Is it okay to add more solar panels than your inverter is rated to handle?
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- čas přidán 8. 11. 2016
- Can a 3kW solar inverter handle 4kW of panels? Why would you even want to add more panels, anyway? We explain why in this video and you can learn more here: www.solarquot.e...
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you've just answered a question ive agonized over.... thanks very much
I searched for 1 hour and couldnt find the answer and he made a lot of sense.
What was it guys save me watching ?
Thanks Finn, the limitation on panels on an inverter indeed is not controlled by power size. However, you array will need to be within the voltage limites of the inverter. Otherwise you can blow up your inverter!
Thanks for the explanation.
In Germany, you're limited to 600w for DIY installation, but it makes sense to put many more panels to increase production.
However there is lots of contradicting opinion online.
Thank you. That's why the installer says to me that my 8 kW inverter can handle 9k watts of panel.
This is great information. I have a 2.4kW inverter with six 330w panels and I was wondering if I could add more panels. I suppose the only limitations would be VOC and current (considering the panels are connected in parallel at the moment)
Hi I have a off grid mpp solar inverter its a 5000w out put 4000w in can i put 8000w in thanks
What if the inverter PPT input is 450v max and you add panels that are say 41v and you add say 12 or 14 panels. That's 492v @ 14. But you'll get 6300 watts into a 5000 watt inverter. At least more potential on a cloudy day to generate more power
I had a 5kW system (28 x 180w Suntech panels) installed in 2010, with a Fronius IG40 inverter, after about 10 years the inverter died so I have bought an SMA Sunny 5kW inverter, I would like to add say an extra 1.6kW of panels , but everyone has said I can't do that with new panels as they must match the old panels. Is there any way I can add extra panels?
works for grid tied inverters
A very VERY VERY important detail.
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Hi Finn....This was question for which i was looking answer for so long, Thanks alot.
My 3kWcharger inverter blew up when I connected 4.3kW panels while staying well under the max allowed voltage of 400V. Guarantee was denied from Manufacturer!
So is this correct --- My thinking - 1. Don't exceed the CC voltage; that would make sense not to exceed CC electronic components specs eg. capacitor voltage ratings... 2. Increase the panel wattage to counter losses efficiency/ heat etc --- am I close?????
Can I add 6.5kw pannels to 5kw hybrid inverter company utl
Hi, thank you for your explanation. Could you please tell me if the same could work for a MPPT cc. For exemple; can i wire one mppt cc of 40amps imput on 60 amps out from sollar array? Of course, respecting the CC voltage input. Thank you in advance, greetings from Italy. NJM.
Very well said..planning to add more panels now..thanks
There's another reason to oversize if you're in a hot country, the panels' efficiency also goes down when the temperature goes up, again you're getting closer to your inverter's capacity.
What I'm wondering can you over size a charge controller ; like a 40 amp cc receiving 45.8 amps?
No
How about your charge controller, can you over power that?
I have a 10kw system and an 8(or 8.5)k solar edge inverter. My system clips thus causing me a loss of production. I bought 2 more 315 watt lg panels years ago and am trying to figure out how to position them so I don't clip even more
i live off grid and run a 3.5kw inverter and i have 13Kw of PV and do not use my generator ever. and around 30 KWH lithium ion
Great information provided. I have 5KVA MKS Plus MPPT 80A inverter, will this inverter support over-sizing?
I have 72 panels (275 W) = 19.8 kw, and an INVT inverter ( Invt goodrive 100-pv: 11 KW). Should I upgrade my inverter to 15 KW (efficiency wise)??? Thank you
Thank you very much 🙏🏼
Brother, I've got solar system installed at home, but the inverter get really hot and is not even exposed to sun, I wonder how much heat is still normal,,could you teach something about
Hello if you have a 10 kw inverter can you make it by software a 8 kw inverter ????
You saved me brother thank you!
How do you wire for oversizing? Common sense would say never go past the voltage ratings of the inverter but if I check the spec sheet of panels, there is no fixed voltage or current and they rise at the same time.
Silly question, of coarse it ok, how many volts on power lines on poles with 30 amps ? 10,000 volts ac.
Great advice
How many panel can i put a string series?
longevity of the inverter... my 6.6kw system runs the 5kw inverter too hot to touch in summer [ sizzling ] ive added a 12v car fan from super cheap auto, $28 with a seperate 12v timer, $8 ..comes on at 9.30am. turns off at 3.30pm.. takes 65 degrees c down to 35 degrees c on a 30 degree c day. hooked into the fuse box is a 12v 5a video pwr supply, $18 you dont want 240v outdoors.. the life of the electronic components within the inverter is shortened with heat
this singular video made me subscribe.
i have a question by the way.... does an oversized panel help reduce the direct load off of the batteries? Especially when you are running the inverter while charging it with solar.
my theory is this.
lets say i have a 1kw array, and my inverter load uses 500w. assuming my batteries are all charged up by say 11am while the inverter is still on load, does the system reach an equilibrium where the excess energy is used to carry the load?
