SunPower CT Consumption Monitoring with PV5 - CT Does not Fit in Panel

[bcroe]

From what I read, not all CRs are directly interchangeable. Some put out 333mv at full scale (full scale can be different sizes), some have
other standards. Get a match. Bruce Roe

[davahad]

Here is the picture of the one that comes with the SunPower System. It looks like it is from Continental Control Systems so the Rope CT's I was looking at were also from CCS and they cost about $180+Power Transformer for conditioner with +- 1.0% accuracy.

Hopefully someone else will have experience installing the Rope CT's with the Sunpower.


IMG_3005.JPG

[SunEagle]

Dealer says they need to check with Sunpower if other CT's will work. I talked to SunPower Support and they said to just find a CT that will fit and it will work.

Does anyone have experience with SunPower and using different CT's vs. the one they supply with the system?

I do not have any experience with the CT's that Sunpower provides but I do have a bit of hands on experience with solid core, split core and flexible rope CT's. One thing you need to look at is the accuracy.

The cheap ones maybe have +/- 3%. Better are around +/-1%. Revenue class are +/- 0.5%

The better (lower) the % the more expensive they become.

[davahad]

Dealer says they need to check with Sunpower if other CT's will work. I talked to SunPower Support and they said to just find a CT that will fit and it will work.

Does anyone have experience with SunPower and using different CT's vs. the one they supply with the system?

[davahad]

Thanks. I looked up the Rope CT's and sent that info to my dealer to see if I bought if he would install.

[ButchDeal]

Just had a 7Kw Sunpower Equinox system installed and this system includes the CT's used for consumption monitoring. Unfortunately my dealer says that the CT's do not fit in about 50% of the Electrical Service Panels and of course with my luck it does not fit in my service panel. Is this a pretty common problem like dealer is describing about not fitting?

They did say if PG&E allowed the CT's to be installed where PG&E Line comes in it would be easy but says they are not allowed to do this.

I asked about a workaround and they said not yet but have telling Sunpower about the issue.

He did mention there is equipment to attach to every circuit on the panel but that sounds expensive and overkill.

Any other ideas, advice or workarounds would be appreciated.

you have I assume, a combined meter/MSP. There is often very little room in these and they are very common in Southern CA and FL. They are much less common in other locals. They often have a copper bus bar that comes between the meter section and the MSP section with very little physical room to attache to it.


Some systems have optional rope CTs which are less accurate and cost more but generally would fit.

[davahad]

Just had a 7Kw Sunpower Equinox system installed and this system includes the CT's used for consumption monitoring. Unfortunately my dealer says that the CT's do not fit in about 50% of the Electrical Service Panels and of course with my luck it does not fit in my service panel. Is this a pretty common problem like dealer is describing about not fitting?

They did say if PG&E allowed the CT's to be installed where PG&E Line comes in it would be easy but says they are not allowed to do this.

I asked about a workaround and they said not yet but have telling Sunpower about the issue.

He did mention there is equipment to attach to every circuit on the panel but that sounds expensive and overkill.

Any other ideas, advice or workarounds would be appreciated.