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timmmay
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  #3429739 31-Oct-2025 21:04
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We have a 250 liter mains pressure hot water cylinder fitted 2012, not sure what brand it is I can't find the docs, but it'll be one of the mainstream ones. It has an extra hot water cylinder wrap that is fairly badly fitted because it was difficult to reach behind and to one side. This week I left it turned on while we were away. I found that it was heating for approx 0.6h per day when no hot water was used, which equates to 2kwh per day of heat loss. I turned it off for a couple of days, three days heating was 1h 42m which was 5.5kwh of heating. I don't know what it costs to heat from cold.

 

Thought that might be interesting.


CYaBro
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  #3429740 31-Oct-2025 21:07
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Jase2985:

 

Solar generation in Auckland for October was pretty disappointing compared to last year. About 16% less than 2024.

 

2024: 1200kWh

 

2025: 1032kWh

 

 

 

 

First October with solar in North Otago and we’ve had some pretty bad days with less than 15kWh. Highest was 70 kWh. 
1.4MWh total. 
10.8kWp panels north facing. 





Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.


timmmay
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  #3429744 31-Oct-2025 21:13
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October 2025 - 9.1kw of panels, 935kwh of solar produced in Wellington. Only slightly better than Sept which is 920kwh. First year so no comparison. It wasn't as good as I'd expected.


Jase2985
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  #3429760 31-Oct-2025 21:53
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timmmay:

 

October 2025 - 9.1kw of panels, 935kwh of solar produced in Wellington. Only slightly better than Sept which is 920kwh. First year so no comparison. It wasn't as good as I'd expected.

 

 

September 2025 was 917kWh vs October 2025 was 1032kWh

 

September 2024 was 964kWh vs October 2024 was 1200kWh

 

Last year was inline with expectations, this year not so much for October


HarmLessSolutions
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  #3429761 31-Oct-2025 22:13
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timmmay:

 

We have a 250 liter mains pressure hot water cylinder fitted 2012, not sure what brand it is I can't find the docs, but it'll be one of the mainstream ones. It has an extra hot water cylinder wrap that is fairly badly fitted because it was difficult to reach behind and to one side. This week I left it turned on while we were away. I found that it was heating for approx 0.6h per day when no hot water was used, which equates to 2kwh per day of heat loss. I turned it off for a couple of days, three days heating was 1h 42m which was 5.5kwh of heating. I don't know what it costs to heat from cold.

 

Thought that might be interesting.

 

FWIW we also have a 250L HWC. 3 kW element raises the temp by about 10 degrees C per hour.





https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/


bigreddog
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  #3430069 2-Nov-2025 13:42
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931.4kWh in October vs 1059.8kWh last year
819.9kWh in September vs 894.6kWh Sept 2024

 

So definitely not been as good as last year on 7.2kw Panels





Tauranga
Quic Fibre (use R213449EPZJ3R for free setup)


richrdh18
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  #3430732 4-Nov-2025 12:32
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I was so excited to receive my power bill for Oct,  first $0.00 bill.  After all deductions, in credit now, bring on the sun. 

 

Been on solar for 6 months and watching the bill decrease each month.  Long may it continue. :-)


guyl
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  #3430828 4-Nov-2025 14:51
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I went live today with a new install! 20 panels (9.6kw), Powerwall 3 and Tesla charger. Looking forward to powering my car from the sun!


chimera
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  #3431031 4-Nov-2025 20:07
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Hi guys,

 

If anyone is looking for quality battery units to complement their solar install, I have 7 units remaining from the last shipment...

 

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=77&topicid=323193

 

Cheers

 

 


Jase2985
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  #3431311 5-Nov-2025 20:11
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Pretty much perfect generation in Auckland today, 5 days in and already done 27% of last month.

 

Still think I'm seeing the inverter throttle due to high voltage, was up around 246-247 when it was exporting between 1230 and 1430.

 

 


HarmLessSolutions
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  #3431313 5-Nov-2025 20:33
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Jase2985:

 

Pretty much perfect generation in Auckland today, 5 days in and already done 27% of last month.