An SMA inverter burned up from having too many panels on a string, where I used to work.
i could be that the total voltage had gone over max voltage limit stated on the inverter
This is true these days considering the cost of the panels has gone down drastically. The cost of inverters should catch up though.
Hi Finn can you give me some advice on a system I am looking at, A Fronius Primo 5.0kW inverter with 20 QCells Q.Peak Duo-G7 330W Panels, cost $6600 pay back time 3.9 years I have a lot of tree shade during winter. I use 23kwt a day, and he has worked out 8 kwt generated and 17 exported a day.my normal yearly bill $2,550 he worked out I would save $1,660 and told me for 9 to 10 thousand it would give me a no bill.
Would solar edge be better then this for my tree shade problems, and would it better going with the no bill system ?..no battery's , because I have 2 phase would it be best putting on 2 inverters on each one or 1 bigger one ? From 2 pm in 4 months of winter a third of the panels are in shade then gets worse,and to put more panel on they would be in the shade area during those 4 to 5 months, not sure with his numbers how he worked out the shade thing ? would it really make up the loss from the winter in the summer months ? The company is a sound Quality company and with good service and back up.
in a hot country for sure for Canada you need to watch out for installers that put to much more in -30c you are running way more efficiently so you can blow the inverter if you are oversized to much. If you do this with Micros it is fine though should just clip.
It will never blow remember what he said ? He said inverter pulls power from panels and itl pulls what it needs irrespective of your panel output.
yes it will in the cold. I have 10 years in the industry here in Canada and yes solar is way more efficient in cold so it can blow the inverter for string inverters and the panel output is very important
Exactly bro... it's true....but what about the charger controller?
the same apply to the charge controller , it also pulls the power it needs from the panels
to feed the batteries.
Hi, love your work, should a 6.6 kw panel array with a 5 kw inverter on a sunny cool day with panels facing 335 degrees true on a 22 degree tilt with no shadowing should the system be expected to produce 5 kw or slightly more say between 10 am to 2 pm in August in NSW ?
Peter - PVwatts is the ultimate calculator for this: pvwatts.nrel.gov/
I was told it's bad to "oversize", "overclock" inverter, he was talking about overclocking? not sure if that is the same terminology, other quotes have provided 6.6kw system with a 5kw inverter I have single phase...am I missing something now I'm confused.
Not bad at all - see here: www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/oversizing-solar-arrays/
How about oversizing by 1/3 combined with using 3 strings (NNE, N, NNW) at angle of location's latitude, to smooth output through they day and also avoiding wasting power at noon from maxing out inverter. Assuming your roof and mount can do it. Thanks for these excellent videos!
Assuming roof and mount can do it, that would be fine. Inverter type is also an issue - virtually all string inverters can only accept two directions due to MPPT's.
Thanks mate :)
I have 1640watts solar panels installed. I want to add another 1000w solar panels to this system. My current solar panel specs 205W, Isc5.43A and Vmp45. New solar panels are 330W, Isc 9+A and Vmp45. Should I install these or not?
i would add a separate charge controller for the new panels
New subscriber sir...I have hps 3k 24 volts model of a hybrid inverter...the maximum pv array is 1200 watts and maximum VOC 30 to 80 VDC....it is ok I put 2000 watts of panel as long as I get over maximum from box...thank you
Thank you for being awesome. I'm new to your channel and I have a lot to learn.
Well explained video, thank you Finn:) Have a query. I totally get the 'winter' advantage when you have say 6.6kw with a 5kw inverter. What happens say in the spring/summer periods when the peak sun hour days increase, in relation to power generation? i.e with most 5kw inverters having only a 4.95kw AC output. Thanks.
You're simply 'clipped' at the 5kW output of the inverter. This means that, on ideal Summer days, around midday, you will 'lose' potential generation, but you more than make up for it with the extra production in the summer.
Is it okay to parallel grid-tie inverters? What are the look outs? Thanks.
Grid tie inverters, yes. Make sure your fuses and circuit breakers all the way to the grid are not going to blow. If you are close, you may be able to limit the power of the inverter or e.g. of the export power. If you are on multiple phases, the export should be limited per phase. Also be aware of local regulations, proceeds and even cost for exporting power.
a bit confusing. a lot of installers say the inverter can blow with with too many panels even if set them to do no more than 400v wiring in parallel,,, a canadian in your comments below has also said this..., would you have an idea why.,, or do they just not know. i am wanting to double my solar from 6.6kw to 13kw on a 5kw inverter. would i need a current limiting device.
