VIDEO CORRECTIONS: 1. At 10:55 in the video, I say that 6 x 30 volts = 240 volts, which is embarrassingly incorrect! I should have drawn 8 panels in each string. 2. At 19:53, the single-phase wiring into each house should only be a single phase colour, and all properties would additionally have a neutral line. 3. You should never use an ohmmeter on a live circuit.
Wonderfully simplified, and I have a movie to watch "The Current War". Must have slipped through as well as High Voltage DC. Going to view that as well.
Hi Garry I noticed a problem 19 mins 53 second in to your excellent video , you are showing single phase "across phases" in a single phase home connection I think it should be phase to neutral ,Best regards John Maggs
Hi John, thanks for taking the time to comment and also the kind words. You are correct - I've no idea why I got this part wrong - I was using a wiring diagram I found on the Internet, but when I searched again just now, the only diagrams I find are indeed ones where a neutral line is used. I'll add a correction to the video and also the description - thanks for highlighting!
Loving your videos, Gary - thanks for putting in the work to share the knowledge! I wonder if you have any videos in the pipeline about CIGS or other panel chemistries, I'd love to learn more about those! Cheers
My pleasure! Glad that you're getting something out of them. They're a lot of work, but I'm enjoying the process. I've got more than 30 video topics in the pipeline, but I'll add this one to the list. I select a topic for the next video from that list, depending on what I think will be the most popular one at the time...
Thanks Gary this was helpful. im with Bulb and i used my neighbours Octopus referral code to join them but they said i cant have the £50 as they have taken over Bulb even though i did it berfore the take over .
At 2:36 you say that current goes form the negative terminal to the positive. It doesn't. It goes from positive to negative. Electrons flow from the negative to the positive, but current goes the other direction.
Hi Andrew, I guess humankind can (and will) argue about that for years. The pragmatic point is that so long as the direction of current in any electrical diagram is stated (as I did) then that holds for that diagram.
... as we understand things *today*. Given our understanding of direction of current has changed a few times over the last 100 years, I would not bet my life that it will not change again. Irrespective, I refer you to the last sentence of my previous response.
@@GaryDoesSolare never consider electron flow except when analysing the behaviour internally of semiconductor devices, or when dealing with valves or fluorescent tubes and cathode ray tubes or when teaching about how capacitors work. It is not relevant to any discussion outside of these devices. It is only relevant for understanding how these devices work but it is not required to use the device and make it work in a circuit
Don't mention "conventional current flow" !! ( convention has it that current flows positive to negative) That is how electrical and electronic engineers "see" current flow - that is it is said to "flow" the opposite direction to that shown in your video - going from +ve to -ve !! (although ..... it is of course electrons having a negative charge being attracted to the positive potential!!) Confused! - well welcome to the world of electrical and electronic engineering !!
Hi Eric, I knew whatever I said about the flow of current in the video, I was in for a debate. When I was studying, I was taught that conventional current was wrong and that current flowed with electrons from -ve to +ve. It seems today that conventional current is indeed correct (at least according to some sources) so I really don't have a clue. And whatever is correct, I'm sure in the future we'll come up with a different understanding! So, I decided to work on the basis that if I clearly indicated the direction of current in my video, we could at least all work to that :-)
@@GaryDoesSolarI will explain it. I am an Electronics engineer. Electricity flows as electrons from negative to positive. Somebody many years ago thought it flew from +ve to -ve and got it wrong. So we are stuck with that convention. However, you never need to worry about current flow as electrons unless you are involved in designing semiconductor devices such as diodes, transistors. You don't even need to worry about it if you are designing integrated circuits. Thermionic valves you may have to worry about it. Other than that, you will never need to worry about which direction the electrons are flowing. Considering current flow as +ve to -ve does not cause any issues 99% of the time. The problem comes when poorly trained and poorly educated amateurs try to show off that they understand electricity by talking about electron flow because they think it makes them look clever, when in fact all it does is cause confusion which is entirely unnecessary. My advice is, forget electron flow unless you really need to deal with it as in say the analysis of operation of a semiconductor device. Trust me, I have done a lot of analysis of electrical and electronic circuits and you can completely forget about electron flow. The reality is, when doing analysis you may not know which direction the current is flowing in the circuit, so you ascribe letters to the currents, draw arrows on the circuit diagram and when you have completed the analysis any negative figures you derive simply indicate the direction is flowing in the opposite direction to the arrow you marked on the circuit diagram. So it in practice, whether you are considering conventional flow or electron flow the result of the analysis is going to be the same, just that in one scenario you will end up with opposite polarity numbers and it is the polarity + or - for the current which indicate its direction. The key thing is, we all standardise on the same current convention so we can communicate effectively. And that standard is conventional current flow. It doesn't cause any issues. When I find people talking about electron flow, which happens occasionally, and are trying to push that as the correct way to describe current flow, it nearly always sets the alarm bells ringing in my head because it is nearly always people that are not educated to degree level in electrical or electronic engineering.
