Setting Lux to discharge to house while exporting PV

[bpabpa]

Hi

I have just been accepted onto Outgoing with a non MCS self installed PV.

I have a Lux AC 3600 inverter for the batteries and SMA sunny boy PV inverters.

I am struggling slightly with all the available Lux settings. I have stopped the the PV charging the batteries but the PV is still supplying house consumption and exporting surplus.

If possible I would like to set things so the battery supplies consumption and 100% of PV is exported.

If anyone has any experience with the Lux any help would be appreciated.
I could unclip the Lux solar CT from PV input which I think would do it, but that is not a flexible solution.

Regards

Ian

[Fueltheburn]

Hi

I have just been accepted onto Outgoing with a non MCS self installed PV.

Sorry - completely off of your topic Ian but your first line peaked my interest.
How did you get on and what did they require of you to get accepted on Outgoing Oct. With self installed solar?

[Stinsy]

Hi

I have just been accepted onto Outgoing with a non MCS self installed PV.

I have a Lux AC 3600 inverter for the batteries and SMA sunny boy PV inverters.

I am struggling slightly with all the available Lux settings. I have stopped the the PV charging the batteries but the PV is still supplying house consumption and exporting surplus.

If possible I would like to set things so the battery supplies consumption and 100% of PV is exported.

If anyone has any experience with the Lux any help would be appreciated.
I could unclip the Lux solar CT from PV input which I think would do it, but that is not a flexible solution.

Regards

Ian

What you suggest is neither possible nor desirable!

There are 4 statuses:
1) “AC Charge” charging the battery from the grid.
2) “Charge First” charging the battery from solar (house loads use grid power),
3) “Force Discharge” discharging the battery into the grid.
4) “Self Consumption” using the battery to power your house.

In the old days before Outgoing and 15p/kWh the game was “AC charge” in the cheap period and “Self Consumption” the rest of the time. Now it is “AC charge” in the cheap period and “Force Discharge” the rest of the time.

I too am curious about how you got on Outgoing with a self-installed system. Did you forge the documents?

[MrPablo]

Stinsy, Octopus offer non MCS export when you provide sufficient documentation plus a £250 application fee.
You can see an overview of the process here:
https://solarenergyconcepts.co.uk/pract ... iy-system/

I assume that's what bpabpa did.
I looked at doing this, but it's not made sense for me at this point.

[Stinsy]

Stinsy, Octopus offer non MCS export when you provide sufficient documentation plus a £250 application fee.
You can see an overview of the process here:
https://solarenergyconcepts.co.uk/pract ... iy-system/

I assume that's what bpabpa did.
I looked at doing this, but it's not made sense for me at this point.

Cool, The last time I remember this topic being discussed, non-MCS installations were permitted to be paid for export by the regulator but all suppliers required MCS. I know Octopus wanted the cert before they'd pay me.

Good that common sense has prevailed!

[bpabpa]

Stinsy, why not Desirable?
The Lux is AC connected.
As the building was industrial and is now shared Live/Workspace it has a 3 phase supply.

Solar inverters are on different phase.
Battery charged overnight on IOG tariff.
I have enough battery capacity to cover the high tariff period.

My PV was originally installed as an off grid 24Volt DC system in 2009.
In 2017 I was offered 2 SMA 1.5kW grid tied inverters at a very low price.
I am an Industrial systems installer in business for 40 years.
I applied to DNO in my own name as installer. They queried my qualifications which I supplied and they gave me permission to install with all the necessary paperwork. Fortunately we work with a NAPIT electrician who completed the AC connection and provided documentation.
Last year we replaced all the old panels with 2kW per inverter.
This spring we realised just how much we were generating so we applied to Octopus to export as a non MCS system.

We applied to Octopus and they link you to an application webpage.
We uploaded required documentation and paid the £250 fee.
Within a week we were accepted and advised that Octopus were applying for export MPAN. They said that would take about a week.
A week later we were advised already to go.
Another week and they requested export meter reading and we were on Outgoing tariff.

Excellent and fast service.

