Two-family house Schreck

In a two-family house, a complete modernization of the home technology was carried out as part of a thermal renovation in 2012. Since May 2019, the AC•THOR from my-PV has been used for water heating for six people to maximize PV self-consumption.

Description

After the renovation, it soon became clear to the owners that a very high percentage of the self-generated solar electricity could not be used in the house, despite the heat pump. With an annual system yield of approximately 9,000 kWh, the PV self-consumption share was only 30 percent. Therefore, a technical solution was sought for the quick modulation of an electric heating element capable of rapidly and precisely balancing PV surpluses.

Owner Thomas Schreck: "Due to the low feed-in tariff of 16 cents, the AC•THOR was installed to increase self-consumption."

Thomas Schreck, the owner, a professional in home technology and an employee of Martin Haustechnik KG, found the ideal solution in the AC•THOR power controller. This device makes the existing standard heating element in the hot water boiler infinitely adjustable, thus making it suitable for the rapid and precise utilization of solar electric overproduction.

Operation

The my-PV Power Meter analyzes the power flows of the PV system at the house connection point. Via an Ethernet interface, it transmits the information on excess power to the photovoltaic power manager AC•THOR. This ensures that only the energy available at the moment is used for heat generation. Therefore, there is no feed-in to the power grid: self-consumption of the PV electricity is maximized, and the public low-voltage grid is relieved.

Both the my-PV Power Meter and the AC•THOR are connected to the router via network cables. Communication is set up with a single, simple configuration.

Owner Thomas Schreck: "The commissioning went smoothly. The online training made it easy with just a few settings!"

After connecting the heating element to the AC•THOR, the hot water preparation for the six residents automatically began, easily and ecologically, using the surplus electricity from their own production that would otherwise have been fed into the grid.

The next step

With this simple measure, the Schreck family was able to significantly increase their PV self-consumption, all at relatively low investment costs.

The investment costs were only a fraction of what would have been required for a battery storage system.

Due to the positive experiences with the AC•THOR, the next system optimization is already being considered. A second heating element will be used to ensure stratified charging of the storage tank, making the thermal process more efficient. A second AC•THOR is not even necessary for this! In the stratified charging mode, two heating elements can be continuously regulated in sequence directly from the factory!

my-PV regularly holds online training sessions on its solutions. After attending one of these sessions, it was easy for Thomas Schreck to install and put the system into operation!

AC•THOR Product Details

• Stepless regulation from 0 to 3,000 W

• Maintenance-free through "cables instead of pipes"

• Reduces the size of the technical room

• System-open for various inverters, battery systems, and smart homes

• Extremely easy installation, user-friendly

• Enables affordable living even in residential buildings

Power Meter Product Details

• Measurement range: 0 – 60 A, 230 VAC

• Interface: Ethernet

• Dimensions: 70 x 90 x 58 mm

• Protection class: IP 20

• Clamp current transformer: maximum cable diameter 10 mm +/- 0.3 mm; larger current transformers available upon request!