Solar panels and electrical quality question

CKDC

Super Member
We are very close to having solar panels installed.

I am concerned that the solar equipment might have an affect on the quality of our electrical system, as far as added noise. (Of course, when I asked this issue with the sales person she gave me “the look.”

This is probably a non-issue. But, have you guys ever heard any stories of solar equipment affecting the quality of the electrical supply to Hifi?
 
We will be sharing/ selling.

Not that there is a viable choice but would it matter?
 
We will be sharing/ selling.

Not that there is a viable choice but would it matter?
Sure, you're using the utility's power; offset by yours -- if you need less power than your PV array's producing at any given time, you are running on your juice. The net has to be seamless -- and it is (at least here).

If you were off the grid, it'd be your power, all the time (assuming you had batteries to store juice when, umm, it's dark).

AFAIK, the inverters on the PV systems produce very clean and (presumably) well regulated sinusoidal AC.
We have some finicky hardware in the house (to wit, a too high tech boiler) and it's happy enough.
 
I have a full solar setup that just feeds the grid and I haven't noticed any issues at all. You'll be fine. Last month's electric bill was -$5, incidentally.
 
Install your PV and be proud. No need to worry about the Quality of power. Look into using the DC in your HiFi. The inverter of your system will be more reliable than the grid. Fly your PV flag with gusto!
 
Thanks to all for your thoughts!

One more box checked in the process of going solar!

Next up: new roof!
 
I have to say that the inverters could very well be a source of noise in your power connections and broadcast inside your house. The noise could occur when new or later down the road after components age.

It all depends on the quality of the hardware and of the installation. We have some anecdotal reports above of no problems noted so that's good but no guarantee.

Be careful up on the roof cleaning the panels. People do fall.

As to the wisdom of the public policy of pushing PV on homeowners and the overall economics of renewables, that's too touchy a political issue to cover here.
 
I have for the past 8 years had a 7Kw PV array and the inverter (German one) has always been very quiet. I just recently added two Powerwall II batteries, and again no odd noises through my system. The big advantage is that I now have a very large UPS for the entire house which can power for an entire day if required, unless I run the clothes drier in the laundry. Nothing flickers even during a very brief power out in the neighborhood. Switch over is unnoticeable. The PV cells have already paid back, but I suspect the battery will take most of the guarantee life to do so, assuming power price doesn't rise dramatically. It will be interesting as more systems come online in houses with decent Hi Fi, to see how their experiences match. Time will tell.
 
What was the total cost of the hardware and shipping for the two Powerwall II batteries down under? Have there been any cases of melt down, like the car batteries?
 
The batteries were $8500 each,with install, commissioning and the control unit another 5K, but they have gone up a bit since and there is now a bit of a wait for stock delivery
I have not heard of melt down and these are fine to be installed in the garage under the house. There is some video of an attempt to burn a large battery pack down with very little impact on the batteries.
https://electrek.co/2016/12/19/tesla-fire-powerpack-test-safety/
There is a comprehensive signage on emergency shutdown on both the mounting area and the fuse box - basically - turn off, call emergency and head in the direction of away quickly. The setup is certified in my area for installation inside the garage.
 
AM radio reception (a good marker for hash & noise from any source) is fine inside our house -- as long as I turn off the CFL and LED lamps , and keep the radio a respectful distance from any operating computer :p

I.e., by that "assay", the inverters run pretty clean.
 
I've got 22 panels using micro inverters (no electrical boxes for string inverters in the garage) on net metering with SDG&E.

Installed since 2014 - no audible effect on the sound system.

My *total* bill for 2018 so far is $12.
 
I've got 22 panels using micro inverters (no electrical boxes for string inverters in the garage) on net metering with SDG&E.

Installed since 2014 - no audible effect on the sound system.

My *total* bill for 2018 so far is $12.

We put in 2.4 kW of PV panels when the house was built; that's the big thing in the photo.
Over this past winter, we added ca. 2.8 kW of PV panels; those have "modern" microinverters.
The two systems are interoperative (for lack of a better word) but they're kind of separate but equal til they get to the net metering meter. It was the cheapest/easiest way to go. Six years was forever in terms of that industry :p

I guess we've got 24 panels in toto. Just counted 'em in the photo I posted yesterday.
 
You will likely notice 'your' electrical power endows your HiFi gear with that warm, tubelike presentation as it is fresh from the sun and not poisoned by all those miles of dirty cables, transformers etc. ;)

Seriously, your power could be a whole lot less noisy, with little or no distortion (depending on your inverter) and less DC offset. :)
 
Congratulations on your decision to go solar! :D

In your grid-tie setup, as others have already mentioned, there should be no noticeable difference in electricity quality simply because you’re just feeding the AC grid with what you produce on the rooftop.

Where electrical quality comes into play is when you start messing with batteries and inverters - and specifically, inverters.

Most inverters fall into one of two categories (though I’m sure there’s an exception out there somewhere):

Modified Sine Wave

and

Pure Sine Wave


Modified sine wave inverters are the less expensive of the two and are generally used for most electrical needs. They do their best to mimic the AC wave that the grid AC provides. It’s a bit choppy, and the waveform looks more like a staircase than a smooth up and down. Most stuff runs off this just fine, but it’s choppiness can introduce noise in more sensitive electronics, and some super-sensitive electronics may refuse to operate on it altogether. (My Apple AA battery charger refuses to function on my MSW inverter.)

The Pure Sine Wave inverter is essentially exactly what it sounds like - it faithfully mimics the sine wave AC from the grid. They’re a bit more expensive at the moment, but prices are coming down as their popularity goes up. These inverters generally do not introduce any noise into the electricity they produce, and electronics and motors work much more comfortably with them.

I’ve found having one of each is the perfect compromise - a larger MSW to operate ‘the house’, and a smaller PSW to operate the electronics. If I had bought just one PSW large enough to operate the entire house and all electronics, I’d have spent 2 or three times what the compromise cost. And that resulted in having left over $ for other more important things like a larger battery and an extra solar panel. In my case, totally worth it.
 
if grid tied the sine wave from your inverter has to match that of the mains supply so you shouldn't notice any difference . it may even slightly improve things as more power should be available at higher currents . especially if you get sagging voltage without the panels .
 
The main difference between a stand alone PV system and selling back to the grid system is that a stand alone will have an AC sine wave that can vary as to which sort of inverter you have. There are pure sine wave inverters, and modified which could indeed cause noise. Another would be the size of the battery bank as well as the size of wire coming off them and the distance from the DC to the inverter can easily cause large voltage swings. to the inverter whenever a load is turned on like a refrigerator etc.

When you are selling PV back to the utility, you are essentially still running off the grid.
 
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