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Coming Soon to NJ - 12.35 kW Hanwha DUO-G5 + SolarEdge Inverter/Optimizers by GPE

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  • jordgubbe
    replied
    We're on PSE&G, which issued the permission to operate two days after they came by to pop the net meter in. Their total turnaround after Township approval was about two weeks, which was the quick end of the estimate GPE provided.

    I was able to get set up in PVoutput without too much trouble. I had to get SolarEdge support to generate the API key for me, since it appears only installer-level accounts have the requisite settings tab, but I was able to do it via chat on their support site in just a few minutes. I'm only on the free tier of PVoutput at this point, but I was able to get the automated production feed and weather reporting through OpenWeatherMap setup.

    The SolarEdge Android app has a couple of cool widgets available, so I've got current and total daily production on my homepage now, which is great. They also have a consumption widget, which only shows the production graph for me, since I don't have a consumption meter.

    I'd still like to get my end of day production stat emailed to me or kicked to a running spreadsheet, but the widget plus PVoutput is pretty good.

    I figure it'll be easier to keep focus on production over time if I don't have to remember to look for it.

    Leave a comment:


  • NJturtlePower
    replied
    Originally posted by jordgubbe View Post
    Congratulations on finally getting over the finish line! How is everything working out so far? We were on a very similar timeline to you with everything and just got our array activated on this past Wednesday. Figures that after a seemingly clear, dry summer, we get the OK to generate on the cloudiest day in a month, with clouds and rain in the long-term outlook.

    This weekend's project is to figure out how to get PV Outputs or SolarEdge to send my daily production figure to an email or a spreadsheet or something automatically.
    Well not up and running YET, but very close...still waiting for the final utility inspection, bi-directional meter swap, and SREC meter swap by GPE since this one was DOA. Spoke to a GPE tech Thursday and they should be doing their part in the next few days, no way to rush JCP&L but ::fingers crossed:: 2-3 weeks we'll be making some sun power!

    Congrats on your startup! How long did your utility co take?

    I have my PVoutput account setup mostly, just waiting on data... you should be able to use the SolarEdge API in PVoutput to generate all your data...I remember seeing the option, but I'm sure others like ButchDeal or macaddict could give us a little run down of how the basic setup goes.

    Leave a comment:


  • jordgubbe
    replied
    Congratulations on finally getting over the finish line! How is everything working out so far? We were on a very similar timeline to you with everything and just got our array activated on this past Wednesday. Figures that after a seemingly clear, dry summer, we get the OK to generate on the cloudiest day in a month, with clouds and rain in the long-term outlook.

    This weekend's project is to figure out how to get PV Outputs or SolarEdge to send my daily production figure to an email or a spreadsheet or something automatically.

    Leave a comment:


  • NJturtlePower
    replied
    Originally posted by sunpoweredev View Post
    Excellent!

    So, that's 2 for 2 in those SREC meters failing How long was he there waiting for the town inspector? Kyle was here for 3hrs before the inspector showed up. In those 3hrs the SREC meter already read 25kWh. Since your meter never worked, I guess you didn't get a chance to see how your system performed.

    Yeah I would've told you the one you received was the one removed from my house except the guy (Kyle) marked it with a sharpie marker as soon as he took it down. He actually left me another new one, just in case He said they probably have a "bad batch". What bugs me about it is that now my SREC meter will be forever 300kWh off. Actually 295, but I waited until it rolled up to 300 before I sent them the pic of my then current production off the SolarEdge app. It will be recorded towards my SREC production.

    I'll be posting my 2 weeks' worth of production in my thread. The numbers from the SolarEdge app exceeded my expectations, but the utility meter doesn't quite match up..
    Honestly,I forgot the GPE rep's name already, my bad, but anyways...my inspection window was 9am to 2pm. GPE was in my driveway waiting by about 8:30am and when I came home early for lunch chatting Tesla and solar the Twp. inspector showed up at 11:35 and was gone and done 15min later.

