My solar charge control unit is using AC 230 Volts for powering my house . Why?

[raghavkumar1]

I have recently installed a 400 watts solar power system for my house. I installed 4 Nos. of 100 watts solar panels on my roof top and connected them to a Solar inverter. The solar inverter has two inputs - the solar power (DC) and the mains input ( 230 V AC). Normally when solar power is available, the unit should use only solar power and supply power to the house via Solar power. But even during the peak sun shine, I am finding that the AC mains meter still runs and there is an increase in the number of units consumed even during day time. So I switched off the mains AC to the solar inverter and now it runs on solar power perfectly and consumption from AC power is nil.

But I want to know why the solar inverter is using mains AC power when lot of solar power is available? Can any one tell the answer.



Raghav

[inetdog]

I have recently installed a 400 watts solar power system for my house. I installed 4 Nos. of 100 watts solar panels on my roof top and connected them to a Solar inverter. The solar inverter has two inputs - the solar power (DC) and the mains input ( 230 V AC). Normally when solar power is available, the unit should use only solar power and supply power to the house via Solar power. But even during the peak sun shine, I am finding that the AC mains meter still runs and there is an increase in the number of units consumed even during day time. So I switched off the mains AC to the solar inverter and now it runs on solar power perfectly and consumption from AC power is nil.

But I want to know why the solar inverter is using mains AC power when lot of solar power is available? Can any one tell the answer.

Use Solar Energy and protect Environment.

If you do not have any batteries in the system, then your solar inverter should not be able to deliver any power at all when the AC is disconnected. That is not safe.

If your solar system produces more power than your house is using during the day, then it is possible that you were actually sending power back into the grid but the meter kept running forward instead of backward. You were paying for the power you sent back.

[Sunking]

Well as Inetdog says if you disconnect the AC mains that inverter has to shut down and turn itself off.

As for the meter tells me your electric company has one of the newer meters that will only count forward regardless which way the power is flowing. So whatever excess power you rinverter is producing going out on the AC system is being billed as used. In otherwords your electric company is charging you for the energy you generate. They do this to prevent you from an illegal connection, and when you try, you get punished.