This is one of our most frequently asked questions. This article explains the most common reasons your solar production may be below your expectations.
The most common reason solar production is low is because you've ticked the 'export limited' box. This will curtail the solar output whenever exported energy would otherwise occur. That's right, your solar power system will actually produce less energy if it's not allowed to export.
The fact that your solar power system will produce less energy when export-limited has these flow-on effects:
- Your customer won't be pestering you because you inadvertently claimed your system would produce 400kWh/day and it's only producing 300kWh/day.
- Your customer won't be chasing you for foregone LGC revenue. Yes, the reduced production means fewer LGCs are created.
Did you mistakenly check the 'export limited' box?
Does your system have to be export limited? Can you apply to the network operator for an exemption that will allow you to generate more electricity?
PVsell will only perform a simulation over the period for which it has consumption data. If the interval metering data you've uploaded into PVsell doesn't contain a full year's worth of data, then you'll find your solar production is reduced. You can check this by editing the consumption profile and looking for this warning box.
PVsell can analyse your data so you can extrapolate it into a full year. See Can I upload less than a full-year's worth of interval metering data?
It's possible that your loss factors are too high. This can significantly reduce system production.
Review the shading loss, and the system loss factors.
It's quite easy to accidentally face the array south. In PVsell's roof layout, the array direction is set by the 'base edge' (the red line).
Check whether your panels are facing in the wrong direction. If they are, this article explains how to change it: How do I change the direction the panels are facing?
These are some of the common statements we hear:
- My solar system produced 6 kWh/kWp/day in the past month. That may be the case but there are sunny months and there are cloudy months, and one year can vary by +/- 10% from the average. Our figures are based on long-term meteorological averages from sources like the Bureau of Meteorology, and a worldwide accepted simulation model produced by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
- My solar panels/inverter produce more than the others. That may be the case, but our extensive research shows that the difference between two different panels is 10-15% in their first year. You can make adjustments for premium panels and inverter efficiency within PVsell.
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