Solar PV Monitoring Correct Connection Diagram

Incorrect Monitoring Current Clamps

There is often a lot of confusion when it comes to the correct placement of the current clamps, for the purpose of monitoring electricity consumption and Solar PV generated power.

The issue primarily is with the correct placement of the current clamps for the home electricity consumption. 

By placing the clamps around the incorrect cables often means the solar generation and the consumption follow a similar pattern, as shown above. 

On our SUPPORT page you will find documents such as the,

SOLAR POWER & HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION CURRENT CLAMP GUIDE

to finally end the confusion. 

This blog post brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY SAVING SERVICE industry in Australia.

Solar Power Data Logging Via Remote Connection

Monitor Your Solar PV Remotely

There are so many reasons for looking at remote access Solar Power Data Logging. You may have seen a suitable SOLAR POWER SOFTWARE APPLICATION, that unfortunately is not available for your OS on your main computer, or the software provides everything you want, except for uploading the data to where you can access it remotely.

In such cases have you ever thought of logging into the solar data logger computer via a remote connection. You may not be aware Windows offers you this service, but often it is time consuming to setup and you need a certain level of expertise. 

So welcome to Splashtop, which allows you to do this very easily. You simply create a username and password, then select the necessary downloads for your hardware.

We were suprised to find we had the Splashtop system up and running, in less than ten minutes.

The scenario we used Splashtop for initially, was to get data from our SOLAR POWER DATA LOGGER software application onto a tablet and mobile phone, for remote access. 

Remote Solar Power Monitoring

On site with the solar array we left a small cheap to run Windows laptop. Being able to access this PC was a breeze with Splashtop.

Take a look at the SPLASHTOP website, where you will find a full list of supported operating systems and hardware.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Monitoring Your Solar Power Inverter's Output

Most Aussie householders wanting to know more about the output from their solar power system, usually install a SOLAR POWER MONITORING SYSTEM.  

This is a proven 'fool proof' way to know more about generated power, imported / exported power and finally total power consumption. 

Knowing all of these facts easily allows anyone to maximise solar power usage and increase electricity cost savings. 

Up to now most Aussie homes have had little feedback from their solar power inverter and in many cases are 100% unaware of any issue. In really unlucky cases, a total solar power outage may have occurred. In others a degrading over time of solar power output. So how have these householders found out about issues?

• When checking the solar inverter
• When checking the electricity bill

And guess what you and many of these householders, do not check frequently enough! 

Many householders simply complain there is no time. No time to check the inverter once a week, no time to spend five minutes checking the electricity bill once in three months? We would disagree! 

So this is where a solar power monitoring solution can really help you out. Saving you the time and importantly money off your electricity costs!

The Solar Power Monitoring System supplys that missing feedback. Where you now have data and awareness to know instantly everything about :

• Generated power
• Imported power
• Exported power
• Total consumption

These are the four main missing elements for many householders. Now imagine if you knew all of the above in real-time and had the ability to be alerted via email for example. 

Knowing what is happening above your roof and below it, has just got a lot easier! Forget the three month electricity bill delay or six! Ouch!

Imagine three months or six of lost generated solar power. Now depending on your metering connection, that literally could be hundreds of dollars off your solar power investment.

Imagine also how you could further maximise your solar power investment if you had all of the above data. You could easily :

• Maximise the use of generated solar power
• Reduce imported power
• Reduce exported power when there is little financial return
• Reduce electricity costs overall

So when it comes to installing a Solar Power Monitoring Solution, keeping an eye on everything 24/7 from anywhere, it really is painless, easy and affordable.

OK so since we have got your attention, on why monitoring your solar and consumption power is such a good move forwards for your home, let us have a quick look at what amount of power you should be seeing from your inverter and what can reduce this power output.

In this example we will talk about a 3 kW Solar Power System.

Would you expect to see close to 3 kW on your inverter's display? If you are thinking a big yes here, then you are joining a lot of Australians with a common misunderstanding. A common misunderstanding on the output of their Solar PV System.

When you chose the Solar Power System for your home, the sizing in kilowatts relates to the DC power upon the roof. This is the DC power from the solar panel array, not the available AC power for use under the roof. And this is where the confusion is for many householders.