You do not need a current limiting device because the inverter is a current limiting device - i.e. it will not take more than what it’s rated for and it will only track the MPPT up to its DC power rating. You do have to comply with the electrical limits given in the manufacturers instructions. And you do have to comply with the CEC installation guidelines to claim STCs for systems connected to the grid without a battery. Some manufacturers are happy to oversize an inverter massively - 200% is a very good ratio from an economic perspective - and I've seen 400% oversizing. The inverter will get hotter for longer so you want to use a good quality one.
@@SolarQuotes thanks for the quick reply, sounds like the solar installers just dont know. and they all appear to be electricians. should know there stuff most electronic devices only draw what they need, over voltage is the enemy . however i did wonder because things like l e d lights are fussy about current, it has to be right,. these mppt inverters are high tech. hence my question. im in an isolated place so im thinking there will be no watch dog on the pwr input to the grid the solar co. has been paid so i guess the stcs are out of my hair.
Hi Finn. Great video, i've subscribed for a while now, always top end stuff!
Do you have, or know of, a video talking about running more than 1 inverter at the same time? For example, running 2 10 kW three phase inverters, and some kind of joined monitoring of them. Not hybrid inverters.
That is very common - and if properly designed works fine. Iif the inverters are the same brand - and a good brand the inverter monitoring should handle that - no problem. Or you can use a 3rd party monitor such as solar analytics on multiple inverters without issue.
Great video been scratching my head. I was going different way when I bought my panels. But I have a 12k growatt inverter/hybrid now. It says max pv 7k watt I have 8320 watt array. So was trying to figure what, what. Plus it pv 120a max and 150v max so now trying to figure how going wire. I also have 2 midnite 250 buck only charge controllers was for different setup but change of plans. Thinking maybe have to use 1 of those and was goung to do 2 arrays and leave 2nd controller for wind later. Any input???
It’s not ok if you exceed your current or your voltage on your MPPT
Hi Finn,
Would this also work if I was using power optimisers?
Power optimisers are irrelevant - because optimisers use a string inverter. So oversizing will be based on the string inverter size.
Hi Finn, thanks for the great video.
Since panel prices are going down it would completely make sense to take 8 kW panels on a 5 kW inverter if ýou have the roof space and your energy provider has a 5 kW inverter limit on a single phase.
As long as you limit the maximum voltage (often 550 V or 600 V) at the input side of the inverter this should be no problem, right?
Or do I miss something essential?
8kW of panels makes a lot of sense but CEC guidelines only allow 33% more panels than inverter capacity. So get 6kW inverter export limited to 5kW to meet DNSP limits and add 8kW of panels.
That's truly a brilliant answer on my question, I would never have thought of this as I was unaware you could limit the export.
I will have to dive deeper in the available details of inverters so I get the right one. Unless you know some models from the top of your head?
Many thanks!!!
So how about Charge controller. Can it handle more amps from the panels aswell?
Depends on the charge controller
@@SolarQuotes Okay so it is possible.
What is the maximum Watts in panel be added to Fronius 5kw system(noting that 5kw from fronius shows 4.6kw)
You're allowed to oversize the inverter by 33% of its rated capacity. So 133% of 4.6kW is 6.1kW
Thanks for a prompt response
Great
I have 10 panels a 285 watts and an inverter on grid of 3 KW.
In the contract, any change is prohibited to the system and means the loss of the operating permit.
They read the sales counter every month with a notebook. Register the immediately if I still instal 1 or 2 - 285 W panels more?
Great Information!
So if i had a rv that comes with one 100w solar panel, and a 300w inverter, i could add three more 100w solar panels without any problems?
Cameron - this video is about (Australian) residential solar systems - I can't comment as to RV's
because the solar isn't going into a grid, it's going into a battery, you should check what it can handle.
If you check with your MPPT battery charger, it might allow for a peak input and peak voltage, based on the voltage of the panels coming in, or it could have a small 5% tolerance instead of 15-20%.
The solar/PV inverter for an RV, has a bit more tech. you have the solar charger, the battery charger, the alternator charger, and the AC charger option for 'shore' power, i.e. connecting to the power grid. The RV inverter, or multiple small charger / MPPT inverters , depending on capacity and features, would be doing a few jobs trying to manage and track 4 or 5 different inputs.
Will this apply for micro inverters?
Yep - if you have a 270W microinverter with a 300W panel, that's oversized.
So does that mean if I have a 5kw inverter and 6.6kw of panels, the maximum my system can generate would still only be 5kw?
Correct - but you will see way more generation in winter overall.
hey Finn, thank you for all your videos....we are interested in solar and your videos here probably explained the best out of all!
so in regards to oversizing the inverter. let's say i have 10kw SolarEdge power optimized w/ HD wave technology, am I allow and safe to install 15kw worth of panels?
here, where i live, my city limit to 10kw inverter so we want to oversize it to 15kw worth of panel. assuming a 11.34kw system will have 36 panel each panel at 315watt. a 15.2kw will have 48 panel with 315 each on panel
do you think it will work to install a 10kw solar edge power optimized w/ HD wave tech with 48 panels at 315w each on panel? thank you!
