DDD

My experience with CoCT make me understand the actions of TmcV

45V when batteries are flat not PV voltage but gives different Kw calculation use for demo. If I am a salesman I use 60V @ 8.5A. But if the Vbatt is 45 then you still get 8.5A but the Kw is different. Therefore I use amps not Watt's. You go for MPPT but get try and equal harvest INTO THE BATT you can not match that if your RiT = RlT. MPPT takes voltage and push it through a set of transformers. to start there the losses starts.

MPPT does not allow for the angle of the sun and can loose up to 18% . Only to do a in-between-er for a system badly designed. Please I am not trying to promote a tracker. I live right on the west coast and the North West hits me right on the wrong angle every now and then my veranda disappears. For that reason I did not dare to use the "normal" solar "frames" Mine is made of 100mm x 50mm steel and can handle 16 panels. I got engineers to do the checking of wind load plus safety and COC simply the storms are tough. Last year I had +/- R90K storm damage but the solar worked 100%. With the strong frame that was not a bad cost of R4800 I thought let me do a tracker. Then I saw why it is so expensive and I designed all the metal work bearings and voila it dropped the costs drastically. I can not buy extra panels at the same cost to give me the same power than with the tracker. So I Have 3 phase power and City approved 9Kva system. That gives me my money back and makes it worthwhile to put back in the grid. I am waiting for my inverters and then I can can start pumping back. I must be honest there are three "guys" involved in the process at CoCT they are terrific re this. WindFactor.pdf

Put the switch on that activates the load limter

It is simple. People like to talk watts P P = I X E. But if you have a messed up impedance matching RtI != TtL (maks power tranfer) then you make use of electronics to do the tricks and induce losses which is ignored. If you want to calculate at low V 45V or full charged 57.8V or when equalizing 60V it all give different Kw. But no matter what you or I do a solar panel can only giv mx amps from solar panel. The current I am getting from now +/- 7 amps at +/- 7H30 to 8.5 amps peak solar - 7 amps +/- 18H00. That == 9H30 or +/- 75 amps per string. Therefore @ 45V = 3.3Kw or 4.5Kw @60V. Therefore I am running @ 98 - 99% power transfer. That is not possible with fixed array. Fixed array over 12 monts between 45 - 55%. Solar tracking very close to 100%

So good to get this feedback many thank will stick you for a very nice Sushi. I do have trunking ... There are certain limitations currently due to hight court case. I can not put my equipment in a nice room ...

Many thanks for the comments. I can not get the same results with the same $ spend on extra panels as on the tracking system. The tracking only galv was expensive else I need an addition 6 panels to get the same charging rate. Tracker and all my system is at +/- R45K 4 x 200A solar tracker management system for home 8 260W panels and 3 - 5 Kwatt inverter. The frame for my house I was quoted R 3800 and the tracker cost R 5300 for 16 panel unit and will give me 520 amps per day. Effectively for R1500 I got between 40 - 55% more power. I harvest more than 260 amps per day. In the summer I get more than 300 amps per day between 40 - 55% more effective. No MPPT no .... Very simple.

Will do many thanks for your help

Is it allowed to do it at the metering box? You know of any one that can assist? Where can I see/get your design?

ory: 1) The truth 2) One's own perceived version of the truth 3) One's attorneys interpretation of one's perceived version of the truth. 4) The oppositions attorneys interpretation of their perceived version of the truth 5) What the judge / magistrate says the truth is ... And then they use big Latin words too. Like my attorney always says: If a client comes to him with a case "as a matter of principal", he smiles widely. Easy money. After explaining in detail the potential costs, the chances of winning / losing, the hardships ahead, the escalating costs, if the client still insists "as a matter of principal" to continue, he then asks for 50% of the costs upfront. He does this to save the client money, seriously, he does. It is there to ensure that he does not end up being out of pocket nor him having to pay the advocates their fees, when the client runs out of money. Because by the time that 50% (or less) is spent on legal fees, 99.99% of the time the "matter of principal" has "left the building". You @Erastus , in my book, you are a very brave man for going to court this long. Respect. I had no option trust me. They have the right to criminally charge you then it is suffer suffer suffer and they ear a salary to let you suffer

Just for the record I speak my two tales deliciously. Thanks for the feedback appreciated.

Many thanks. Makes sense

I have installed my 8 panels on a solar tracker I built and .. I find that where I live I get up to 55% extra power from the same panels. Would like to know if someone less also did this and what they are experiencing. I designed the bearings, frame, cpu and. It is amazing to see the difs between non tracker and tracker.

Thanks Jaco, I am only trying to understand stuff not trying to argue stuff.