Hi Claire - thanks for the kind words. I studied electrical and electronic engineering, so I really should have been more diligent! 👍 I wouldn't trust myself with any kind of high voltage system today! 🤣
Yeah, this was an error. I originally had 8 panels in the diagram but reduced to 6 and didn't change the calculation. There's already a correction label in the video, and it's a pinned comment.
Can you do a similar simple explanation about the national grid? 1million klm in Australia $2million a klm to build. 5 times more electricity in a no fossil fueled world. So, 5 times bigger national grid, when central and concentrated electrical generation. This is the huge cost of more central electric power, the distribution or transmission costs. That is why rooftop solar and EV big batteries are so advantageous. Rooftop vs central power generation is a 10 fold difference. It is the untold story. The existing grid is basically UNLOADED and so remains valuable balancing loade differences.
@@GaryDoesSolar Saul Griffith's book, The big switch, is full of facts. He is way ahead of me in his thinking about the dimensions of the change to a renewable world, from an Australian perspective. He has advised the USA president teams, he is an engineer. Australia's 20million vehicles, if EV, would mean upto 2,000gWh of stored electricity daily. DISPATCHABLE energy. And if the big EV learns the little home robot vacuum 'skills' of plugging in to a power supply then a vast amount of stored energy is available. 3 or 5 days minimum. Just saying. He wants Australia to do it first and so lead the world. South Australia is on the way.
VIDEO CORRECTIONS:
1. At 10:55 in the video, I say that 6 x 30 volts = 240 volts, which is embarrassingly incorrect! I should have drawn 8 panels in each string.
2. At 19:53, the single-phase wiring into each house should only be a single phase colour, and all properties would additionally have a neutral line.
3. You should never use an ohmmeter on a live circuit.
come to see the comment when I heard that 😂 just some small mistakes, still a great video, many thanks
Brilliant description of the AC/DC systems, if only it had been taught so well at school or even at all....
Thanks Paul = that's so great to hear! :-)
Gary, you are simply incredible!!
Cheers 😀👍🏻
Wonderfully simplified, and I have a movie to watch "The Current War". Must have slipped through as well as High Voltage DC. Going to view that as well.
Hi Adriaan, thanks for your very kind words. Hope you enjoy the movie! :-)
This is the best video I've seen on the topic. Subscribed
Thank you Matt 😀👍🏻
Thanks Gary, great video and cleared up a few points indeed
You're most welcome, Ian - glad to have helped out! :-)
Hi Garry I noticed a problem 19 mins 53 second in to your excellent video , you are showing single phase "across phases" in a single phase home connection I think it should be phase to neutral ,Best regards John Maggs
Hi John, thanks for taking the time to comment and also the kind words.
You are correct - I've no idea why I got this part wrong - I was using a wiring diagram I found on the Internet, but when I searched again just now, the only diagrams I find are indeed ones where a neutral line is used. I'll add a correction to the video and also the description - thanks for highlighting!
@@GaryDoesSolar No Problem keep up the good work
Thanks Gary ~ always enjoy your videos. Well done. Kind regards AndyT.
Many thanks, Andy! Working on the next one now... :-)
Loving your videos, Gary - thanks for putting in the work to share the knowledge! I wonder if you have any videos in the pipeline about CIGS or other panel chemistries, I'd love to learn more about those! Cheers
My pleasure! Glad that you're getting something out of them. They're a lot of work, but I'm enjoying the process. I've got more than 30 video topics in the pipeline, but I'll add this one to the list. I select a topic for the next video from that list, depending on what I think will be the most popular one at the time...
Great 3 phase explanation 👍 👏
Thanks Stephen! :-) Really glad you liked it!
Hello Gary, what am I missing: 6x30v = 240 V ?? thanks for your explanation.
OMG! I can’t believe I got that calculation wrong! Thanks for pointing out 👍🏻 I should have used 8 panels per string 🤣
Thanks for your super quick answer.
Thanks Gary this was helpful. im with Bulb and i used my neighbours Octopus referral code to join them but they said i cant have the £50 as they have taken over Bulb even though i did it berfore the take over .
You're very welcome :-)
Ah yeah, if you were on Bulb, then by default you have already become an Octopus customer, which is fair I guess?
Understanding the relationship between AC and DC is essential for efficiently integrating solar setups into your home electrical system.
Agreed
At 2:36 you say that current goes form the negative terminal to the positive. It doesn't. It goes from positive to negative. Electrons flow from the negative to the positive, but current goes the other direction.
Hi Andrew, I guess humankind can (and will) argue about that for years.
The pragmatic point is that so long as the direction of current in any electrical diagram is stated (as I did) then that holds for that diagram.
@@GaryDoesSolar There's no argument. It's GCSE level physics.
... as we understand things *today*. Given our understanding of direction of current has changed a few times over the last 100 years, I would not bet my life that it will not change again.
Irrespective, I refer you to the last sentence of my previous response.
