Redneck in training
Elite Member
Yes and No. To see the fancy stuff you have to be on Internet. I can connect dirrectly to the Envoy but that is text only.
We completed our system in first half of December. Total capacity is 24kW DC. PVWatts predicted (for January) 2388 kWh/ system produced 2570 kWh. Needles to say that the efficiency coefficient is not calibrated yet. I am waiting for first electric bill for full month with new net metering meter that meters separatelly energy pushed to/ received from the grid to calculate the coeffcient with better precission. I used efficiency coeffifient 0.85 based on reported efficiency of the inverters and current and voltage drop over the cable between the arrays and the power meter.
Our system is rated at 4.2 KW, our inverter is a 4 KW model. On the really clear sunny days, the panels are exceeding the inverter capacity for 2-3 hours around mid-day, which causes the inverter to go into "derate" mode. During "derate" the inverter keeps running but limits the power throughput to what it can handle.
A 5 KW inverter would cost a good bit more, so the trade-off of losing a few Kwh's this time of year is acceptable. We didn't see any derating when the sun angle was higher, and less optimal for our panel mounting angle.
Anyways, based on that observation, the panel output ratings are not over-stated. They can easily produce their rated output. We'll see how that holds up as they age.