Another really good video Finn, thanks. How would this work with micro-inverters? If a regulator has imposed an inverter limit of 3kW, would you be allowed to install 5kW of panels each with a micro-inverter?
Thanks for the kind words. With micro inverters, the equivalent inverter size is all the micro inverter's rated power added together. To 'oversize' a micro inverter system, you use a panel that is up to 133% of the micro inverter size. For example: if you have 215W micro inverters you can use panels up to 285W. Or for a 267W micro you could go up to 359W panels.
I've found this series really useful to get up to speed quickly. You strike a good balance between simple explanations and not dumbing down. Thanks for answering the micro-inverter question. I have a couple of other questions if you don't mind. In one of your videos you stated that the inverter is the weakest part of the system (which was a surprise). Is this because they just wear out or is it to do with reliability? I ask because while I can see the advantages of micro-inverters, if the answer is reliability then using micro-inverters would be introducing greater chance of failure albeit only part of the system.
Secondly, I live in the UK (though my partner is from Jervis Bay area and we'll be there for Christmas :-) ) and I was wondering if there's a rule-of-thumb to determine the likely output from panels according to country. In other words, how much less output am I likely to get from an equivalent sized system in the UK, than a sunny part of Oz for example? I was amazed to learn how cheap solar PV is now and I think the lack of uptake in the UK is partly to do with the perception that you need very sunny conditions to make it worthwhile.
really nice
Can you do this the other way round. Say i has a 2kw inverter but only 1kw of panels, with the option to add more panels at a later date. What would be the effect with this ? I'm in UK
Undersizing the panel array relative to the inverter isn't a good idea because there is time and money involved with expanding an existing array - it's better to put whatever you can on now, not later.
It's hard to comment on the UK as a whole other country, but in general its a much better idea to add panels now instead of later. This is because panels are cheaper than ever, and there's a substantial cost involved in installation - so adding 1kW at a later date will be much more expensive than just adding it now.
the solar calculator youve put a link to dosent work as when you change a solar panel angle from 0 degrees. to more tilt the power gets less no matter what part of the world you set the calculation. eg brisbane has best pwr in the winter at 0 degrees. opposed to a 27 degree tilt where the panels make less pwr. that aint right
Are you talking about this calculator? www.solarquotes.com.au/solar-calculator/
@@SolarQuotes no. another calculator came up from a link you put on one of your posts
Thanks ❤sir
In 3kw system max how much watt panel can be added sir?
3*1.3
4 kw
on 10 kva inverter can i use 15 kw panels
No only 11.3
@@oraclegps not correct 13.3kw in panels in Australia. 133% of the inverter capacity.
So for 3.3kw on grid system
Max solar panels can be added : ?
3.3*1.3
@@oraclegps
mean my 3.3 kw inverter can handle 4 kw system or?
Yes this seems to be the norm with most modern invertors to support up to 133% of it capacity from solar panels input
@@oraclegps thanks for ur Knowledgeable words
@@GurbaniGyandhara as stated earlier.. calculation 3 x 1.33 so.this equals 4... yes
A from voc
Why???, how???, are electrical companies involved in the first place in your private setup??????? Like.. w t f.. do you need supervision too in how much water is in your tea?
Here in Australia, it's called The Law. As a rule, we don't post videos encouraging our fellow Australians to perform illegal electrical work. If you are elsewhere and know what you are doing - go for it!
@@SolarQuotes why does the government dictate how you use your batteries and solar panels? Do your "law" cover electrical toothbrush, shaving machines, flashlights or gameboys too? It makes zero sense. So if you connect a lightbulb to a 12v battery and they find out you get jail time or what?
Funny Aussie accent...
Daft rules. Yeah but this guy is a sales person and doesn't know jack shit about the grid. The regulators wouldn't be opposed if solar would feed constantly energy into the grid. Imagine everyone feeding energy into the system like 50% of the entire capacity and then suddenly there's a cloud for 10 seconds. The grid would be dead without something that prevents the spikes in the grid. And that something is very costly and simply not there yet.
So yeah solar is the way to go but it needs political pressure as well. Otherwise the energy companies are gonna oppose to anything that entails heavy investments on their part
'This guy' is a Chartered Electrical Engineer with experience designing control systems for Nuclear, solar and wind power control systems. Intermittent renewables can and are being integrated into the grid (57% here in South Australia) - just need good control systems, and a modern grid.
@@SolarQuotes Regardless of the certifications of the "dude", it does not take away the fact that the grid is super complex and inherently unstable. It is one of the most complex super structure on earth.
That being said, given that we are humans and are ingenious, it all comes down to politics and money.