In order to ensure the local grid’s power quality as well as minimise transformer blowout, your grid operator (Electricity Distributor or DNSP) may limit the size of the solar systems allowed on the network. Each case is subject to your grid operator via a submission review, and if your system is in an area that may not be able to handle your full exported power, your system will be approved with nil or limited export.
It is important to note certain grid operators automatically approve a certain size system and you won’t need a review application for preapproval. Contact us to know what your grid operator allows. In this case, there are two outcomes that will be passed if your grid operator rejects your request for full export: Partial Export and Zero Export.
Partial Export:
If you are approved for a partial export, your solar will be installed with energy monitoring meter. This energy meter (supplied by the Inverter manufacturer) will read how much your house is consuming and how much you export in the grid. The Inverter will be programmed with export limit set as per the preapproval. The energy meter gives feedback to the Inverter which then throttles the total power output according to what it is set at.
One example of a partial export scenario is if you have installed a 5kW system and were only approved to export 3kW.
If you have onlyused 1kW worth of power, 3kW will be exported, the inverter will then be throttled at 4kW.
In the same scenario, if you use your solar power efficiently and are consuming 4kW worth of power, then the 5kW that your solar should be producing would not be throttled, and you would still be exporting 1kW worth of power into the grid.
If you have used your solar energy efficiently and are consuming 4kW worth of energy, then the 5kW that your solar should be producing would not be throttled and you would still be exporting 1kW worth of energy into the grid.
Zero Export:
If you have not received permission to export, your system is not allowed to export any energy into the grid.
In this case, if your household is not consuming any solar energy, the inverter will throttle to nil power production. This is a sad reality some solar owners may have to face.
However! This is not as big of a loss as it is painted to be!
There is an easy solution to this dilemma, and that is energy storage. If you have zero export permission, installing batteries is the most effective way to gain the full benefit of your solar energy production. This ensure that none of the energy that you have produced during the day is lost and allows you to use your solar energy at any time during the day.
If you are not considering the additional costs that come with solar battery storage, then you may need find a way to use as much solar energy as you can while it is being produced.
If you are someone that stays at home during peak sun hours, zero export may not affect you as much as someone that goes out during the day. This is because you can actively use your solar energy as it is being produced, as you use up energy, your inverter will continue to create electricity. This will reduce the amount of energy that you could be wasting.
Furthermore, with zero export your residential baseload (24/7 appliances) will still be covered during the daytime. If you have three fridges to run, a zero-export limit may not be a big loss, as the cost of running these appliances are reduced.
One last tip, if you are not happy with the idea of an export limit, make sure you get export approval PRIOR to installation.
