question

Ebrahim Railoun avatar image
Ebrahim Railoun asked

Ess feeding back to the Grid. Need help.

Ess setup, Feeding back to Grid. Fronius 3phase 10kw grid tied on Input. 2 phase setup Red and white on Backup. 4 x 5kw Multiplus II. 2 x In Parrallel.

Phase compensation OFF. ZERO feed in on. Ess selection Mode. Optimised without Battery life.

Set to 100%, when I lower it it feeds back to Grid.

Grid meter installed with CT's 100A/5A with EM24.

Pls email ebrahim@brighthousesolar.co.za

Soonest, appreciated. Thanks.

Site Name: Howe on Medburn

ESS
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5 Answers
Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image
Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) answered ·

Hi @ebrahim@brighthousesolar.co.za

What exactly is wrong on the screenshot? total grid is positive..

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Ebrahim Railoun avatar image
Ebrahim Railoun answered ·

Client has a Prepaid Metering System which does not Measure Direction of Current flow.

Thus when current flows to grid it Uses Units, Client Pays for Current flow in Both Directions.

Phase compensation is OFF. Is it possible not to have any Negative readings on any of the phases.

@Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff)

8 comments
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ejrossouw avatar image ejrossouw commented ·

Firstly, for larger systems it is advisable to have a higher grid setpoint of e.g. 100w to ensure the system will always consume as I trust you are using ESS. The actual nature of the beast is that there is always a chance of some feedback as the system tries to keep grid input to zero. Surges or drops in consumption do however play a little havoc with this. I think the only safe bet for you is to replace the meter with one that allows for measuring in both directions as they now install where municipalities actually pay you for the energy you push back.

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ehsab avatar image ehsab ejrossouw commented ·

What defines larger systems?
im not sure i understand what grid setpoint do.

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ejrossouw avatar image ejrossouw ehsab commented ·

It is recommended from single MP II 3000Kva and above if memory serves me well. You actually have a "large complex" system IMHO. Surprised and shocked if you are not aware of this and suggest you consult with a professional Victron installer to configure the system for you. Please also read the ESS manual where all of these settings are explained in detail. The grid setpoint is where you can control the level of flow in or out of the grid to some extent and the ESS agent tries to keep this at 0W if configured so. In your case setting it to e.g. 100W means the system will always consume 100W from the grid should reduce the chance of feed-in happening. Also ensure feed-in in disabled. I am not familiar of the impact of the Fronius feed-in disable so maybe someone else can.

Do you have ESS configured? I suggest you

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gridsetpoint.jpg (64.2 KiB)
ehsab avatar image ehsab ejrossouw commented ·

I dont mind feed-in, and i dont have that option in ESS.

I keep my batteries charged.

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Hi @ebrahim, it is very uncommon to measure all phases individually, usually only total power is measured over all phases. Can you tell more about these meters? and where they are used?

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ejrossouw avatar image ejrossouw Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ commented ·

Prepaid electricity meters in South Africa are common and you buy a token or pay via other means to "load electricity" onto your account as you would like with a prepaid mobile phone. They are therefore in most part not smart in any way and has to be replaced as certain models can even shut down if feed-in occurs.

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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ ejrossouw commented ·

Hi @ejrossouw, I know, but what I don't know is if they measure per phase. Can you provide information about a meter that does that?

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ejrossouw avatar image ejrossouw Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ commented ·

I have not encountered three phase, but will check with a local installer as I am based in the UK. I only know as much because I installed an off-grid system there.

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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image
Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) answered ·

Hi @ebrahim. I took a look at your vrm page and it seems that L1 and L2 are swapped between the grid meter and the inverters. Please check the CT's and / or other wiring.

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ejrossouw avatar image
ejrossouw answered ·

Quick search uncovered this. Looks like it was specifically developed for use with Fronius and can be used with single/three phases. The prepaid meter is not replaced.

https://www.exsolar.co.za/uploads/8/0/1/3/80134398/smart_energy_controller_brochure.pdf

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ejrossouw avatar image
ejrossouw answered ·

This is one solution. Prepaid meter remains, just feedback prevented as with ESS and energy meter. https://www.exsolar.co.za/uploads/8/0/1/3/80134398/smart_energy_controller_brochure.pdf

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