I have 2 SMC 5000A set to GB/G83 Mode MPP.
I have had these for several months and they are connected to my 10KW Solar
system and the operate fine with excess power being fed to the national
grid. All appeared fine with the correct readings showing on the remote
BEAM-BT-11-GR1 with the reading falling to zero when no sunlight was available.
However we have just fitted a clamp over the inverter outputs and find that
although it shows PV production in line with the BEAM remote unit when the
remote unit shows zero the clamp reading is 160W. If we switch off one
inverter then the reading falls to 80W.
I can't understand this as it appears with no solar input to the inverters
they are drawing 160W from the grid. I asked SMC and they advised
This sounds very much like reactive power flowing through your system when the inverters are either off or on standby.
The SMC 5000A inverter is powered by the DC side (to run the display etc) and so should not be drawing any power from the grid when dormant.
Reactive power is used by the grid operators to help keep the grid stable. In theory you do not get charged for it as meters are designed to ignore it (it runs out of synch with active power). Clamp meters however do not necessarily take this into consideration.
Any of you experts like to advise if SMC are correct or just fobbing me off.
Alfie
I have had these for several months and they are connected to my 10KW Solar
system and the operate fine with excess power being fed to the national
grid. All appeared fine with the correct readings showing on the remote
BEAM-BT-11-GR1 with the reading falling to zero when no sunlight was available.
However we have just fitted a clamp over the inverter outputs and find that
although it shows PV production in line with the BEAM remote unit when the
remote unit shows zero the clamp reading is 160W. If we switch off one
inverter then the reading falls to 80W.
I can't understand this as it appears with no solar input to the inverters
they are drawing 160W from the grid. I asked SMC and they advised
This sounds very much like reactive power flowing through your system when the inverters are either off or on standby.
The SMC 5000A inverter is powered by the DC side (to run the display etc) and so should not be drawing any power from the grid when dormant.
Reactive power is used by the grid operators to help keep the grid stable. In theory you do not get charged for it as meters are designed to ignore it (it runs out of synch with active power). Clamp meters however do not necessarily take this into consideration.
Any of you experts like to advise if SMC are correct or just fobbing me off.
Alfie
