question

Riaad Abdulla avatar image
Riaad Abdulla asked

Battery Charging Unnecessarily

Hi,

I have just installed solar panels and I am hoping someone can help me with optimizing usage.

I have set the minimum SOC to 85% (active SOC is also 85%) and scheduled charging to kick off on Sunday at 13:00 for 3 hours.

It is now Friday at 07:00 and I can see the batteries charging even though it's at 88%. I am trying to limit grid usage until and only charge when solar is available (normally at 08:00 - 16:00 everyday).

Is there a setting I should change? See console screenshot below:

capture.jpg

What I have picked up is that even during the night the batteries will charge to around 90% and then discharge again to 85%... not sure if this is how it should be running

System:

Multiplus II 3KVA

Pylontech batteries

MPPT Smart Solar

JA Solar Panels

MPPT SmartSolarvictron
capture.jpg (31.7 KiB)
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2 Answers
Alexandra avatar image
Alexandra answered ·

@Riaad Abdulla

When Pylontec are new they need a few days at full charge to settle in and get their balance right

I have seen this behaviour (referring to the soc not being 90 when 90 is set) on lithiums whose cells are not balancing internally.

Ess code or reason states also there ess#1 and #2

The key for these codes is:

#1: SOC is low

#2: BatteryLife is active

#3: BMS disabled charging

#4: BMS disabled discharge

#5: Slow Charge in progress (part of BatteryLife, see above)

#6: User configured a charge limit of zero.

#7: User configured a discharge limit of zero.


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Riaad Abdulla avatar image
Riaad Abdulla answered ·

Thanks @Alexandra - I have had my Pylontech batteries and Multiplus II since 2020. I have just recently installed solar panels (last week).

So if I get those error codes like #2 BatteryLife is active... is it really an error since you suggested that I can use it with BatteryLife or without. I do not see any errors currently and my plan is the following:

- I have set mode to Optimized without BatteryLife


- I have SOC minimum to 85%


- I will write a Cron job to change "Limit Inverter Power" from 3000w to 0w at 16:00 every day (this will allow me to charge the batteries for the next morning using solar)


- I will write a Cron job to change "Limit Inverter Power" from 3000w to 0w at 06:00 every day


(this will allow me to use some battery power in the morning to power loads until solar is more available from 08:00)

Please let me know your thoughts? Am I on the right track? I am trying to limit the constant charging and then discharging of the batteries at night.

2 comments
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Riaad Abdulla avatar image Riaad Abdulla commented ·
Just read the link on the codes and some of them aren't errors... more like notifications/status codes. Thanks I understand that now.
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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

No sorry, it is not an error, not a good choice of wording on my part. It is more of a reason for its behaviour.

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