    Waiting to hear how they want to handle the SREC meter swap, either before or at the final utility inspection...TBD

    Leave a comment:


  • sunpoweredev
    replied
    Originally posted by NJturtlePower View Post
    So we passed our Final Twp. Inspection yesterday for Building & Electrical...now the final wait for the Utility Meter Swap & PTO!

    The inverter was setup with no issues via Ethernet, system tested and all panels/optimizers responding as designed.

    sunpoweredev One little snag we had, which luckily didn't affect the Twp. Inspection...... would you believe the SREC meter GPE popped in DIDN'T work!?!?

    Was this your old meter they had rolling around in the truck ....hummm can't make this stuff up! So yeah I'll need a new one of those before or during the PTO inspection.
    Excellent!

    So, that's 2 for 2 in those SREC meters failing How long was he there waiting for the town inspector? Kyle was here for 3hrs before the inspector showed up. In those 3hrs the SREC meter already read 25kWh. Since your meter never worked, I guess you didn't get a chance to see how your system performed.

    Yeah I would've told you the one you received was the one removed from my house except the guy (Kyle) marked it with a sharpie marker as soon as he took it down. He actually left me another new one, just in case He said they probably have a "bad batch". What bugs me about it is that now my SREC meter will be forever 300kWh off. Actually 295, but I waited until it rolled up to 300 before I sent them the pic of my then current production off the SolarEdge app. It will be recorded towards my SREC production.

    I'll be posting my 2 weeks' worth of production in my thread. The numbers from the SolarEdge app exceeded my expectations, but the utility meter doesn't quite match up..

    Leave a comment:


  • NJturtlePower
    replied
    So we passed our Final Twp. Inspection yesterday for Building & Electrical...now the final wait for the Utility Meter Swap & PTO!

    The inverter was setup with no issues via Ethernet, system tested and all panels/optimizers responding as designed.

    IMG_1515.JPG

    sunpoweredev One little snag we had, which luckily didn't affect the Twp. Inspection...... would you believe the SREC meter GPE popped in DIDN'T work!?!?

    Was this your old meter they had rolling around in the truck ....hummm can't make this stuff up! So yeah I'll need a new one of those before or during the PTO inspection.
    Last edited by NJturtlePower; 08-14-2019, 10:40 AM. Reason: Added Picture - Dead SREC Meter

    Leave a comment:


  • ButchDeal
    replied
    Originally posted by sunpoweredev View Post

    Done. They gave me full access after making my case. I can now access the Admin tab, which is what I was asking them for, access to the admin tab, not admin access.

    Email from SolarEdge:

    User role: Full access

    The user is a site owner

    The SolarEdge team
    right so you have full access and owner as I stated. There are parts of the admin tab that you will not see (basically things you can do that would take the system down if done incorrectly), and you only see your site not all the sites the installer has done as the installer admins do.

    Leave a comment:


  • sunpoweredev
    replied
    Originally posted by ButchDeal View Post

    They are NOT going to give you admin access, no installer ever will. That would give you access to all of their systems.
    NOTE there really isn't an "admin" access level. There is installer and owner.
    What you should be asking for is Owner access.
    Done. They gave me full access after making my case. I can now access the Admin tab, which is what I was asking them for, access to the admin tab, not admin access.

    Email from SolarEdge:

    User role: Full access

    The user is a site owner

    The SolarEdge team

    Leave a comment:


  • ButchDeal
    replied
    Originally posted by sunpoweredev View Post

    Somewhat expectedly, they're refusing to grant me admin access. This is seriously annoying me at the moment, and will seriously piss me off if I don't end up with it. Up until this point I would've given them the most glowing review, but if they refuse to give me full access to a system I fully paid for, it will seriously change my sentiment. I should not have made my final 10% payment so quick.. If you want admin access, you can withhold that final 10% until they give it to you lol.
    They are NOT going to give you admin access, no installer ever will. That would give you access to all of their systems.
    NOTE there really isn't an "admin" access level. There is installer and owner.
    What you should be asking for is Owner access.

