# Forum Home Renovation Solar Electrical Systems  solar GPO?

## ForeverYoung

Greetings.
This is my first place with Solar.
There is a system on the house (and another on the shed) and this is a picture of part of the install in a house cupboard.
The power point point looks a bit odd to me - reverse polarity?
Is this a thing with solar?    
I will be getting an electrician out to look at a bunch of things, but most of the ones I know aren't across solar so will be searching for one that is.
Anyway, thought I would see what the good folk here think.

----------


## droog

> The power point point looks a bit odd to me - reverse polarity?

  Looks like a normal 10amp GPO that is labelled as not being protected by an RCD (residual current device) commonly known as a safety switch. 
The solar panels feed the rest of the supply network, you do not have specific "Solar GPO's".

----------


## Whitey66

OP, what makes you think it's reverse polarity??? 
An easy way to remember is Left is Live (or Line) 
Yes, I know that Neutral can be live too, but this is a basic way to remember where the Active is in a plug or socket.
Some will say that the right is active on the male end of the plug, but these are never live unless plugged into a socket or plug. Or if someone has done some illegal wiring :Eek:

----------


## John2b

The power point is labeled as expected, i.e. active (or line) on the top left pin when looking at the socket. 
Except for the inverter, the rest of the wiring in your house should be bog standard. From the picture it looks like you have a Sunny Boy grid tied inverter, which has anti-islanding. In other words, the mains from the street must be present or the inverter will switch off. When the sun is shining, your house will use electricity from the solar panels first and export any excess, or import any shortfall when the solar panels are not producing enough. By the way it is possible that the array on the shed feeds into the same inverter, or that you have an additional inverter. 
Whether you get a credit and/or how much credit for exported electricity depends on the terms of your contract and the type of metering used to determine exports. Some state governments e.g. NSW have at times set up incentives for new solar by paying a levee on gross generation (i.e. total solar generation, not just 'unused' electricity that was actually exported). More commonly there is a rate for net exports and it comes off your imported electricity cost. You still pay a connection fee, irrespective. 
If you are careful with electricity and don't have a house full of kids, a 1.5kW system is more than enough. At my last house with a grid connected system we made a net import of electricity only once in about 25 billing cycles. That wasn't by accident because I deliberate got rid of all of the phantom, zombie and mammoth electricity consumers when we put the solar on, reducing daily consumption from >12kWh to <4kWh even though I worked from home and had every mod-con in the place. I would wager that the majority of electricity 'consumed' in a typical suburban house is just pissed against the wall.

----------


## ForeverYoung

> Looks like a normal 10amp GPO that is labelled as not being protected by an RCD (residual current device) commonly known as a safety switch. 
> The solar panels feed the rest of the supply network, you do not have specific "Solar GPO's".

  Actually I do, apparently, but not this one (see below).
Have gotten mixed messages from the previous owner as to what is what.
But I just said Solar GPO because of the labelling and the proximity to the Solar installation.   

> OP, what makes you think it's reverse polarity??? 
> An easy way to remember is Left is Live (or Line) 
> Yes, I know that Neutral can be live too, but this is a basic way to remember where the Active is in a plug or socket.
> Some will say that the right is active on the male end of the plug, but these are never live unless plugged into a socket or plug. Or if someone has done some illegal wiring

  Thanks.
Mother said not to make assumptions.
Keep forgetting.
I assumed that since it was labelled A/N it must have been wired differently to the usual, otherwise why bother?
Also, I plugged a working charger into it and it didn't work; as it turns out the GPO doesn't work at all (inspection said all GPOs were working).
Seems odd if it is a standard GPO that it isn't on a RCD protected circuit.
Needs investigation.   

> The power point is labeled L/N as expected, i.e. active (or line) on the top left pin when looking at the socket. 
> Except for the inverter, the rest of the wiring in your house should be bog standard. From the picture it looks like you have a Sunny Boy grid tied inverter, which has anti-islanding. In other words, the mains from the street must be present or the inverter will switch off. When the sun is shining, your house will use electricity from the solar panels first and export any excess, or import any shortfall when the solar panels are not producing enough. By the way it is possible that the array on the shed feeds into the same inverter, or that you have an additional inverter. 
> Whether you get a credit and/or how much credit for exported electricity depends on the terms of your contract and the type of metering used to determine exports. Some state governments e.g. NSW have at times set up incentives for new solar by paying a levee on gross generation (i.e. total solar generation, not just 'unused' electricity that was actually exported). More commonly there is a rate for net exports and it comes off your imported electricity cost. You still pay a connection fee, irrespective. 
> If you are careful with electricity and don't have a house full of kids, a 1.5kW system is more than enough. At my last house with a grid connected system we made a net import of electricity only once in about 25 billing cycles. That wasn't by accident because I deliberate got rid of all of the phantom, zombie and mammoth electricity consumers when we put the solar on, reducing daily consumption from >12kWh to <4kWh even though I worked from home and had every mod-con in the place. I would wager that the majority of electricity 'consumed' in a typical suburban house is just pissed against the wall.

  Something for me to investigate.
Previously owner said he never had an electricity bill but I will be on a different rebate/credit plan.
My current understanding it I get x cents for export and pay 4x cents for usage - it doesn't use my generated power first.   

> ... The solar panels feed the rest of the supply network, you do not have specific "Solar GPO's".

  The previous owner set up a roof solar panel that charges a 12v car battery. This is used to power a bunch of 12v lights throughout the house in case of power outages (this area was quite notorious in the past, and power outages due to bushfires can be an issue too). The lights seem to work quite well. 
Apparently he also set up a 12v/240v inverter (somewhere in the roof space) that drives a GPO - he said it was to drive a modem etc during bushfires etc.

----------


## ForeverYoung

Well, I did reply to this post several days ago. And it said awaiting moderation, because I am a newbie I guess.
So, thought I would add this to see if it bumps things along a bit? 
edit: 
Well, that went straight on. So I wonder where the other post is?

----------


## phild01

Strange things happen here, the recalcitrant post now appears.

----------


## ForeverYoung

> Strange things happen here, the recalcitrant post now appears.

  Indeed. Gremlins.

----------


## doovalacky

> The previous owner set up a roof solar panel that charges a 12v car battery. This is used to power a bunch of 12v lights throughout the house in case of power outages (this area was quite notorious in the past, and power outages due to bushfires can be an issue too). The lights seem to work quite well. 
> Apparently he also set up a 12v/240v inverter (somewhere in the roof space) that drives a GPO - he said it was to drive a modem etc during bushfires etc.

  Wiring would have to be checked but I suspect that the home owner has fed that outlet beside the solar panel from the 600w inverter.  Hence the lack of RCD protection.
Odd labelling result of a DIY installer.

----------


## ForeverYoung

> Wiring would have to be checked but I suspect that the home owner has fed that outlet beside the solar panel from the 600w inverter.  Hence the lack of RCD protection.
> Odd labelling result of a DIY installer.

  Maybe. 
The list is getting longer ...

----------

