Hey everyone! I'm diving into the world of solar power, and I have a bit of a noob question. I have an Enphase combiner that includes a monitoring solution called "Enlighten." It gives me a ton of stats like how much power I'm generating, what I'm sending back to the grid, and how much I'm pulling in from the grid. What I'm confused about is how the Enphase system figures out my house's power consumption at any given moment, and how it knows the power flow between my system and the utility company. Any insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
2 Answers
Your installer should have placed CT clamps right at the meter. They measure the current going both in and out. So basically, your total power consumption is equal to what your solar panels are producing plus what your house is pulling from the grid. It all adds up nicely!
Great question! Your Enphase system uses a pair of current transformers (CTs) installed at the point where power enters your home. These can be located either in your main breaker panel or somewhere between that panel and your power meter. This setup allows the system to measure how much power is flowing through the meter and in which direction it's going. As for the solar power you generate, that's tracked by summing the output from each micro-inverter, and there's a dedicated "Production CT" for that. Not every system has the Consumption CTs, but they really should!
Just to add, the Production CT is crucial! If you have one installed, it accurately tracks how much solar power you’re generating.
Thanks for breaking that down! It's super helpful.
Thanks for clarifying that! It makes a lot more sense now.