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Forum Index : Other Stuff : Power meter,old,running backwards?
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| domwild Guru  Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Hi, The house is more than 40 years old, that may explain the three-phase meter (city) and single-phase one (bush, 14 years old) I have. The bush one I would be game enough to hook up one of those cheap and nasty Chinese-built GTIs BUT would it turn backwards? I know I risk a hefty fine if caught, but I live so remote in the bush only the Jehova Witnesses find us; the white shirt is a dead give-away! 1. Just in case those old meters do not turn backwards if supply exceeds usage, how much would installation of a meter which turns backwards cost me in WA? No answer from the Minister for Energy! The three-phase meter is so old, it even keeps on turning when the master switch is off and an electrician told me "they all do it, get it changed!". If I have the correct benefit card (not stated), getting the meter checked will only cost me $12! Else about $200 or $300. 2. Out of interest, those with a three-phase supply, which is probably rare in the bush, would it be possible to feed just one phase and still get a benefit for it? Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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BobD Guru Joined: 07/12/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 935 |
I had a 3 phase supply in a Victorian bush town. The whole of Victoria changed to "smart" meters and they gave me a meter for each phase. Cheaper than getting 3 phase smart meters probably and they may not even exist. Each meter had the capability of measuring user supply into the grid as a separate metered item. Each meter also has the capability of peak and off-peak switching with limited time over-ride for quick re-heat of HWS. This replaces the separate switches that were formerly used for that function. This means that there are probably no technical limitations on feedback into the grid. The limitations, if any, will be in the mind of some bureaucrat. |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
You risk more than a hefty fine if one of those units goes bad and starts a fire or electrocutes a linesman. They are just not worth the risk, there are reasons they are not approved for use in Australia. I think the days of grid feed and running the power meter backwards are reaching their end. Lot of people on the bandwagon, and the return is much less, and only going to decrease to the point where your solar panels are nothing more than overpriced roof tiles, as the local grid voltage is too high to feed into. Personally I would be looking at a hybrid system with batteries or going totally off grid. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Hi All The old meters will run backwards on any phase as the old meters had one meter per phase. The new ones like they installed at my place will do all three phases in one meter and the reverse feed on any or all phases are recorded on menu 040. I think that Glenns suggestion is the best option now as the payment for grid feed isn't enough to cover the expenses of fitting and maintaining the system. The cost of batteries is a draw back but if looked after they will last for years so the expense is amortized over a period of at least 10 years and in ten years we will be paying double if not triple what the power is at the moment, we buy expensive card that depreciate 90 % in ten years and cost a fortune to keep and run for that period, so we should look at the batteries as a investment not just a cost. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| VK4AYQ Guru Joined: 02/12/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2539 |
Back again On the safety side using grid feed, there is a special relay available in the USA that senses both positive and negative feed on all three phases and shuts down the supply should the infeed drop out on any phase. I have seen them used on the mid size wind turbines that are basically a 3 phase motor overdriven to feed back into the grid. I have asked some of the suppliers here but they do not stock them and unless you get somebody that is a tradesman not a counter jumper it would be nigh on impossible to get any help with tracking one down. We used a similar device a breaker between generators when running a number of synchronized units. All the best Bob Foolin Around |
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| domwild Guru Joined: 16/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 873 |
Thanks once again. Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up. Winston Churchill |
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