 

Still think I'm seeing the inverter throttle due to high voltage, was up around 246-247 when it was exporting between 1230 and 1430.

 

 

That looks more like inverter throttling to comply with a 5 kW export cap when your generation flattens at its peak. We are seeing significant overvoltage related issues, particularly on the phase that our recently installed 5 kW SMA inverter is connected to. The generation data in that case is far more 'jagged' than yours. Our installer is scheduled to raise our export cap (on our 8.2 kW Fronius) to 10 kW in mid November so he can also widen both inverters' voltage parameters on the same visit. November 13th is when the new DG voltage parameters are passed into law.

 

We generated 1,363 kWh last month and have done 407 kWh (~30% of October's) so far in November despite significant voltage disruptions last weekend and intermittent cloud most days. 





https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/


dantheperson
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  #3431330 5-Nov-2025 22:50
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Jase2985:

 

Pretty much perfect generation in Auckland today, 5 days in and already done 27% of last month.

 

Still think I'm seeing the inverter throttle due to high voltage, was up around 246-247 when it was exporting between 1230 and 1430
 

 

 

Oh wow, that is much better than mine, i was gonna ask how people were finding the throttling this summer season.  I'm finding it worse than last year so far, already had about a dozen restarts due to overvolate .  Today the spa didn't come on to heat for some reason and its almost like everyone elses peak midday production is pushing mine down creating a trough in the middle of the day kinda like a volcano cone.  You can see just one restart today at 13:20.

 

 

 

 


dantheperson
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  #3431332 5-Nov-2025 22:54
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You can see the clear inverse relationship, when voltage is high, production is low.

 

 

 


dantheperson
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  #3431333 5-Nov-2025 23:07
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Jase2985:

 

Pretty much perfect generation in Auckland today, 5 days in and already done 27% of last month.

 

Still think I'm seeing the inverter throttle due to high voltage, was up around 246-247 when it was exporting between 1230 and 1430.

 

 

If possible i'd look to move that load you have starting at 9am to start later in the day so it is still running during the midday peak.  This will help reduce the amount of export you have pushing the voltage up, and reduce the chance of hitting 5kW export limit, so killing two throttle issues with one stone.

 

In summer i am turning the spa heater down from 5.2kW to 2kW.  It will pull the voltage down less, but for longer to cover most of the midday when overvoltage happens.  It seems to be more in the early afternoon than late morning. I'm guessing this is as everyones water heaters are taking in some of the morning residential production after morning showers.


HarmLessSolutions
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  #3431365 6-Nov-2025 09:11
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dantheperson:

 

You can see the clear inverse relationship, when voltage is high, production is low.

 

 

 

 

Some comments on that data and your next post; like us the voltage you are being supplied looks more like 240V nominal rather than the 230V we are supposed to be getting in NZ. This means that inverters with parameters set to 230V +/- 6% (+/- 10% on November 13th) are dealing with voltages that exceed their upper set limit continually.

 

Another factor that can contribute to voltage fluctuations at your "feed in point" is the length of the lines into/inside your property. In our case we are rural and the distance from road to house is ~300m. If the conductor size is only sufficient for normal house consumption then the loads involved in exporting 5 kW+, or drawing 7 kW by an EVSE, will result in resistance issues that will restrict current which impacts on voltage. 

 

Also in our rural location Powerco's grid voltage regulation is crap. We've seen 247V on one phase which was when our installer was connecting our recent 5 kW array, before any export was occurring. In contrast on an overnight EV charge last month (following overcast days) we saw the grid voltage drop to ~224V when the charge started and then down to 221V between 6:00 & 7:00am, presumably when the local dairy farmers were running their morning milking. 

 

 

When the solar feed in parameters increase on November 13th I expect the overvoltage situation will only get worse as solar owners are allowed to export at up to 253V (230V + 10%) before inverter throttling occurs. I have recently emailed Powerco, again, about voltage issues but once more have been fobbed off to another department with no answers forthcoming.





https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/


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