    Leave a comment:


  • sunpoweredev
    replied
    Originally posted by NJturtlePower View Post

    Thanks for the info.....

    Kinda amusing in a way you're dealing with an SREC meter replacement since that was GPE's argument about ONLY using the RGM inverter option...they said they never fail unlike the inverters.... proved them wrong!
    Sure did, didn't I. They did say they will input into the replacement meter my production as recorded by SolarEdge so I wouldn't lose what I've generated so far. My assumption here is that my production since going live will count towards my first SREC, even though my SREC account has not bee finalized yet. The system already made nearly 1/4 of an SREC.

    My guess is GPE has all this stuff automated - they press a button at a certain milestone to move to the next step (in your case scheduling for town inspection), emails and payment reminder are sent.

    Somewhat expectedly, they're refusing to grant me admin access. This is seriously annoying me at the moment, and will seriously piss me off if I don't end up with it. Up until this point I would've given them the most glowing review, but if they refuse to give me full access to a system I fully paid for, it will seriously change my sentiment. I should not have made my final 10% payment so quick.. If you want admin access, you can withhold that final 10% until they give it to you lol.

    Leave a comment:


  • NJturtlePower
    replied
    Originally posted by sunpoweredev View Post
    Wow that's fast. Even the electrician did his part, all in two days? Very clean looking your panels layout, unlike mine which is quite messy, but the roof is how it is nothing can change that. At least mine is completely invisible from the front, and the crew did a fantastic job with running the conduit along the gutter and below the siding. Can't even tell if you weren't looking for it.

    I'll give GPE a bit of credit in that they already got you scheduled for your inspection right away, so they did their part and understandably they wanna get paid lol.

    macaddict I also got the RGM meter, but GPE by default will install a separate meter. I don't even know if the RGM in the meter is doing anything, the more reason I want admin access to see the revenue tab in SolarEdge.
    3-days total, Tues & Wed. they worked about 9am-3:30pm, Thurs. 8-6pm....Paul was there every day overseeing and working his electrical magic.

    The only part of my system that is really visible from the road is the 6 panel string on the lower garage roof if passing the home from North to South...moreso once the leaves fall from our HUGE maple in front. That's the tree casting the shadow in those late afternoon (6:30pm) pix. The upper Southern roof is perpendicular to the road so you wouldn't really notice unless you were looking for it.

    The bits of conduit that are exposed and currently silver I do plan to paint black in the fall when things cool down to blend them in better.

    As far as GPE getting paid, sure, I get it, but a call first to see how everything went (and that is was actually finished) might have been a bit more tactful IMO.

    Leave a comment:


  • NJturtlePower
    replied
    Originally posted by sunpoweredev View Post

    Below is the email I received from GPE informing me that PTO was granted. Yes GPE handles the final paperwork submission to NJCEP. It says that 10-20% of the time NJCEP will come do a physical inspection of the system before approving our SREC account creation.

    I'm still unsure whom to contact for what at GPE. I usually start with my salesman, from there I usually get a response from the correct person. In requesting access to SolarEdge, I emailed Kevin Marceski since he's handling fixing or replacing my SREC production meter (it somehow went dead when the system went live).
    Thanks for the info.....

    Kinda amusing in a way you're dealing with an SREC meter replacement since that was GPE's argument about ONLY using the RGM inverter option...they said they never fail unlike the inverters.... proved them wrong!

    Leave a comment:


  • sunpoweredev
    replied
    Originally posted by NJturtlePower View Post
    So here she is....The system was completed yesterday with the panel install and electrical both inside and out.

    IMG_1372e.jpgIMG_1373.JPEGIMG_1375.JPEG

    Little annoyed that I was receiving emails by mid-day from Sungage Financial to release my initial payment to GPE stating, "Green Power Energy informed us that construction of your project is complete". Come on guys..... email came through at about 3:30pm and meanwhile the crew was still onsite and wrapping things up after 6pm.

    During my final walk around I did have to point out some trash in the yard (cut rail ends, wire clippings, wire ties) to the foreman/electrician Paul, as well as a water bottle I could see under one of the arrays. He seemed kinda annoyed at his two "helpers" for not being more thorough and proactive.