Now we would say this misconception is there, because the output of your solar system was not fully explained to you, during the sale of the system. Or you may have forgotten, about such discussion on the possible losses of a solar pv system.

You should be aware of the averaged daily output for your Solar PV system. If not you may wish to visit this page AVERAGED DAILY SOLAR PV OUTPUT on our website.

The averaged daily output for any solar power system, takes into account all of the system's losses. Losses that occur in creating the usable AC power, for use underneath your roof by your appliances.

In layman's terms, this means your 3 kW above the roof will not generate 3000 watts of AC power, for use under the roof by your appliances!

So what are these losses? Well your Solar Power system will have losses due to,

• Shading
• Location
• Roof orientation
• Roof angles
• Seasonal changes
• Panel and inverter efficiencies

In total any Solar PV system could lose around 20%. So expect to see around 2400 watts of usable AC power from that 3000 watt Solar Power system.

In Australia the Clean Energy Council's Guide To Solar PV Installations, takes into account all of the possible Solar PV system losses. Before forecasting averaged daily output for all areas of Australia.

Now what you need to remember here, is in some cases you may be getting less power than you thought you were. If you were sold the system, knowing the averaged daily output, then everything is OK.

Do not worry, as your 3 kW solar system should still be averaging at least 11.7 kilowatts per day output, if all is in good order.

And 11.7 kilowatts of generated solar power, could be worth around $1280 to you, if you use it all. This is based on electricity being offset, at a tariff rate of 30 cents per kilowatt.

So when you install your SOLAR POWER MONITORING SOLUTION to keep an eye on your inverter's output, import / export power and total consumption, expect to see a little less power. Around anywhere up to 20%!

To learn more about the monitoring and analysis of your electricity usage and solar pv system's output, visit our CHOOSING YOUR ELECTRICITY MONITOR page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

Oct 2016 : We have edited this post to update it to reflect changes in energy monitoring. See this blog post where we discuss a great SOLAR PV MONITORING ANDROID APP suitable for all net metering environments. Instant awareness of generation, import / export and total consumption.

Sep 2017 : Net metering is not that financially favorable when only 6 or 8 cents is paid for exported power. So why not divert that same power to appliances in the home? Importantly on auto-pilot. See our SMART SOLAR POWER dashboard for all the information.

January 2018 : Current Cost home energy monitor users please note MyCurrentCost dashboard was retired 15th January. This alternative free real-time dashboard is a great alternative HOME ENERGY MONITOR dashboard solution, with auto upload support for PVOutput ie solar.

This blog post brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Solar Power Monitoring Maximises Your Solar Investment

When was the last time you checked your Solar Power inverter?

How long would it take for you to notice, there is an issue with your Solar Power Investment?

1 week? 4 weeks? 2 months? Valuable time, that is costing you money, while your Solar inverter is not generating the investment, you originally wanted it to!

Our research has shown that many householders, are not checking their Solar inverter on a frequent basis. In the last month we have come across, households with solar inverters tripped off due to lightning strikes and solar inverters with electrical issues. Importantly solar inverters that are not creating any income at all!

Of course some of you may be thinking if that was me, I would at least become aware when the electricity bills arrives. What happens though if you are to busy to analyse the bill? You may pass the electricity bill to someone else to pay. You may see some generated power and think everything is fine. Do you know the expected kW generated per bill, per season, by your Solar PV System? We would think you do not!

So what can you do to maximise your Solar PV investment? Well you could install a SOLAR POWER MONITORING SYSTEM.  This will allow you to keep an eye on the output of your Solar inverter, 24 hours a day.

Importantly a Solar PV Monitor will further allow you to educate yourself, about your solar inverter's output, during changes in the weather and seasons. This knowledge assisting you in minimising any waste and balancing out your imported electricity and exported electricity, when connected with NET metering.

Sounds all too easy, but this simple solution is often missed! Costing many Aussie householders big dollars.

Do you want to find out in three months time about a problem with your solar system? Of course not, so add a SOLAR PV MONITORING SOLUTION tomorrow and protect your solar power investment. 

