daniemare

I do not have 4kw PV yet. Will have from this Saturday. Currently only have 2.4kw. I use 20-22kwh per day of which I generate 50%. (Use to be 16-18 before my heatpump went) But you make a good point. I am first going to see hiw my system performs when I have 4.2kw PV. Then make the call.

Base Load - 500W. SoC starts at 30%, but I can't get it currently to 100% (see below regarding to small PV). But I get to 90% when PV rpduction stops at 17:30-18:00. (This includes an 1/2 hour of geyser heating and 1 hour of kitchen undercounter geyser heating). Reach 30% at 00:00 - 02:00 depending on evening activity. Problem is, I do not have good data on my Self Consumption ratio for the last while due to the changes in my system planned and unplanned. Summer months 2023: Heatpump YES with 7.2kw Battery, 2.4kw PV 50:50 Summer months 2024: Heatpump NO with 10.8 kw Battery, 2.4kw PV still 50:50 Winter months 2023: Heatpump YES with 7.2kw Battery, 2.4kw PV 30:70 The PV is low yes. Due to me upgrading as I got good deals on batteries, it lagged, but this saturday I am adding another 1,8 to get to 4.2kw PV. Expect the Summer months to improve to 60:40, but winter, with my limited knowledge, that is a guess at best, but hopefully I maintain 30:70. So I see my scenarions as 1 - I can have Batteries 10.8kwh and PV 4.2kw PLUS Heatpump 2 - I can have Battries 14.4kwh and PV 6.2kw NO Heatpump 3 - Save the money, Batteries 10.8kw and 4.2kw PV NO Heatpump Maybe 3 is the way to go untill I have some winter data.

Thanks Bobster. I know we have the same Goodwe Inverter. My current use is 5-6kwh (measured average) a day on the Geyser since loosing my heatpump. 1kwh is covered by solar currently. My experience on my old heatpump is 1:3 COP in practice. So I can save 66%. Call it 70% for newer tech. That is a saving of 3.5kwh per day (summer experience) or R10 a day, R3,650 a year. @R20k quoted cost that is 5,5 year payback. So initially my thinking was exactly as you explained, just replace the thing. But then I started wondering. If I still spend the R20k, but on solar expansion. (R10k on used battery I can get and am comfortable with, rest on 2kw panels and maybe a new smaller rated geyser element). My thinking is I can still save on the heating bill, maybe 40% and not 70%, BUT I have more excess solar for cloudy days, or summer running the aircon. My savings might actually be better. Hence why I am fishing for opinions

Hi All - Need opinions My heatpump of 8 years have packed up in Decemebr. Will cost R17,000 before installation. Currently running element. Some facts. My heatpump used +- 1.5 kw/h My geyser now use +- 4kw/h I run the geyser for an hour before solar production I run the geyser for 30 min at 12:00 My current system 1x5kw Inverter (geyser not on essentials) 10.8kwh batteries 4kwh PV Now my options. 1 - Replace Heatpump 2 - Buy another battery (3.6 kw @ R10k used) plus 2kw of panels for difference. I am based i Stellenbosch. During summer I had a positive experience with element. But winter will drop ambient lower and I will struggle loading my batteries during the day. I do not have any battery capacity left when my geyser turns on for morning heating, so that is at R3/kw. Can’t decide. Your opinions welcomed.

From your graphs your loads never go above 3kw. How is your system wired? The Goodwe will assist loads from your non-essential loads of the geyser and oven/heating sources (I am assuming you have traditional ones) From a settings point of view, are you in General Mode?

Not directly responding to the topic of this thread. But for years I have been running in either General mode (Stage 3 or less) and Eco Mode (stage 4 up) with no issues. Then Goodwe began to “enhance” their SEMS platform, stop PV Master app and switchbto SolarGo app. And for the last 6 months nothing works as expected on a constant basis

Yes I know. Therefore the post. I want to understand how I can add a generrator as I cannot do it through the inverter

Hi All Considering what can happen this winter. How would one go about incorporating a small generator with the Goodwe ES inverter. This inverter does not have a logical inverter input from what I understand or can identify. Thanks in advance for your advice Danie

To be honest, for me SEMS is for reporting And in emergency make changes. PV master is to make changes. But I must say, recently both have been bad. Inhave logged tickets but no joy.

Hi. I use PV Master to make these changes. Use SEMS and off site only to switch to Backup mode if its an emergency. I also use my Unifi Router VPN to use my PV master app when not in my house. This is helpfull for more detailed changes

Hi I am helping a friend install a system at his new house. The DB board is in a cupboard in the kitchen. So we are debating where to put the inverter and battery. One option is to just install the Inverter /battery back to back with the wall the DB is in. But this will then be outside. Based on some forum members’ experience, is this advisable? And what enclosures did you guys use? Thanks in advance.

Yes sure, some days you might still be idle. I am idle but another 3,6 battery will solve that for me if I really want to make ise of my spare solar - definitely better payback than the proposed export t&c and a 10k meter (even a 5k meter) But if you have so much spare capacity that an additional typical 3-5 kW battery can’t absorb that (takinf into account winter and loadshedding) how many panels did you go with

If you have idle, and resucing yiur bill further is your aim - Buy another battery and get R3 / kWh guaranteed (and with escalations). Yes a sub R2k meter might change the sums. But even at R5k, with monthly fees and no guarantee, why????? What I also foresee when having this new meters is that a fixed energy availability fee is not to far off. A change that will be implemented last for traditional pre-paid meters. So there is these ifs and buts to consider too. I will bet good money, that once you are on that new meter, you cannot revert back to you old billing setup.

Fully offgrid people aside Why would you invest in a 10-12k meter and R100 plus per month fixed fee to get R1 per kWh, WITHOUT a long term contract protecting the R1? If you can buy another battery (in my case 3.6kWh @ R20k) and save your extra energy for use when they charge you R3 per kWh and climbing? I will consider this if the meter is free and the fixed fee is part of the current fixed fees. I am still trying to wrap my head around a smart meter at R12k that needs a R100 pm meter reading fee. How smart is that meter?

Thanks Jaco But no luck. It just appears that the inverter is behaving like an off grid inverter, with the solar only supplying the backup load.