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wongtop
563 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #3220407 19-Apr-2024 19:04
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To confirm that it’s voltage you could extract inverter voltage and inverter power from say 10 am to 2 pm on a sunny day (when the inverter should be producing close to full power) and do an xy scatter plot with inverter voltage on the x axis and power on the y axis. If the data points follow more or less a straight line sloping down to the right then you have your answer.

The problem isn’t only on the Vector side, you are getting a reasonable amount of voltage drop/rise between your meter and inverter which could be reduced by fatter ac cable between your switchboard and inverter. You’ll need cables more than twice the cross sectional area to solve the problem this way (if it’s even possible).

If you end up talking with Vector another possible solution might be to ask if they will let you run an Australian profile on your inverter which generally allow higher inverter voltages before the inverter starts clipping.

EgorNZ
50 posts

Geek


  #3220429 19-Apr-2024 20:31
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wongtop: The problem isn’t only on the Vector side, you are getting a reasonable amount of voltage drop/rise between your meter and inverter which could be reduced by fatter ac cable between your switchboard and inverter. You’ll need cables more than twice the cross sectional area to solve the problem this way (if it’s even possible).

If you end up talking with Vector another possible solution might be to ask if they will let you run an Australian profile on your inverter which generally allow higher inverter voltages before the inverter starts clipping.

 

Yeah my inverter is about 16-17m distance from the meter box, so that could be a factor too. What kind of voltage rise from inverter to meter is normal? 

 

Do you know if Vector has previously allowed customers to run an Australian profile like that?

 

 


HarmLessSolutions
969 posts

Ultimate Geek

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  #3220435 19-Apr-2024 20:43
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EgorNZ:

 

Do you know if Vector has previously allowed customers to run an Australian profile like that?

 

We had an issue with our 8.2kW Fronius shutting down intermittently due to grid voltage variations. Our installer did a firmware upgrade on the inverter under Fronius AU's direction which solved the problem. Worth asking your installer if they have a good enough relationship with Fronius to try doing the same on yours?

 

Our previous setup at our last property ran an SMA that also suffered from grid voltage issues and the installer in that case widened out the acceptable voltage parameters with good results. From what I remember (12+ years back) it was a more DIY based piece of corrective action by a skilled electronics design engineer but it solved the problem without any issues.





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


  #3220436 19-Apr-2024 20:49
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Question is what sized cabling is there to the meter?

 

My sub-board is about 25m from the main board/meter and that's where my solar will be connected. But there is 16mm2 cabling between the 2 locations, so it's good for 63 amps


HarmLessSolutions
969 posts

Ultimate Geek

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  #3220438 19-Apr-2024 20:59
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Jase2985:

 

Question is what sized cabling is there to the meter?

 

My sub-board is about 25m from the main board/meter and that's where my solar will be connected. But there is 16mm2 cabling between the 2 locations, so it's good for 63 amps

 

We had an existing 6mm TPS cable which was rated for around 32A (20m run) but replaced it with 2x 10mm single cables as a 'future proofing' strategy so that putting our entire 8.2kW (or more) generation back through to the meter board was possible if we install batteries at the house end.





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


EgorNZ
50 posts

Geek


  #3220446 19-Apr-2024 21:32
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Is this 6mm?

 


HarmLessSolutions
969 posts

Ultimate Geek

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  #3220447 19-Apr-2024 21:39
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EgorNZ:

 

Is this 6mm?

 

 

Possibly. Someone with better electrical knowledge than me should recognise the coding stamped on the insulation. 6mm refers to 6 square mms of cross-sectional area of the copper cores.





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


  #3220527 20-Apr-2024 08:25
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@EgorNZ see if you can find any markings on the cable that might help identify it. Product number etc

 

 

 

 


EgorNZ
50 posts

Geek


  #3220601 20-Apr-2024 10:54
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Jase2985:

 

@EgorNZ see if you can find any markings on the cable that might help identify it. Product number etc

 

 

The text reads "NEXANS (NZ) V-90 ELECTRIC CABLE 450/750V" but that doesn't reveal the specifications. The black printed text reads "3011" but I don't find any corresponding parts on the Nexans website with that number. 🤷‍♂️

 

Just guessing from the dimensions, it could be this product, which is 4mm²: https://www.nexans.co.nz/.rest/catalog/v1/product/pdf/CNZP09A1002WVHF


pipe60
127 posts

Master Geek


  #3220620 20-Apr-2024 12:27
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EgorNZ:

Jase2985:


@EgorNZ see if you can find any markings on the cable that might help identify it. Product number etc



The text reads "NEXANS (NZ) V-90 ELECTRIC CABLE 450/750V" but that doesn't reveal the specifications. The black printed text reads "3011" but I don't find any corresponding parts on the Nexans website with that number. 🤷‍♂️


Just guessing from the dimensions, it could be this product, which is 4mm²: https://www.nexans.co.nz/.rest/catalog/v1/product/pdf/CNZP09A1002WVHF



The black text is normally the meter markings. You could strip the red or black back to copper then measure the diameter of one core then work out the area of the core and times it by the number of cores, the earth will be smaller.

EgorNZ
50 posts

Geek


  #3220624 20-Apr-2024 12:37
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pipe60: 

The black text is normally the meter markings. You could strip the red or black back to copper then measure the diameter of one core then work out the area of the core and times it by the number of cores, the earth will be smaller.

 

This cable is in active service as part of the PV system, I don't think I can cut into it 😁

 

I'll just have to wait and see what the sparky thinks


HarmLessSolutions
969 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

  #3220639 20-Apr-2024 12:53
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EgorNZ:

 

pipe60: 

The black text is normally the meter markings. You could strip the red or black back to copper then measure the diameter of one core then work out the area of the core and times it by the number of cores, the earth will be smaller.

 

This cable is in active service as part of the PV system, I don't think I can cut into it 😁

 

I'll just have to wait and see what the sparky thinks

 

Have you received an itemised invoice for the installation? The specifications of the cable used, together with how many metres the run is, should be on that.





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


  #3220674 20-Apr-2024 15:39
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Is it a 3 core (2c+e) cable or a 2 core cable? as i see an earth right next to it?

 

If it is the one linked, with 4mm2 conductors, there would be about a 3% drop (7.2V at 240V) down the length of the cable and i would only be good for about 39A over that distance. that's getting close to the limit.

 

 


EgorNZ
50 posts

Geek


  #3220679 20-Apr-2024 15:57
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Jase2985:

 

Is it a 3 core (2c+e) cable or a 2 core cable? as i see an earth right next to it?

 

If it is the one linked, with 4mm2 conductors, there would be about a 3% drop (7.2V at 240V) down the length of the cable and i would only be good for about 39A over that distance. that's getting close to the limit.

 

 

I'm not 100% certain as I can't visually inspect the end of the cable. But it looks to me like it's only 2 core, with insulation separating the cores. As you say, there is a separate earth wire. Also, one of the cores (live I guess?) appears to be significantly larger than the other.

 

In which case it's not the Nexan product I linked, and doesn't match anything on their website


HarmLessSolutions
969 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

  #3222498 24-Apr-2024 18:50
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This is an interesting concept; the prevalence of roof top solar in Australian states threatening the viability of large scale solar farms and even wind turbine projects. https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2024/02/08/rooftop-solars-success-results-in-struggling-large-scale-segment/

 

 





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


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