Due to a increasing number of householders not being aware of solar inverter malfunctions, we now have easy choices for online and computer based electricity and solar monitoring solutions. To learn more about the monitoring and analysis of your electricity usage and solar pv system's output, visit our CHOOSING YOUR ELECTRICITY MONITOR page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Stopping A Faulty Solar PV System From Costing You Big Dollars

How often are you checking the output of your Solar PV inverter?

How long would it take you to notice if there was a problem with your Solar PV array?

It seems the inverter is checked frequently for a while by many householders, soon after the Solar PV is installed. Unfortunately this frequency can drop off dramatically, in the months to come.

If this is the case, you may only find out about an issue with your Solar PV, only when the next electricity bill arrives. By then of course, it's too late! Your bill will be showing you an increase in the imported power and a decrease in the exported. Costing you big dollars!
So what is the solution, for making sure you can keep an eye on the output and efficiency of your solar system? The easy answer is to install a home energy monitor.

A HOME ELECTRICITY MONITOR easily allows you to see the output of your Solar PV at all times. You will further be able to educate yourself, about your home's electricity usage under the roof. This knowledge assisting you in minimising any waste under the roof, in effect financially making your Solar PV more efficient.

You will learn more about when you are making the most energy and financial gain from your Solar PV. Importantly where there is an issue with your system's function, you will be notified at once, by a drop in your kWh's exported or financial gain.

Sounds all too easy, but this simple solution is often missed! Costing many Aussie homes big dollars. Do you want to find out about an issue with the output of your solar system, in three months time? 


Update March 2014 - Due to a increasing number of householders not being aware of solar inverter malfunctions, we now have easy online electricity and solar monitoring solutions. To learn more about the monitoring and analysis of your electricity usage and solar pv system's output, visit our ONLINE ELECTRICITY MONITORING page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Waterproofing Your Home Energy Monitor's Transmitter

So Why Would You Want To Waterproof Your Home Electricity Monitor's Transmitter?

Well when you're looking at monitoring electricity generated by your Solar PV, you may be faced with the problem of having to site your home electricity monitor's transmitter, out in the weather. Knowing at the same time, the transmitter is not waterproof!

So What Can You Do To Waterproof Your Transmitter?

Well a common solution is to wrap the transmitter in plastic bags and tape. The only problem being here, is this solution could be very temporary for many reasons, resulting in a damaged transmitter.

We have found a simple solution, that eliminates those plastic bags and at the same time provides a 100% waterproof solution. The transmitter is placed inside it's own waterproof plastic box. Such a box is available from Jaycar Electronics and is suitable for both the Current Cost ENVI & ENVIR Home Electricity Monitor's transmitters. The Jaycar Electronic's part number being HB6402, costing AUD $19.95. The box comes with a waterproof seal in the lid and strong clips to keep it tightly closed.

With a little invention it would not be too hard, to drill a hole in either side of the box and during any solar PV installation, pass the cable from the solar array through the box. This would allow for the current clamp to be inside the box as well. If you decide to look into this option, you may need to choose a larger box.

Whilst working with the idea of waterproofing the Current Cost transmitter, we noticed that our test transmitter's range was considerably extended, whilst outside of  the metal powerbox. In fact we extended the range of the transmitter [by line of sight] to over it's maximum of 100 metres.

After considerable testing of the Current Cost's transmitter's range, whilst in the metal clad powerbox, we found the range to be around 32 metres. Once outside of the powerbox and in the plastic box, the range was extended by a staggering 82 metres to a total of 112 metres. We noted the stronger signal allowed us to monitor the electricity usage, at areas inside and out of the home, where previously we had no signal.

Our tests were run twice with a portable battery supply powering the monitor. This allowing for very accurate signal patterns to be created around the home at six second intervals. This interval being the transmitter's transmit sequence.

What we ended up doing after this finding, was to install the transmitter permanently outside of the metal powerbox. We aligned the holes both in the back of the plastic box with those on top of the powerbox. The holes between the two, being sealed with a plastic ferule and locknut and added sealant.

If your powerbox is open to the elements, then a decision to mount the plastic box on the top, side or bottom of the powerbox will have to be made. One that provides the best waterproof solution.

So for only $20 you now have a waterproof solution to monitoring your alternative energy source and keeping your home energy monitor's transmitter range to it's maximum.

Further information on the home electricity monitors capabilities can be found on our website Aussie Home Energy.