Enphase equipment readings and accuracy

[Ampster]

Yes it is all about how you look at it. Without more information I can't even tell what it is that you are looking at. Tell us more about the rate structure you are dealing with. You have brought up this concern about overproduction again but didn't answer my original question about how much of an economic haircut you will get. How many kWhrs do you think you will over produce and how much will that cost you? I usually look at the financial pros and cons before I contemplate an idea. Simple Google searches are a good way to test some of your assumptions about cost and feasibility. .
Depending on the answer about the rates you may be able to further rationalize the purchase of a Chevy Bolt by letting it solve your over production problem. Simply charging it during times when you are concerned with over production could be a cost effective solution.

[Wavelet8]

I guess it’s all how you look at it.
1) I looking into getting a Chevy bolt electric vehicle.
2) My understanding is I can deduct 30% off the cost of a solar electric backup generation system should I loose electric power as long as it’s not tied perminately to the grid.
3) if I utilize the backup storage system to power my electric vehicle with a manual transfer switch it’s a win since i’m Likely charging the vehicle at night.
4) should I loose power due to a winter snow storm I would be able to use my storage battery system w/ inverter to power my house with a
generlink and use the dc charging port on my Chevy bolt as a power wall.
5) power loss in my area is infrequent so when my batteries are fully charged in summer I would want to discharge at least 30 -40 percent back onto grid when i’m Over producing onto the battery system.
6) a small inverter for a 7-8 solar panel system shouldn’t be an excessive cost when compared to the cost and maintenance of an gas/natural gas/propane backup generation system.
7) I should be able to integrate the battery system into my enphase combiner box when the batteries are fully charged or over producing using a small inverter in parallel with my micro inverters.

[J.P.M.]

As far as I can tell, as long as I do not exceed 10kw level of output to the grid I should be ok. I would produce longer/greater periods of output in the morning and night but would not exceed the 10 kWh output level at any period throughout the day.

Does this seem correct or am I missing something?

What part, if any, does the long term cost effectiveness play in what you are considering ? Sounds like a pretty expensive proposition for what, if anything, you may gaining in terms of financial cost/benefit.

[Ampster]

The new system doesn’t necessarily have to have micro-inverters. It might be better to have them as a string with optimizers that way it limits losses between converting voltages for the batteries or used as a supply to a single output inverter to be able to connect to the grid.

The system design will have to get approved and additional controllers breakers,inverters, etc equipment added.

So, maybe I should ask some basic questions first. Before I get too deep into a set process.

1) Has anyone heard of residential customers from mass installing a PV system larger than 10 kw? What was the resulting effect on the net-metering rate? Large or small?

2) Is it true that it doesn’t matter the amount of PV panels installed as long as the system designed output to the grid doesn’t exceed the 10kw output limit?

1) I am on the Left coast and the best answer would come from your power provider to find out how much of a haircut they give you on the purchase of power above 10kW. You will need that answer first hand from the source anyway so your assumptions about the economics are correct.

2)That would depend on your NEM agreement. My NEM agreements from utilites in California allow me to add 10% with out asking their permission. I still need to get building permits though.. I don't think there is a solution with micro inverters.but it may depend on the version of Enphase Inverters you have. I have read that they have a modular battery system. If that includes software like my bimodal hybrid inverter and it gives you control over how much you export, you may be able to store the excess for use later when the sun doesn't shine.
If Enphase isn't there yet the only solution I see is a standalone inverter. . That would be expensive and and involve batteries. Depending on the rate you pay and are reimbursed for power it may be a very low rate of return on your investment.

[Wavelet8]

The new system doesn’t necessarily have to have micro-inverters. It might be better to have them as a string with optimizers that way it limits losses between converting voltages for the batteries or used as a supply to a single output inverter to be able to connect to the grid.

The system design will have to get approved and additional controllers breakers,inverters, etc equipment added.

So, maybe I should ask some basic questions first. Before I get too deep into a set process.

1) Has anyone heard of residential customers from mass installing a PV system larger than 10 kw? What was the resulting effect on the net-metering rate? Large or small?

2) Is it true that it doesn’t matter the amount of PV panels installed as long as the system designed output to the grid doesn’t exceed the 10kw output limit?

[Ampster]

............
Does this seem correct or am I missing something?

I assume your new panels will also have Enphase inverters. The Enphase inverters won't work when you switch them off the grid.