@@GaryDoesSolare never consider electron flow except when analysing the behaviour internally of semiconductor devices, or when dealing with valves or fluorescent tubes and cathode ray tubes or when teaching about how capacitors work.
It is not relevant to any discussion outside of these devices. It is only relevant for understanding how these devices work but it is not required to use the device and make it work in a circuit
Angus, Angus, Ang.....
What?
Oh, sorry, my mistake. Carry on!
haha - love it!!! :-)
Don't mention "conventional current flow" !! ( convention has it that current flows positive to negative)
That is how electrical and electronic engineers "see" current flow - that is it is said to "flow" the opposite direction to that shown in your video - going from +ve to -ve !!
(although ..... it is of course electrons having a negative charge being attracted to the positive potential!!)
Confused! - well welcome to the world of electrical and electronic engineering !!
Hi Eric, I knew whatever I said about the flow of current in the video, I was in for a debate. When I was studying, I was taught that conventional current was wrong and that current flowed with electrons from -ve to +ve.
It seems today that conventional current is indeed correct (at least according to some sources) so I really don't have a clue. And whatever is correct, I'm sure in the future we'll come up with a different understanding!
So, I decided to work on the basis that if I clearly indicated the direction of current in my video, we could at least all work to that :-)
@@GaryDoesSolarI will explain it. I am an Electronics engineer.
Electricity flows as electrons from negative to positive. Somebody many years ago thought it flew from +ve to -ve and got it wrong. So we are stuck with that convention.
However, you never need to worry about current flow as electrons unless you are involved in designing semiconductor devices such as diodes, transistors. You don't even need to worry about it if you are designing integrated circuits.
Thermionic valves you may have to worry about it.
Other than that, you will never need to worry about which direction the electrons are flowing.
Considering current flow as +ve to -ve does not cause any issues 99% of the time.
The problem comes when poorly trained and poorly educated amateurs try to show off that they understand electricity by talking about electron flow because they think it makes them look clever, when in fact all it does is cause confusion which is entirely unnecessary.
My advice is, forget electron flow unless you really need to deal with it as in say the analysis of operation of a semiconductor device.
Trust me, I have done a lot of analysis of electrical and electronic circuits and you can completely forget about electron flow.
The reality is, when doing analysis you may not know which direction the current is flowing in the circuit, so you ascribe letters to the currents, draw arrows on the circuit diagram and when you have completed the analysis any negative figures you derive simply indicate the direction is flowing in the opposite direction to the arrow you marked on the circuit diagram.
So it in practice, whether you are considering conventional flow or electron flow the result of the analysis is going to be the same, just that in one scenario you will end up with opposite polarity numbers and it is the polarity + or - for the current which indicate its direction.
The key thing is, we all standardise on the same current convention so we can communicate effectively. And that standard is conventional current flow. It doesn't cause any issues.
When I find people talking about electron flow, which happens occasionally, and are trying to push that as the correct way to describe current flow, it nearly always sets the alarm bells ringing in my head because it is nearly always people that are not educated to degree level in electrical or electronic engineering.
3:54 In real life, please don’t connect an ohmmeter to a live circuit.
Fair comment, Claire!
@@GaryDoesSolar nonetheless a good made video. I watched all your videos and I learned a lot. Thank you 🙏🏻
Hi Claire - thanks for the kind words. I studied electrical and electronic engineering, so I really should have been more diligent! 👍 I wouldn't trust myself with any kind of high voltage system today! 🤣
You lost me at 11:03
6 x 30 = 180 volts
Yeah, this was an error. I originally had 8 panels in the diagram but reduced to 6 and didn't change the calculation. There's already a correction label in the video, and it's a pinned comment.
Can you do a similar simple explanation about the national grid?
1million klm in Australia
$2million a klm to build.
5 times more electricity in a no fossil fueled world.
So, 5 times bigger national grid, when central and concentrated electrical generation.
This is the huge cost of more central electric power, the distribution or transmission costs.
That is why rooftop solar and EV big batteries are so advantageous.
Rooftop vs central power generation is a 10 fold difference.
It is the untold story.
The existing grid is basically UNLOADED and so remains valuable balancing loade differences.
Hi Stephen, in actual fact my last two videos were done in preparation for a future video on that very topic - likely the video after next :-)
@@GaryDoesSolar very good.
Did I mention that the EV batteries are huge and free with the vehicle, Hahaha.
@@stephenbrickwood1602 And one day, I hope to be able to *afford* an EV 🙂🙂🙂
You're totally right though!
@@GaryDoesSolar Saul Griffith's book, The big switch, is full of facts.
He is way ahead of me in his thinking about the dimensions of the change to a renewable world, from an Australian perspective.
He has advised the USA president teams, he is an engineer.
Australia's 20million vehicles, if EV, would mean upto 2,000gWh of stored electricity daily. DISPATCHABLE energy.
And if the big EV learns the little home robot vacuum 'skills' of plugging in to a power supply then a vast amount of stored energy is available.
3 or 5 days minimum.
Just saying.
He wants Australia to do it first and so lead the world. South Australia is on the way.