymen is categorized as racist remarks and you can be, or rather should be, put behind bars for that.

    My idea of joining your forum was to gain some knowledge so that I could get my basics clear and do my solar installation myself. I have this dream of making this technology customer friendly than being vendor friendly. And the replies and comments I got from you all really shock me. Thank God, the whole world is not like this and I found my answers elseware. And now, I have a running 5.5KW Grid Tie System on my rooftop. It has 22 Panels of 250Wp each and they are connected to Delta 5KW Inverter. When there is grid, then no problems of course. And when there is no grid and DG is ON, there is no problem still. As per my sweet desires and requirements, the system works perfectly on DG thereby saving me the trouble for the change of DG and saving me diesel also. Yes, I succeeded in what I wanted to do inspite of your demotivations.

    I also thank the God that he did not give inventors and innovators mind like yours otherwise there would have been no inventions ever. I don't say what I did is new invention, but yes new for me. And what was possible and you all tried convincing me that it was impossible.

    What you all said about my whole country being a gang of crooks, who promote the agreeable fools and not the deserving ones or them making you sit on podiums just to show foreign participation can be specific cases. And it is really not right to make demeaning statements about a country like that based on such specifics. On the contrary, all the innocent investors, INDIAN Investors were fooled by seeing your face. That also puts the burden on your shoulders of fooling so many of us by sitting on such podiums. Had I been on your place, I would have simply refused to attend such an event rather than dying of guilt of cheating many at one go. That you did without refusing.

    Well, I really do not wish to waste any more of my time. But, what I wanted to tell was that it is really not illegal to make a GTI inverter run on DG as long as we ensure it is not going back to the grid while it is out. And if you have any questions about how I did it, please do ask me. I will be more than happy to share what I know unlike you. And if you are coming to India again, please come and see my setup and then tell me that I am wrong. Not otherwise.

    Regards (because your knowledge still deserves regards, not your attitudes)

    Sushant Jain

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  • ButchDeal
    commented on 's reply
    SolarEdge inverters are not rated for off grid and the grid zero feature is not designed for a generator. it is designed to back feed very very little to the grid. it will likely have small spikes that measure out to very small amount over time but the generator will not be able to take it.

  • huge
    replied
    But doesn't solaredge have some kind of software program to prevent backfeed?

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  • ButchDeal
    commented on 's reply
    your generator, your money, take a video so other can learn.

    If it works at all, it is like buying hand grenade but not getting the pin because you can hold it; sooner or later there will be a problem.
    Last edited by ButchDeal; 07-22-2016, 05:05 PM.

  • inetdog
    replied
    Originally posted by huge View Post
    I want to try to balance the load and see if it works. My AC pulls about 3500 watts. What if I turn on the solaredge when is producing less than 3000 watts?
    If you want to take the risk of the load going away and the generator being destroyed, it is your money.

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  • huge
    replied
    I want to try to balance the load and see if it works. My AC pulls about 3500 watts. What if I turn on the solaredge when is producing less than 3000 watts?

    Leave a comment:


  • GlennT
    commented on 's reply
    Great pictures! Thanks for the feedback regarding this issue. I had the electrician who originally installed my generator to come back and install a separate switch for the grid tied inverter to the utility side of the transfer switch, as was advised by several on this forum. Now, when the utility power is lost, the generator starts and powers the home, and the inverter remains unpowered and offline. Thanks again for all who offered help on my project. I learned a lot.

  • inetdog
    replied
    Definitely the wrong thing to do!

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  • Generatorguy
    replied
    Pictures of blown generator rotor. This rotor came out of a 14 kw generac generator. The generator was already installed when the solar company installed a 5kw grid tied system. Solar connection was made through a two pole breaker in the main circuit breaker panel. IE: tied in after the automatic transfer switch.

    IMG_1558.JPGP IMG_1557.JPG
    Attached Files

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  • inetdog
    replied
    Originally posted by GlennT View Post
    Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. I will take all this to my electrician and see what we can come up with.

    Thanks again.
    Sounds like the best course of action.
    Many competent residential electricians who do not yet have any experience with solar take awhile to get up to speed on the unfamiliar ins and outs of GTIs and the NEC provisions related to them.

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  • GlennT
    replied
    Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice. I will take all this to my electrician and see what we can come up with.

    Thanks again.

    Leave a comment:


  • jflorey2
    replied
    Originally posted by inetdog View Post
    If the transfer switch has auxiliary signalling/control contacts you could use those contacts to open a relay in the barn that disconnects the GTI from the house wiring completely. If properly done that might be safe, but I am pretty sure it would not meet code.
    Issues like this make me wish that grid tie inverters had a somewhat standardized enable/disable input. I know some foreign markets require them to allow throttling of generation during times of low demand, but they would also help in cases like this. (And of course would help in AC coupled systems.)

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  • Naptown
    replied
    I have run into this situation before on a boat house. The generator and house were 200 feet away and the generator had to feed the boat house for deicing equipment.
    The simplest and easiest was to install a radio control contactor in the boat house that the transmitter was set to keep the contactor on unless power to the transmitter was turned off
    Simple to do by tying the transmitter to the poco side of the transfer switch.

    Big question i have is how many solar installs has your electrician done and how many had a generator and whole house transfer switch.

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  • inetdog
    replied
    Originally posted by GlennT View Post
    Well, I have been forthcoming on my system and asked for recommendations on how to fix it. Will I have to run another set of wires from my AC disconnect in the barn to tie into the system on the "grid side" of the transfer switch at the house? It's already passed inspection. I just want to make it safe. Please help?
    The only way to make the installation safe and code compliant is to do whatever is necessary in terms of running more wires so that your GTI is connected at the POCO side of the transfer switch. This might even involve installing a new disconnect box near the meter if your POCO does not allow line side interconnections to their service wiring.

    If the transfer switch has auxiliary signalling/control contacts you could use those contacts to open a relay in the barn that disconnects the GTI from the house wiring completely. If properly done that might be safe, but I am pretty sure it would not meet code.

    The simplest "fix" without running additional wires to the barn is to move the entire barn feeder circuit to the POCO side of the transfer switch. This would again involve adding a new disconnect and is work that should only be done with a permit by a licensed electrician. It would involve having POCO pull the meter so that the work would not be done on hot conductors. (Prohibited by OSHA.)

    So in both cases (added wire or moved feeder) the biggest problem that an electrician will face is how to provide a place on the POCO side of the transfer switch to which the GTI or the entire barn can be connected.

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