Export limit (W)
The maximum power your electricity distributor (DNSP) allows you to send back to the grid. Most Australian single-phase residential connections are capped at 5 kW; three-phase often 10–15 kW. Some export-curtailed sites have caps as low as 1.5 kW under DSP (Dynamic Site Power) control.
How the simulator uses it
On every step the simulator caps grid export at this value. Excess that would have exported is split two ways: any contributing battery discharge is cancelled (the energy stays in the battery) and any remaining solar surplus is marked as curtailed — your panels would physically have to throttle back to honour the cap.
Leave blank for no cap. Off-grid mode hides this field entirely (no grid to export to).
How to find your limit
- Check your connection contract or most recent electricity bill — DNSPs are required to disclose the export limit.
- For Australian sites, the standard caps are 5 kW single-phase, 10–15 kW three-phase, with 1.5 kW or 0 kW applying to export-curtailed connections in saturated suburbs (parts of South Brisbane, inner Perth, parts of western Sydney).
- If you have an interactive smart-export tariff (e.g. South Australia’s Smarter Homes program), the minimum guaranteed export is the number to enter — the dynamic uplift won’t arrive as a planning input.
Common pitfalls
- Confusing inverter rating with export limit — they’re different. A 5 kW inverter with a 1.5 kW export limit can still discharge at 5 kW to cover home load; it’s only the grid-export channel that’s capped. See Max power.
- Forgetting that the cap also applies to direct solar-to-grid (not just battery discharge). On a sunny day with high solar and low load, you can hit the cap from solar alone.
Closes this tab and returns to the calculator.