[RE-wrenches] Outback with grid charging

[Kent Osterberg]

Two 1-kW wind generators doesn't sound like enough to provide energy for 
a household except possibly in the best circumstances. If there isn't 
much wind, the system is getting most of it's energy from the grid. The 
utility bill would go up even if they were using the same amount of 
energy in the house. Batteries are energy losers!

What Dave and others have warned about kWh metering issues is also true. 
The new digital meters have many capabilities and the default for most 
of them is to record energy going in either direction as energy 
consumed. Since they are programmable, the same meter can be used to 
record net energy - behave like most disk-type meters; ignore energy in 
one direction - behave like a detented meter; or record both incoming 
energy and outgoing energy separately - a two register meter.

Kent Osterberg
Blue Mountain Solar, Inc.
www.bluemountainsolar.com

On 8/24/2012 6:26 AM, Jesse Dahl wrote:
> The system only uses grid power to charge batteries, they have two 
> FX3048T in parallel so I don't think the meter is the issue.
>
> They did send me a picture of the two wind towers, one is 20 feet off 
> the ground and one is 60 feet off the ground... No wind would be an 
> understatement.
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Aug 24, 2012, at 7:43 AM, David Katz <dkatz at aeesolar.com 
> <mailto:dkatz at aeesolar.com>> wrote:
>
>> Check to see if their meter goes backwards.  Some utility meters 
>> actually charge for power when you are selling.
>> Or maybe they have no wind and a new big flat screen tv that they 
>> leave on all the time.
>> David Katz
>>
>>
>> ----- Reply message -----
>> From: "Jesse Dahl" <dahlsolar at gmail.com <mailto:dahlsolar at gmail.com>>
>> To: "Wrenches" <RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org 
>> <mailto:RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>>
>> Subject: [RE-wrenches] Outback with grid charging
>> Date: Thu, Aug 23, 2012 11:28 pm
>>
>>
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I got a call from a family today about a system they had installed 
>> recently and they think they have a problem. They claim their 
>> electric bill has just about doubled since the system has been 
>> installed due to outback using the grid to power the loads instead of 
>> the battery bank. They claim the MATE always shows the system buying 
>> the exact amount as any load on the system draws.   Due to the 
>> distance from my shop, I would like to get any ideas on what could 
>> cause this before I drive all the way there.
>>
>> What I know about the system:
>> 2 - outback inverters, 48v
>> 2 - whisper 500 wind generators with whisper charge controllers
>> 16 - MK 12v AGMS (8/inverter)
>>
>> I guessing setting, but if anyone has seen this before, I'd like to 
>> narrow it down before the drive.
>>
>> Thanks eh!
>>
>> Jesse
>>
>> Sent from my iPad!!!
>> _______________________________________________

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