Ian

[Stinsy]

Stinsy, why not Desirable?
The Lux is AC connected.
As the building was industrial and is now shared Live/Workspace it has a 3 phase supply.

Solar inverters are on different phase.
Battery charged overnight on IOG tariff.
I have enough battery capacity to cover the high tariff period.

My PV was originally installed as an off grid 24Volt DC system in 2009.
In 2017 I was offered 2 SMA 1.5kW grid tied inverters at a very low price.
I am an Industrial systems installer in business for 40 years.
I applied to DNO in my own name as installer. They queried my qualifications which I supplied and they gave me permission to install with all the necessary paperwork. Fortunately we work with a NAPIT electrician who completed the AC connection and provided documentation.
Last year we replaced all the old panels with 2kW per inverter.
This spring we realised just how much we were generating so we applied to Octopus to export as a non MCS system.

We applied to Octopus and they link you to an application webpage.
We uploaded required documentation and paid the £250 fee.
Within a week we were accepted and advised that Octopus were applying for export MPAN. They said that would take about a week.
A week later we were advised already to go.
Another week and they requested export meter reading and we were on Outgoing tariff.

Excellent and fast service.

Ian

It is not desirable because your meter doesn't care if the electric comes from solar or batteries or wherever. From a billing perspective it is just electricity in and electricity out. If you're on the cheap rate you want to be consuming grid power and if you're not you want to be exporting. Making an artificial distinction to specifically export only solar-generated electric that is irrelevant. It is just wobbling electrons back and forth...

It might be possible to achieve what you want by strategic placement of the CT, depending on the wiring. However, as I say, unless there is something going on that you haven't mentioned, doing so is pointless!

[bpabpa]

It is not desirable because your meter doesn't care if the electric comes from solar or batteries or wherever. From a billing perspective it is just electricity in and electricity out. If you're on the cheap rate you want to be consuming grid power and if you're not you want to be exporting. Making an artificial distinction to specifically export only solar-generated electric that is irrelevant. It is just wobbling electrons back and forth...

It might be possible to achieve what you want by strategic placement of the CT, depending on the wiring. However, as I say, unless there is something going on that you haven't mentioned, doing so is pointless!

The meter might not care but my reasoning is why charge battery from PV forgoing 15p export tariff when the battery is already sufficiently charged at 7p?

However it doesn't seem this is possible with existing Lux controls..

In your earlier post you mentioned forced discharge. I realised I can set this so that battery is discharging slightly above house baseline usage so I can make sure the majority of PV generation is exported which is close to what I want to acheive.

[Stinsy]

It is not desirable because your meter doesn't care if the electric comes from solar or batteries or wherever. From a billing perspective it is just electricity in and electricity out. If you're on the cheap rate you want to be consuming grid power and if you're not you want to be exporting. Making an artificial distinction to specifically export only solar-generated electric that is irrelevant. It is just wobbling electrons back and forth...

It might be possible to achieve what you want by strategic placement of the CT, depending on the wiring. However, as I say, unless there is something going on that you haven't mentioned, doing so is pointless!

The meter might not care but my reasoning is why charge battery from PV forgoing 15p export tariff when the battery is already sufficiently charged at 7p?

However it doesn't seem this is possible with existing Lux controls..

In your earlier post you mentioned forced discharge. I realised I can set this so that battery is discharging slightly above house baseline usage so I can make sure the majority of PV generation is exported which is close to what I want to acheive.

You're overthinking all of this!

Here is what I do: Charge battery on cheap rate. Discharge the battery into the grid at max power. When it is sunny this doesn't deplete the battery. However when it isn't sunny the battery runs out mid-afternoon. As soon as the battery is depleted I game additional cheap slots.

Below is my March bill. I use a gargantuan amount of power. I have a 5-bed house, heat and cook with electric, and have 2x EVs. I also have a small battery and inverter. But I paid £30 including standing charge in March. April will be negative.

[Ken]

Stinsy,
Thats a very interesting way of doing it.
If i assume your PV produced 500kwh in the period and you exported 800kwh then your batts exported 300kwh. ie c 10kwh/day.
Thats some achievment.
Ken