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<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Folks,</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">I am working on a proposal. It's a ground mount 300+ feet from the meter. There is an existing, near by run of #2 copper I can tap into. The desired system is relatively large, 64 amps AC max. I have modeled the yield using PV watts hourly data, applying a power loss based on the voltage drop at the varying current. This model shows a 3% loss in annual yield with the #2 copper. Because of the economics of the system, we can absorb this loss.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">My concern however is that I do not want the inverters to shut down when operating at higher currents. I do not want a high AC line voltage fault due to the voltage drop on the line. At the 64 amps max, the drop would be about 4%. Of course all the manufactures I talk with recommend keeping the drop on the AC below 1.5%.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">I am looking at using Enphase inverters which spec an AC voltage range up to 264V, or 10% above 240V nominal.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">What experience have folks had out there? How far can one realistically push the 1.5% limit and still avoid AC voltage faults when there is high voltage drop on the line?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">My guess is that everything would work out fine, but I stand to loss a huge amount of energy if the inverters are spending all their time faulting and resetting during daily peaks.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Mark Frye</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Berkeley Solar Electric Systems</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">303 Redbud Way</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">Nevada City, CA 95959</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">(530) 401-8024</FONT>
<BR><A HREF="http://www.berkeleysolar.com"><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">www.berkeleysolar.com</FONT></U></A><FONT SIZE=2 FACE="Arial"> </FONT>
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