H
Hi, we had our install yesterday, and today despite bright sunshine the panels seem to be reading as idle. The battery has run down to 4% which is its stated low threshold, so we’re just pulling from the grid. What am I missing? 
Idle solar panels in sunshine
T
Henstock05 check that the PV DC isolators are switched on (one per string and one on the underside of the inverter) and that the battery isolator is on (in the up position). The PV and battery appear greyed out from the app screenshot and that doesn’t look right.
T
Has the system completed its comissioning cycle?
Have any of the trips tripped?
What kind of system do you have?
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Tim
Thanks Tim. The PV/BATT switch in the fuse box is up / on, so that looks OK. Not sure how to check the rest of what you suggest? The inverter box seems to have been sealed and there’s nothing accessible in the underside. (I have a photo but there’s a repeated error trying to attach it).
T
Henstock05 try reducing the size of the photo.
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ToothyChris
thanks for replying. No fuse box switches tripped. Not sure what you mean by commissioning cycle - it was commissioned yesterday (and this is supported by app notifications) 
Does it need to do a regular cycle? If so where would I find it?
The inverter is Emlite. Is that what you’re asking by what sort of system?
H
Inverter pic
D
That' your generation meter, not your inverter.
Your inverter is the one of the white boxes that say GivEnergy on them somewhere.
You should have at least 2 if you have an inverter (x 1) and battery (x1)
T
Look for a big possibly green breaker, may be down but should be up for the battery to work.
Not sure why PV not generating though. Sounds like two problems.
Also does it show eco mode is on? Via my inverter web portal page and settings tab?
Everything else to off (timed discharge export etc)
Battery options to max charge and discharge rates?
H
dragon2905 hah! Newbie error, thanks! Ok. Pics following.
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T
Is it a hybrid GivEnergy system? I can’t remember what the SA stands for.
E.g. solar comes into the GivEnergy inverter as DC - rather than you having a separate inverter for solar which connects separately to your consumer unit.
T
Looking at the summaries above, consumed 8.3, imported 2.1 , presume there’s a discharge from battery that makes up the difference?
Any entries on the notifications tab in the MyInverter web page? E.g. stuff like comms failures?
I guess your installer might have set the export limit wrong (what are you allowed to export according to the DMO letter?)
If they’ve set it to zero, with no battery charging happening (for whatever reason), it might be throttling the solar so it doesn’t export. Although you would expect in that case some generation going to household usage.
I assume there’s at least a power light showing on the GE battery (and maybe one other light on the charge indicator). If there’s no lights at all on the battery, press the power button on the battery itself.
Feels like a phone call to your installer may be needed!
T
The other thing installers sometimes get wrong is putting the CT clamps on the wrong wires or the wrong way around (one measures the grid import and export, the other measures solar - although if yours is a hybrid I assume that’s all in the inverter, no external CT needed for that?)
If you have a smart meter and/or an IHD, maybe see if the import or export to the grid makes sense compared to what GE thinks is happening. E.g. roughly the same value and the same direction. The GE Mobile app might be best for that as in home mode it’ll update every ten seconds - otherwise you’re looking at a random snapshot of data every 5 minutes. Seconds later it could be doing something completely different to what was reported at that point in time.
H
I am not familiar with hybrids but in the last picture there is a rotary switch in the off position.
Is that correct?
S
I take it that you have phoned the installer and told him that you don't think it's working.
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T
Rotary switch should be on. That should connect your solar panels to the system.
T
Henstock05 you’ve taken a helpful photo showing that the PV DC isolator on the underside of the inverter is in the off position. Switch it on - just to the left of the dongle.
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ToothyChris
We are now generating! Thank you 😃
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T
Henstock05 maybe contact your installer to feedback that they hadn’t left it in the correct state? People make mistakes but if nobody tells them, they can’t learn.
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T
Henstock05 yeah, it looks like a hybrid - the front of the inverter has a four way indicator, one of them showing solar.
The AC connected ones just have 3 indicator/arrow things.
T
Henstock05 hopefully your battery starts to fill! 😀
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A
At least it looks like the supply from the grid is going to the right place..........