Solar PV Installation: first full day running
The Fronius inverter has a facility to log all the performance data on a USB stick.
This is installed in a small pull down 'tray' that is on the bottom of the inverter to the right and is 'opened' by undoing two knurled thumb screws as shown in the image on the left.
The USB stick can be seen inserted into the system in the image on the right.
It is very important to run through the correct USB removal process and you shouldn't just pull it out since data could be lost (just as could happen when removing a USB from an ordinary PC)
The data can be logged at different intervals from every 5 minutes through to every 30 minutes and at the moment it is set to just 5 minutes to get the most data over this initial working period.
The data is created as a CSV spreadsheet file which can be imported into Fronius software, that is a free download, for analysis and storage.
The screen shot on the left is from the Fronius system and shows how the the power generated varies enormously through the day - peaking at about 2.8kW, with the system only 'kicking in' just before 9.00am in the morning and is pretty much shut down by about 4pm - and a total just short of 6kWh being generated.
This is much as expected, even on a reasonably sunny day like today, since at this time of the year the sun is not very high in the sky even by midday.