Before you go back to the drawing board and come up with another idea I suggest you read your NEM agreement. Most of them are pretty restrictive in terms of any additional equipment that you can add without their permission. The 10k limit is a pricing limit but there are a lot of other details in your NEM agreement that also restrict what you can do. I think it is unlikely that you would be able to add panels and a battery that can discharge to the grid anyway. Most NEM agreements are pretty specific about needing to get permission to change a system that they have approved.

[Wavelet8]

So, I'm having trouble attempting to start a new topic so I figure i'll Just add to this existing one. I have a 34 panel LG 360 w panel enphase system. So, simple math 34 x 360w = 12,240kw for my 10 kw output sized solar system in Massachusetts. 10 kw is maximum for maintaining 100% net-metering. Larger system are subject to adjustments to the net-metering ratio by the power company. See attachment:
So, I love the idea of placing the power onto the grid but don't want to maintain a large battery bank onsite since i'm Currently max'd Out per net metering rules. So, i'm Considering the following.
1) adding 7-8 additional solar panels too the roof.
2) monitoring both phases of the output of the solar system so that when I generate 10kw output at peak power I switch the extra 7-8 panels over to a battery bank.
3) when the solar production drops below 5kw at night in the afternoon I would discharge the battery bank back onto the grid.

As far as I can tell, as long as I do not exceed 10kw level of output to the grid I should be ok. I would produce longer/greater periods of output in the morning and night but would not exceed the 10 kWh output level at any period throughout the day.

Does this seem correct or am I missing something?

[Wavelet8]

I know the envoy is getting its production values from the revenue grade ct. I know that I can purchase access to the micro-inverter output and diagnostic information from enphase at an additional cost. I'm just more interested in analyzing my consumption than production.
Do you feel the information generated from the mice-inverters would be more accurate or beneficial than the single ct in the combiner box and would register a higher output reading for some reasons I'm not aware of?
One of the reasons I believe they don't just give you access to the additional information by default is because of all the additional questions they would have to field as a result. Just my opinion.

[LPG]

You also may want to ask your installer if the envoy is configured to get the production readings off the micros reported output or the production ct. It's one of the settings on the envoy in the installer section.

[Wavelet8]

So, I figured out was going on with my solar consumption values. I have a single ct in my enphase combiner box measuring the solar production. I have two ct's In the solar connection junction box. The problem is the placement of the two consumption ct's. They are supposed to be positioned before the solar connection so that they can measure consumption from the netmeter. I have one ct before the solar connection and one after the solar connection. So, one is measuring my consumption from the grid and one is measuring my consumption from the grid and my solar production. See attached photo.

[Wavelet8]

In any event, I have the installer looking into it. And hopefully the new monitor I installed will help clear up what's going on. Hopefully, it's calibrated properly, but as tomorrow is going to be cloudy, it may take a few days to verify.

[Wavelet8]

020D73F3-CCB0-4576-B468-08CE17046C3B.pngWell, I still feel it's a calibration or setup issue between the production and consumption reading. On days that I don't generate much solar power, the enphase consumption readings really don't seem that far off from my my hose energy monitor.

[foo1bar]

My netmeter reading doesn't correspond to enphase consumption reading. It's probably some strange estimation but I would like to know.

Looking at where the CT is in your box, and the enphase is stating that production == consumption (within ~2kwh), I think the "consumption" that you're seeing in your phone app is really the production as measured by that CT.
Either that - or there's another meter/CT that's measuring just production and it's being called "consumption".

[ButchDeal]

True, the combiner box only has a single ct that monitors solar production. The combiner box outputs to a solar production meter in the garage then outputs to the output side of my netmeter outside the garage. So, if any ct's Exist for the enphase system the have to be in my netmeter outside but if consumption system exists it's communicating over the power lines. I find this unlikely but not impossible. That why i'm Asking how is the consumption values generated for the enphase system. My netmeter reading doesn't correspond to enphase consumption reading. It's probably some strange estimation but I would like to know.

Enphase cleRly has something measuring your net someplace or it would have zero for all night long. They just have something configured wrong and there are several ways to do it wrong and get this result.
The ince CT can only ever monitor production which is not needed unless you need revenu grade production meter for SRECs as the micro invertes each give production. You can get consumption by adding net and producton ( production is usually negative) .

[Wavelet8]

True, the combiner box only has a single ct that monitors solar production. The combiner box outputs to a solar production meter in the garage then outputs to the output side of my netmeter outside the garage. So, if any ct's Exist for the enphase system the have to be in my netmeter outside but if consumption system exists it's communicating over the power lines. I find this unlikely but not impossible. That why i'm Asking how is the consumption values generated for the enphase system. My netmeter reading doesn't correspond to enphase consumption reading. It's probably some strange estimation but I would like to know.