Idea

Christian Butterweck suggested Dec 15, '23

Spotmarket-Switcher goes dynamic (a dynamic ESS alternative)

Introducing Spotmarket-Switcher 2.4-DEV (a price based Dynamic ESS alternative).
Please check and test so that i am able to publish a new release.
https://github.com/christian1980nrw/Spotmarket-Switcher/tree/dev

New features:
- removed limitation of 6 lowest prices (useful for heatpump owners)
- Disabling of ESS and Dynamic discharge at highest prices
- Dynamic Charging-Target depending Solarweather (to reserve capacity for solar)

Regards Christian

1702904795271.png (85.3 KiB)

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teemischer commented Dec 21, '23

Great, thanks! I will try this out after christmas and get back to you with feedback.

BTW, this software seems to be what I would have expected from DynESS out of the box. But somehow DynESS does strange things and for now I can‘t use it. So I will go for your SW.

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teemischer commented · Jan 03 at 10:13 AM

Hi Christian,

your script is now in operation, only using Victron scheduled charging with Tibber. No Switches in use here.

Here is my feedback, I have noticed some minor issues:

- It automatically sets the discharge limit to 0, but in the config.txt I have -1 set. Debug output does not help, can't figure out what is going on

- Debug output does not report the decision logic of the charge/discharge conditions (only pre- and post checks), this would be helpful so I can see what is happening

- Request: Please provide better documention for the config.txt. It is very difficult to understand some of the decision logic. I had to read the source code along with the config so I could understand some of the parameters.

- Still do not fully understand the priorities/order of decision logic: Generic settings for price, charge matrix, PV Forecast. For example: I set a target charge of 95% in the matrix, but the script always comes up with 50% as a target setting

Best regards and thanks again for your work!

Olli

P.S. Kannst auch gerne auf Deutsch DMs schicken falls das einfacher ist.

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Christian Butterweck commented Jan 3, '24

@teemischer

Today i released a important 2.4.7 update and adressing some of your feedback like a better description within the config.txt. There was also an issue within the function calculating the dynamic charging target. Maybe you can try this new version and ask me again if somthing is still not clear.

Important Update for Users of Version 2.4:

Please upgrade to the latest version immediately. Older 2.4 versions have identified a potential syntax error in a main function, causing unexpected behavior.

Highlights of the New Version:

Tibber & aWATTar API Enhancements and New Config File Design: The new version features significant improvements to both the Tibber and aWATTar APIs, along with a redesigned configuration file format (special thanks to @kLOsk).
Removal of v2.3 Limitations: The restriction to only the 6 lowest prices has been lifted. Now, 24/48 price analysis is possible, offering more flexibility, especially beneficial for heat pump owners.
Dynamic ESS Management: Instead of permanent ESS, the script now supports dynamic discharging at the highest prices.
Dynamic Charging Target Based on Solar Weather: Adjustments to the charging target will depend on solar weather data, optimizing capacity reservation for solar energy.
Refined Target SOC Calculation: Corrections have been made to the dynamic target State of Charge (SOC) calculation, enhancing accuracy.
aWATTar API Updates: The script now calculates total prices including taxes when using the aWATTar API.

Tibber API Improvements:

Fallback to aWATTar API: If next day's prices are delayed on Tibber API, the script will now automatically use aWATTar API as a fallback.
Error Handling: In case of an error with the Tibber API, the script will revert to using data from the aWATTar API.

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teemischer commented · Jan 04 at 06:01 AM

thanks, tried the new version.

- Problem #1 still exists: disabling the discharge (inverter limit set to 0) during normal daytime operations does not make sense. Seems impossible for me to deactivate, the script always sets a limit (but I have it configured to -1)

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Christian Butterweck commented Jan 4, '24

@teemischer Thats not a bug, thats a feature (dynamic discharge). The script is waiting for higher prices until discharging will be activated. This is depending your SOC. The more your battery is full, the more price-hours will be activated. This is configured by the 24 & 48 matrix (middle column). For example if your battery has 95% or more, it will discharge at all price hours of the day.

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teemischer commented · Jan 08 at 03:53 PM

thanks, Christian, that explains a lot. I completely misunderstood the matrix, I thought it works exactly the other way around. (95 as a charge target in the cheapest hours).

This is a good example where more/better documentation would help reduce support.

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Christian Butterweck teemischer commented · Jan 10 at 04:56 AM

@teemischer OK, good to hear.

Version 2.4 is still under development, so you should check sometimes if there are new features or fixed bugs. I recommend to upgrade the controller.sh to v2.4.12 now.

I'm currently developing on my own as time is short. If you have a suggestion for a better description of the matrix, feel free to send it to me.

Regards Christian

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