Is your system legal? Capetonians have till 28 Feb 2019 to register their systems

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1 hour ago, ebrsa said:

Easysolar

The real attraction of the EasySolar is that it has the GX-device (the CCGX and-or Venus-GX control computer) built into it. They also bundled an MPPT... but if you open the box you will see it is literally just bolted into the case.  But the cost saving on the GX-device... that's the main thing.

Here's a video from Guy Steward showing it off. Also, it packs a 250/70 MPPT, 250V input, 70A battery charging capacity.

[Rautenk]

On 2019/10/28 at 10:07 AM, Stanley said:

A great new development after meetings with the CoCT, they are making the following changes to the SSEG rules:

This forum thread is still going! 

Well, this is actually a change because another department was reading it too literally! The SSEG side does not care about the Off-Grid sizing, but due to the wording in the SSEG Guidelines another department started rejecting declarations (note the work here, DECLARATIONS). So the SSEG guys just made a minor change to it.

So where you are truly off-grid, you declare and note that it is not on the grid.

For those on Axpert, you limit your charging to 15A and be done with it, now... Again had to talk to various people to get this understanding.

Seems enough people complained, and once CoCT departments started speaking they realised the problem! 

Lets hope the other Munics follows! I know a lot of people are really pissed off at Drakenstein! (But that was their changes to the feed-in/credit tariff)! 

Also, might be good to note:

Off-Grid: Never have Grid and Solar connected at same time. When Batteries are low and Solar not sufficient it CAN change over to Grid-Only [Not parallel to Grid]

Hybrid: Has batteries and Solar, can export to the grid and can have Grid and Solar at the same time on the Output [Parallel to Grid in normal operation, continue to operate at grid outage]

Grid-Tied: No Batteries, Grid and Solar on output [Parallel to Grid in normal operation, stop operation at grid outage]

 

Hybrid Off-Grid is a confusing term and not usually defined by Inverter Manufacturer. 

 

 

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28 minutes ago, Rautenk said:

Off-Grid: Never have Grid and Solar connected at same time. When Batteries are low and Solar not sufficient it CAN change over to Grid-Only [Not parallel to Grid]

So are you allowed to charge from the grid and the solar panels at the same time?

 

[Steven Burnett]

On 2019/10/28 at 10:07 AM, Stanley said:

A great new development after meetings with the CoCT, they are making the following changes to the SSEG rules:

This is great, since now you only need to ensure that you can limit the charging current from the grid.

The generation size limit for Grid-tied SSEG will remain the same (i.e. 25% of your breaker size, so 3.5kVA if you have a 60A breaker)

Is this a working doc or already published?

I'm dealing with a 5kW inverter on an 80A connection - it is installed and needs to be reduced to 4.6kW according to regulations, so the next step is to now find 4.5 or 4.6kW inverters (plenty of 4) - I'm sure many people are in this situation.

 

 

[PaBz0r]

2 hours ago, Steven Burnett said:

Is this a working doc or already published?

I'm dealing with a 5kW inverter on an 80A connection - it is installed and needs to be reduced to 4.6kW according to regulations, so the next step is to now find 4.5 or 4.6kW inverters (plenty of 4) - I'm sure many people are in this situation.

 

 

Somewhere I have read that it would be acceptable to software limit the inverter to comply with this. I am not sure how they will enforce it once they have signed off/inspected and left site. This is possible with a Victron Inverter, not sure about the others.

Something that fits the regulations perfectly would be a 4.6 Goodwe. Just check ES vs EM models as the one doesn't deliver that when the grid is down.

[Youda]

@PaBz0r

Exactly, GoodWe ES is better. EM version derates when grid is down.

Speaking of limiting the maximum output power in grid-tie mode, InfiniSolar is capable of such setting and it's being accepted by authorities in the EU. But I can't speak for SA.

[Jaco De Jongh]

3 hours ago, PaBz0r said:

would be a 4.6 Goodwe.

Or this:

[Stanley]

9 hours ago, Steven Burnett said:

I'm dealing with a 5kW inverter on an 80A connection

What type of inverter is it? This new change only applies to off-grid SSEG, so any inverter that can run in parallel with the grid must still be limited.

[Stanley]

9 hours ago, Steven Burnett said:

Is this a working doc or already published?

I'm not sure if they published it yet, but I copied that text from an e-mail that was sent to us by Ryno van der Riet at the City of Cape Town.

This is the full text (minus the greeting and for some reason Table 1 is not being pasted):

Feedback as follows:

1.     Residential grid-tied SSEG and grid-tied hybrid SSEG:

a.    Generation size limits apply as described in the City of Cape Town’s  ‘Requirements for small scale embedded generation, Table 1’.

b.    Maximum Total Generation Capacity refers to the maximum active power capacity of the generator at the utility point of connection (POC). For PV systems in particular, this refers to the maximum active power generation capacity of the inverter as limited either by hardware, or by software settings at the POC, whilst the inverter rated power could be higher than the Maximum Total Generation Capacity.   

