Grid Preserving Inverter Settings FAQ’s

The grid preserving settings will limit generation to the grid if voltage is higher than industry standards. Limiting generation when voltage is too high prevents it from increasing further on the grid. Generation will be re-enabled automatically when voltage is back within standards.

Voltage levels on the grid will fluctuate throughout the day and depend on factors like your location and the system size. Voltage tends to be higher when there is lower home consumption, lower demand on grid nearby, increases in generation to be exported, and grid changes due to work in the area.

• Sizing the system to your load. Building a larger system can cause a greater increase in voltage due to a larger amount of power being exported to the grid at one time.
• Using energy when the system is generating. The home will use energy before sending it to the grid. With less energy to send to the grid, the voltage rise can also be reduced.
• Store excess energy. Batteries can help reduce voltage rises by limiting the need for large export and having somewhere for the energy to go to when home usage is down.

The grid preserving settings were designed to be rare, short in duration, and protect the grid in a worst-case scenario, not to limit export of your system. The settings only monitor grid conditions at your location to determine if an export limit is available; it is not something we remotely control. With many factors affecting voltage rise, we won’t be able to estimate the possibility of the occurrences as it can vary by time of day, time of year, and from location to location.

Nearly all inverters on the market support the required settings if they follow current industry standards. While we have not worked with all inverter manufacturers, we work the manufacturers to support as many as we can. There could be delays in system review or possible denial if settings can’t be implemented to MVEA standards. Currently there are three inverters capable of supporting MVEA settings, Enphase, SolarEdge, and Tesla with a few others being reviewed.

You will not be able to export to the grid. Your DER system will be a non-export system.

Yes, you will be able to bank the kWh’s that you export to the grid.