The court case is still ongoing. But many things. : They did not have 3 years meter readings. They had faulty readings according to them we used 72Kwh per day I asked my meter to get a calibration certificate so the meter went missing. They tried to convince me that an 7 digit Landys & Gear meter clocked over in 3 years meaning I use like R 160K electricity a month. They then cut water and electricity calculated that I ow +/- R380 K They then send me an isolation certificate to proof the accuracy of the missing meter ( 4 years later) with a date of 2001 on the certificate I installed solar and all hell broke loose They send 58 staff of the council to investigate my property They then tried to sell my house on a public auction and that was stopped by the Sheriff as the council acted like the Mafia Drug manufacturing, illegal gas connection, illegal solar system illegal electrical system running a prostitution and ... They then gone into the records and find I had a concrete retainer wall and not a terraforce. They then charge me because they did not approve that and my swimming pool swimming pool was easy CoCt then insisted I must get core drilling done for the wall to be approved ( +/- R110k) This is ongoing over a period of 14 years. When they cut my power I lost all my show koi Slowly but surely the tide turned and by grace and only grace the court turned a guilty verdict into a court order against the council to prove the wall that saved me the core drilling I had to get my electricity certification redone because the council had to replace the missing meter. They the realize that my house was illegally approved and that my erf has a 4.5M height restriction on it. Thus my water tanks and solar is illegal. That is in short what I endure. When you dealing with CoCT remember they are out to get you not to work with you. This is a very short and cryptic summary Currently the CoCT has lost +/-R70K on legal fees, they now (last week) dropped all charges on electricity and issued a new summons . Thus far they credit +/- R300K Therefore if I can make a suggestion make sure you do it right even if they are 10)% wrong they have the ability to absorb your time because they have no ethics. Like the one said we are the law we can do this to you You will also find interesting that they argued in court that my solar system is illegal because if it is standing up right it is higher than 1.5M. Thus any solar panel mounted on a roof with a length longer than 1.5M according to CoCT is illegal. According to the building inspectors this is a problem. SO if you have 2 panels mounted on one frame then the combined height is 3.2M and illegal. When you try and argue with these people who can not understand maths it is very difficult. I was warned by the magistrate for misleading the court ..." a samoesa is a triangle ".. therefore there is not a perpendicular

Tnx I know a little about protection e\and electronics did not realize they are using phase detection at this level. One thing that concerns me is I read that relays is not an acceptable method to isolate a grid tied system. Is that a fair view on it. The old argument burned contacts. I been looking for the "rules" on this as I was under the impression that a motorized mini breaker is required. If I am talking to much tell me to keep quite I don't mind

If any one knows the court cases I had with CoCT then get you system approved. Although the courts thus far went 98% in my favour the time wasted is unbelevable. When you deal with councils you always have to remember ego = 1/knowledge*wisdom. They do not mind dragging you in court and waste your time. They get paid to act like that even if you are right. My 2c do it right and save time you might win $ but loose time

Any comments on a sun tracker system? What are you people thoughts o it ? Cost and will it work? Does any one have a working system?

If I may ask why do you have 2 "inverters"? or rather 2 different cct's

Throwing equipment and money at a problem is the government way. Simplification is less expensive. Unless you want to say " look at my system " it cost me R130K and R90K wasted electronics. The most important is to use a well match system. Then you do not need expensive equipment that gets sold to you and the only benefit is the commission to the sales rep. I do not have MPPT and what many people are referring to. I simply have batteries inverter solar panels. The little controller I developed my self and it has a few relays and are doing some control of my house. If you want to be smart split the electricity in two two ares: 1 12/24V for lights and LED lights. Use a fat battery and you have emergency lights. a Small charger Power supply and you can keep the bat running at night. So you do not need plenty heavy stuff. Never forget that grid tie means the grid is a endless battery. Once you get your mind to understand that then you will understand you do not need massive batt banks Electricity is going to get rough in time to come. Charging your battery during the day is feeding into the grid. It is maintenance free and cost free. Never use KWh when calculation solar effectiveness. A solar panel does not produce Kw it produces amps. In some cases a 350W solar panel is worse than a proper balanced system running a 250 / 260 W panel. I bought 6 second hand PV's because some one decided that 350W is better than 260W. The reality is that a panel can only give x amps. Design your system re that way and you smile all the way. Use MPPT and what ever and that is money down the drain. All transformers and added stuff has a loss no matter how good they are. Some 5 some 18%. The manufacturers hide that. 350W - 18% = 287W. Then you wastes R5 per watt and paid for a useless MPPT. If you have 48V system and panels greater than 270W you have feed a sales rep. You can simply start with a grid tied system and charge that battery the way you charge your fancy batteries. In batteries you need one cell of many to fail and you have a problem. I was forced of the grid CoCT wrongly cut my electricity and water so I had to go off grid. Now I am replacing my 3Kw inverter with grid tied inverter. Got permission to install 10Kva SSEG. But 10KVA is not the way one has to think. If I CHARGE the grid I can discharge 3 months later at a lesser fee than a battery. Therefore the way I think it is 1stly I save R3500 city power 2ndly I do not have to pay rates and taxes. Therefore you get R5K back per month. Batteries can not beat that. If you are worried about a power outage. Simple a bigger than normal lawnmower engine from Talisman +/- R3000 a second hand 100amp alternator from scrap yard. a pulley or 2 an you have a nice 5Kwatt generator. P = I X E 50V X 100A = 5000W See the grid as a battery and you will hardly ever have replace a single cell that caused a failure In my case I can sell 10Kva and store power for a rainy day. Is +/- a few K PLUS R3500 I had to pay electricity and that is the changer. A battery means to throw $ in a bottomless pit. Even F1 with best battery packs have plenty failures.

If you match your equipment better you do not need an MPPT and two db's and and and then you will see the grid tie works better and ...

Hi Chris, Thanks for the info. Is is based on load or voltage drop?

Good day, I am Erastus living in Melkbos (West Coast). I an new to solar and stuff. I wonder if you guys can please direct me where I can get the requirements for disconnecting a grid tie system when there is a network fault. Also how to determine there is a 220V "missing" fault