I am running 3x MultiPlus-II 120V on Mexico grid (127v phase-to-ground, 220v phase-to-phase)
I have monitoring with VM-3P75CT on grid incoming, this goes to an AC panel with a breaker heading out to AC-IN 1 to the inverters. There are some other loads on this panel, but not many, almost everything runs through a separate ESS panel connected to AC-OUT from the inverters.
I have ESS configured in “Individual Phase” mode and a grid setpoint of 60W
I have noticed that my meter is recording considerable current 24/7 even when I have very little load and I can easily handle self-consumption by solar/battery.
I am not currently permitted to feed back into the grid (awaiting a bidirectional meter and contract).
Take a look at this screenshot. The meter correctly reads what I am seeing (approx 3 amps per grid phase), yet it is reporting only approx 10-26W which of course doesn’t make any sense, since 3A @ 130v = 390W (per phase).
Under the advanced tab, you can create a custom widget with the power factor of each leg. You can also scroll down, at the bottom of the dashboard you will find “Grid meter combined”. In the tab “Apparent Power”, the values will match the current you see at the top.
Depending on your loads, I suspect the total PF wil lie well below 0.95. This is a result of the way power supplies, both internal and external, for devices and appliances work these days.
Thanks @DavidOvNL I have been doing some more research into the numbers by looking at that widget and also the PF as stated in the Victron Connect app when looking directly as the power meter device. The results are surprising and I can’t make sense of them…
Grid disconnected
VRM: MultiPlus Mode “Inverter Only” (relays disconnected, seems like this is as good as the grid being disconnected as it gets)
So as you can see the PF is not great with the grid disconnected, but not terrible. But once the grid is connected the PF falls through the floor to something like 0.1 despite the loads not changing. So why would this be?
Cos Phi of 0.06 is very unrealistic. Check your voltage taps and current transformers, that they are on the correct phase. Same inbetween meter and MPs
I do not agree… The yellow graph in the 3 pictures is my kitchen (old house, only 3 circuits), consumption of the last 3 hours, VRM update every 15 minutes.
During the day the only appliances that use power are my oven (clock display), tabletop fridge and a table top freezer. When the compressors are off, the oven clock has a PF of 0,07 (capacitive dropper) at an active power of 2W and apparent power of 46VA. So definitely not impossible.
@Mateo-MX When the grid is disconnected, your inverters compensate your own “bad” house loads for a part. When the grid is connected, the MP-II’s have no “mass” against all of your neighbors that ar on the same grid section. Everything on your side of the pole transformer influences the PF Probably a lot of harmonic distortion.
So I’m afraid you’ll have to learn to live with it (or start complaining around the block).
Yeah ok, but OP here has a total of 1300W critical load, at a total PF of 0.06. I dont think they have 650 ovenclocks running, maybe, but cyclicaly misplaced CTs is far more likely
As you can see there is substantial current running backwards through the inverters. I saw about 1 amp going backwards through each inverter and then being dumped down the grid neutral line. Any ideas why this would be? Could it be related to the high, but within the veConfigure values I was able to set to avoid high-voltage disconnect from the MPs
This is interesting. Frustratingly it looks like I am being charged for the VA, not real power (Watts). After a few days my grid consumption is only a few kWh on the Victron meter, but much much more when I look at the meter itself
