[RE-wrenches] Low grid voltage fix

[Joel Davidson]

Dan,

Thank you for the quick reply. I have been using the 108 VAC default setting since 1998. I'll try 95 VAC.

It is interesting to hear other wrenches comment on utility low and high voltage. Power factor control is another challenge for some utility companies. On the other hand, they hold the RE industry to very tight power quality standards. I have tried to get Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) and Southern California Edison (SCE) to keep their voltage within spec and improve their power factor. Their responses are similar to asking City Hall to fix potholes in the road. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't get a round tuit for a while. SCE power is generally ok except in old neighborhoods with wires and transformers over 40 years old. Forget about LADWP. They are off on another planet. The smaller municipal utilities in southern California are pretty good at managing power quality. Fortunately, today's inverters can be adjusted manually. Perhaps some day inverters and loads will self-compensate for less than stellar grid power quality.

Happy Holidays!
Joel Davidson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: dan at foxfire-energy.com 
  To: RE-wrenches 
  Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2010 2:54 PM
  Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Low grid voltage fix


  Try menu 11.. Ac input.




  Dan Brown
  Foxfire Energy Corp.
  Renewable Energy Systems
  (802)-483-2564
  www.Foxfire-Energy.com
  NABCEP #092907-44



    -------- Original Message --------
    Subject: [RE-wrenches] Low grid voltage fix
    From: "Joel Davidson" <joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net>
    Date: Sun, December 19, 2010 12:24 pm
    To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>

    Wrenches,

    It's Christmas time again in Southern California Edison (SCE) territory 
    which means low insolation and high regional electric consumption. Every 
    night SCE voltage drops to around 105 VAC or lower. Our grid-tie SW4048 
    inverter sees SCE's low voltage as a brownout and switches to autonomous 
    mode which is normal. However, we have only 4 kWh of battery storage so the 
    combination of nightly brownouts and a series of cloudy days eventually 
    depletes our battery bank causing the inverter to do a low-voltage shut down 
    which is normal. Power goes off in our home and we have to switch over to 
    SCE power, reset the inverter, and wait until the battery bank is recharged. 
    How do we set the SW4048 to accept as low as 100 VAC from the grid before 
    switching to autonomous mode?

    Joel Davidson 

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