    Anyways, I know how it is having run crews in the field years ago. Sometimes you rather just do everything yourself rather than babysit. So much thanks to Paul, as he was very receptive to me and any request or question I had for him. On my request he took his time to hide the wire runs from the lower garage roof through the attic vs on the surface and also carefully mounted the inverter/meter/disconnect on my prepped mounting board centered on my custom very "Green" basement wall. He also corrected our main panel grounding situation with an extra ground rod and noted that the main service lines were lacking bushings coming into the panel which the town inspector obviously missed as well.

    I guess I'll have to follow up the company who charged me a good chunk of change to swap the whole thing out just about a year ago.

    IMG_1370.JPEGIMG_1371e.jpgIMG_1368.JPEG

    So now the wait begins again for our final inspections and PTO..... To be continued.....
    Wow that's fast. Even the electrician did his part, all in two days? Very clean looking your panels layout, unlike mine which is quite messy, but the roof is how it is nothing can change that. At least mine is completely invisible from the front, and the crew did a fantastic job with running the conduit along the gutter and below the siding. Can't even tell if you weren't looking for it.

    I'll give GPE a bit of credit in that they already got you scheduled for your inspection right away, so they did their part and understandably they wanna get paid lol.

    macaddict I also got the RGM meter, but GPE by default will install a separate meter. I don't even know if the RGM in the meter is doing anything, the more reason I want admin access to see the revenue tab in SolarEdge.

    Leave a comment:


  • sunpoweredev
    replied
    Originally posted by NJturtlePower View Post

    You're telling me! So ready to start banking some SREC's too.

    You have your PJM-EIS GAT's account all set I'm guessing.... GPE coordinates that?

    Yeah, before the Tesla our highest bill was about $220, but I definitely drive a lot more than I did before partially just because I enjoy it so much and the rest is getting into the grind of multiple kid drop off spots and events. I use to average about 8,500-9,500mi per year, but I'm on track for about 12k in my first full Model 3 year.

    What department at GPE have you been in contact with to get the inverter access freed up? Any explanation why they restrict so much off the bat?

    I don't think they can do much for me YET since the inferter was only tested but not configured but I'll have it on my list of to-do's.
    Below is the email I received from GPE informing me that PTO was granted. Yes GPE handles the final paperwork submission to NJCEP. It says that 10-20% of the time NJCEP will come do a physical inspection of the system before approving our SREC account creation.

    " Great News! We received the Permission to Operate your solar system from your utility company, it is now up and running! Within the next few weeks, you will receive the following emails from us:

    The first will provide information regarding your Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC). It will include your account number and information on how to manage your account.
    The second will be asking if you would like to schedule an In-Home meeting with one of our consultants to review the specifics of your new system, this is optional.

    Regards,

    The Operations Team at Green Power Energy
    (908) 713-9055"

    I'm still unsure whom to contact for what at GPE. I usually start with my salesman, from there I usually get a response from the correct person. In requesting access to SolarEdge, I emailed Kevin Marceski since he's handling fixing or replacing my SREC production meter (it somehow went dead when the system went live). My guess is their default access for the owner is the bare minimal which is just the dashboard, and if requested they bump it up one baby step at a time. I definitely want access to the admin tab to see all details of my system as well as handing the API key.

    Yeah they can't do anything yet as far as setting up your access, but knowing what I know now, I would've stated earlier on that I want to have full admin access to my system.

    Leave a comment:


  • NJturtlePower
    replied
    Originally posted by macaddict View Post

    Interesting that they still installed the separate production / SREC meter even though you got the inverter with the revenue grade meter built-in. What happens if they don't match?
    Yup, they insisted on the meter redundancy and I just went along with it since the RGM inverter did not cost any extra to me. If they don't match...ummm I pick the higher number right? Guess we'll find out haha

    In other news. GPE just called and have my final township inspection set for 8/12, so the ball is rolling!

    Leave a comment:

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