View the thread, titled "DC Test Meter" which is posted in Solar PV Forum | Solar Panels Forum on Electricians Forums.
P
pvman
With inverters going the way of single strings and high voltage make sure you get one which measures above 600V DC.
We have one of these.
Kewtech KEW2003A 2000A Clamp Meter
Hope that helps
Tom
We have one of these.
Kewtech KEW2003A 2000A Clamp Meter
Hope that helps
Tom
Bit the bullet and bought a Seaward PV100. Quick and very pleased with it. Check every panel against STC before installation as well. Not cheap.
Eco Chap
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Not a cheap piece of equipment but definately worth it for quick and easy testing.
I hear what you are saying SolarCity about the PV100, it is a big investment and perhaps it makes more sense where there are a high number of panels to be testing/documenting. However, it is a great bit of kit for anyone looking to speed up the process and to aid with data collation/storage etc. Coupled with the new Solar Site Survey meter(s) you have just 2 bits of kit that do everything you need, as far as I am aware. We're giving away a Site Survey 200 meter at Ecobuild this year actually and will hopefully have Seaward's new clamp meter on display too.
Thanks for the suggestions guys.
I like the look of the kewtech one but even that seemed expensive so you can imagine what i'm about to say about the Seaward...
I've looked at the PV100 before and tbh i never really 'got it', couldn't really see what it was going to acheive for our business. Lets be honest, PV testing isn't all that arduous in comparison to lots of sparkie work, the EICR, fault finding etc...
While i like to have good quality gear I cannot justify the expense of that kind of kit, we made it through the busy periods with a <£100 DC DCM and a trusty Megger 1552, i can't see business picking up 10 fold from last month to warrant that kind of expense.
Again the site surveyor doesn't really seem to offer anything spectacular, we are able to fairly accurately plot horizon profiles and input them into PV-Sol. We have a fairly low tech solution for this but our quotes contain a level of detail, accuracy and technical analysis that goes far beyond many of our local competitors.
Sorry if that came accross as a rant, that was not my intention, but they seem to be expensive solutions to non-existant problems to me. Please feel free to try to convince me otherwise. Perhaps if i got my hands on one for a test drive i may think differently ;-)
I like the look of the kewtech one but even that seemed expensive so you can imagine what i'm about to say about the Seaward...
I've looked at the PV100 before and tbh i never really 'got it', couldn't really see what it was going to acheive for our business. Lets be honest, PV testing isn't all that arduous in comparison to lots of sparkie work, the EICR, fault finding etc...
While i like to have good quality gear I cannot justify the expense of that kind of kit, we made it through the busy periods with a <£100 DC DCM and a trusty Megger 1552, i can't see business picking up 10 fold from last month to warrant that kind of expense.
Again the site surveyor doesn't really seem to offer anything spectacular, we are able to fairly accurately plot horizon profiles and input them into PV-Sol. We have a fairly low tech solution for this but our quotes contain a level of detail, accuracy and technical analysis that goes far beyond many of our local competitors.
Sorry if that came accross as a rant, that was not my intention, but they seem to be expensive solutions to non-existant problems to me. Please feel free to try to convince me otherwise. Perhaps if i got my hands on one for a test drive i may think differently ;-)
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