 

2.     Residential off-grid SSEG,  Passive standby UPS utilised as off-grid hybrid SSEG and PV Alternative Supply in terms of SANS 10142-1: 2017:

a.    Maximum battery charger power drawn from the utility shall not exceed the Maximum Total Generation Capacity limit as described in the City of Cape Town’s ‘Requirements for small scale embedded generation, Table 1’.

b.    The inverter rated power could be higher than the Maximum Total Generation Capacity limit.    

 

Best,

Ryno van der Riet
Head: Protection & Telecoms
Energy and Climate Change

Bloemhof Centre, Bloemhof Street, Bellville

 

[PaBz0r]

14 hours ago, Jaco de Jongh said:

Or this:

Looks good, Solis copy by Segon? Prices are really good. *Edit* Looked at the Grid-Tie model, not the Hybrid, costs a bit more than a Goodwe... 

Edited November 7, 2019 by PaBz0r
Price

[Steven Burnett]

11 hours ago, Stanley said:

What type of inverter is it? This new change only applies to off-grid SSEG, so any inverter that can run in parallel with the grid must still be limited.

it's a solar edge 5kW hd wave, so grid tied. long story, but since it's too large for the 80A connection in CT, will be deploying it elsewhere.

great machine, but wanting to add batteries to it now and proving complicated since it'll only take the LG for warranty purposes.

 

 

[Fuenkli]

-

 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2019 by Fuenkli

[Fuenkli]

The CoCT has finally approved my grid tied hybrid PV system.

 

4.6kW Goodwe5048D-ES Inverter

4.4kWp panels

20kW/h Lead Carbon Batteries

Single phase 60A supply

 

The process took 10 month. The application was initially rejected because of the 3.5kVA limit on a 60 A single phase supply. With the help of many members here on the forum and @Rautenk(the Engineer who signed of the system) we eventually managed to convince the CoCT that the actual and not the theoretical maximum system output should be used as a base for approval.  

 

[phil.g00]

27 minutes ago, Fuenkli said:

The process took 10 month. The application was initially rejected because of the 3.5kVA limit on a 60 A single phase supply. With the help of many members here on the forum and @Rautenk(the Engineer who signed of the system) we eventually managed to convince the CoCT that the actual and not the theoretical maximum system output should be used as a base for approval.

Did that mean they accepted a software limit? .....Or how did you create an actual limit?

[Fuenkli]

6 minutes ago, phil.g00 said:

Did that mean they accepted a software limit? .....Or how did you create an actual limit?

No, we could not go the software limit route because the Goodwe inverters do not have such an option. We went the hardware route. We compiled and submitted an irradiance report. The report basically showed that the maximum output after considering all the inefficiencies and losses is within the 3.5kVa limit.

[phil.g00]

21 minutes ago, Fuenkli said:

We compiled and submitted an irradiance report. The report basically showed that the maximum output after considering all the inefficiencies and losses is within the 3.5kVa limit.

Reminds of the time I got off a speed fine using one of those laser thingies going around a bend.

I explained one side of my car was going faster than the other side.

[___]

I'm about to decommission my system. The registration is still somewhere at coct... 

[Rautenk]

14 hours ago, Fuenkli said:

The report basically showed that the maximum output after considering all the inefficiencies and losses is within the 3.5kVa limit.

I must also add, that +-3 years worth of actual data to verify the calculation and simulations were a very big help! 

Seems that sanity does prevail! 

@plonkster, why would you want to decommission the system?

[Rautenk]

On 2019/11/07 at 8:45 AM, PaBz0r said:

Edit* Looked at the Grid-Tie model, not the Hybrid, costs a bit more than a Goodwe

The Kodak = Solis, not sure why they decided to brand it like that in SA.

And it is a full hybrid, similar to Goodwe. Actually looking at the Bloomberg rating, they are more bankable than GoodWe! Was interested to learn they are also one of the biggest players in UK and Aus market.

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6 minutes ago, Rautenk said:

, why would you want to decommission the system?

I'm moving house and the new owner did not want to shell out the extra 100k for the solar system. So it has to be removed, and reinstalled at the new place.

At the same time I'm redoing the installation into a large network cabinet (on wheels) that I have acquired. But also, the "new" house has an old-style disk meter, so I have to sort that out. I may actually go or the AMI meter... despite the cost, it might just make sense.

[PaBz0r]

14 hours ago, Fuenkli said:

We went the hardware route. We compiled and submitted an irradiance report

Would you mind sharing some of the points? Is an interesting approach, perhaps with my North/East/West configuration I could also go that route one day.

[Fuenkli]

2 hours ago, PaBz0r said:

Would you mind sharing some of the points?

see attached report. @Rautenk has given me the permission to publish it

 

 

Irradiance report001.pdf

[PaBz0r]

Thanks a lot! 

[Gerlach]

Nice work there @Rautenk !!!

[PaBz0r]

56 minutes ago, Gerlach said:

Nice work there @Rautenk !!!

Agreed! Seems one has some options to look at, but again the case is clear based on actual figures and simulation, which makes a big difference.