Flipping the inverter "on" switch and turning the safety switch dial seemed anti-climactic after all of the research, negotiating and waiting that went into the birth of the solar array system that now sits on our roof.
And yet, the effort is still not complete. But it is now producing energy... I think.
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SolarEdge Inverter |
After 24 hours (why should it take longer than this, I reasoned), I contacted the inverter company directly. They provided me a "view only" set-up mode application which showed my kWh production since it was activated.
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Image from Set-Up Application |
I was pleased to see that from 12:20 PM on Monday to 9:30 AM on Wednesday, the system had generated 57.26 kWh of energy.
Monday had been a relatively sunny day, but Tuesday had been cloudy. And the Winter skies in Palatine Illinois are notoriously dark and the sun visibility is short. Days were getting longer, but we had a long way to go.
A call to the Selling company Project Manager was made to expedite the configuration.
About 12:30 PM I was informed that the configuration had been completed. I could access the SolarEdge Monitoring application to more explicitly monitor the Solar array output.
Yahoo!
It was enjoyable watching the monitoring information. The satisfaction that the effort was actually providing a positive benefit was appreciated.
The monitor information below shows several key elements:
The Energy Today = 19.18 kWh reflected about 50% of the days sun.
The Current Power = 389.92 W reflects the solar array output at around 4 PM (sunset at this time is around 4:40 PM).
The Lifetime Energy = 87.2 kWh refelects energy produced since Monday's turn-on.
One can see the green line plot that shows the declining solar energy production available during the Winter afternoon. Monitoring started just before 12 noon.
The monitoring app provides an abundance of data for the geek that I am. I can see the individual PV module output at any time. And output data can be viewed for multiple time periods.
The PV module array is shown at the end of the day in a physical view. The residual module output is shown on the picture, as well as the module numerical reference.
For those of you that may be seeking more details, here is a little bit of definition to baseline our understanding:
- photon--A particle of light that acts as an individual unit of energy. Our sun friends...
- PV--Abbreviation for photovoltaic(s).
- photovoltaic (PV) cell--The smallest semiconductor element within a PV module to perform the immediate conversion of light into electrical energy (dc voltage and current).
- photovoltaic (PV) array--An interconnected system of PV modules that function as a single electricity-producing unit. The modules were installed on the roof.
- inverters--Devices that convert dc electricity into ac electricity (single or multiphase), either for stand-alone systems (not connected to the grid) or for utility-interactive systems.
- watt (W)--The unit of electric power, or amount of work (J), done in a unit of time. One ampere of current flowing at a potential of one volt produces one watt of power.
- kilowatt (kW)--1000 watts.
- kilowatt-hour (kWh)--One thousand watts acting over a period of 1 hour. The kWh is a unit of energy.
When you (if you) look at you electric bill you may see the monthly consumption of electrical supply to your home. This is usually stated in kWh (kilowatt-hours). This is the energy that powers your lights, toaster and electric ovens. For most homes the monthly consumption of kWh may be 500 -1300 kWh, depending on your home's efficiency. You pay for the supply of this energy and an assortment of additional fees for distribution, metering, equipment, taxes and many other miscellaneous charges.
So, it's installed and finally functioning. For a 2.5 day period in the dead of Winter in Palatine Illinois, we produced about 87.2 kWh of power. I would guess that we consumed about 100 kWh of energy. The output was a bit higher than originally expected. Good news.
But Winter is harsh here and I can expect many cloudy days, with small solar generation. But it is still a step forward. The monitoring system says that the solar generation produced is equivalent to 3.4 trees planted!
More coming as I learn the details of the system.
That is impressive
ReplyDeleteCan you store the energy in the summer for the following winter?
Hi Mom! In a way, yes. The "excess" that may be produced in the Summer is pushed into the grid. I receive dOllar credits for this which builds and/or is consumed when I pull energy from the grid (ComEd).
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