What is the current state of ESS of Multi RS?

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libor asked May 15, '24

What is the current state of ESS of Multi RS?

I was reasured Multi RS can work in "solar first, battery next, grid last" settings, but I can also see, that the situation has been developing since the introductiton of the product. Some features were apparently still missing in December 2023.

Based on the posts "Optimized without battery life" is the correct option in the ESS menu. However, I couldn't find any details neither in ESS, VictronConnect, or Multi RS (or even EasySolar) manual about how does it work. Actually I couldn't find any hit for word "Optimized" in any of them. And if it was described in ESS manual, I wouldn't know if it applies to Multi RS.

Furthermore, I don't see ESS menu in the VictronConnect Demo at all. Several people pointed out it's incomplete (?).

So what is the status of "Island mode" Today? What options one typically needs to set for solar->battery->grid preference in this order? Are those preferences still missing from the Smart RS demo?

If I'm not mistaken, settings above would basically allow PowerAssist, but the opposite way from what's described in the manuals - that is AC input assists to the battery, correct? What happens, if SOC is high and solar is producing plenty, would the AC input still connect?

While I appreciate references to manuals (especially specific), I'd be especially happy to hear about practical settings people use in real island mode.

ESS Multi RS powerassist island mode

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Answer 1 · 2024-05-16T05:31:19Z

Alexandra answered · May 16 at 05:31 AM

@Libor

There aren't settings label grid first battery first solar first like the SUB on other brands.

Island mode and ESS are two different ways of operating as well. ESS mixes grid solar and battery depends on settings, whereas ac ignore (treats the grid like a generator as in the grid is the back up - inverter is the proma)

Your settings should work. They are nice and simple. Best way is to test it though to be sure.

For the ESS settings i just use optimised without battery life and set the SOC i want to use the battery down to and the system uses solar for loads and charging automatically. Grid set point is about 5-15W maybe (not adjustable). But obviously draws more depending on how other conditions are met.

If you want your solar to work in ESS rather than AC ignore, allow at least a 5% use of the battery. Then it wil prioritise solar over grid with little battery use. (SUB.)

If you allow a deeper draw like down to the 15% you are setting in your ac ignore, then it is basically setting (SBU.)

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libor commented · May 16 at 10:48 AM

Yes, SBU is what I'm after - minimizing grid utilization. I haven't purchased the Multi RS yet, but am about to. I see from 2022 posts that SBU wasn't back then possible, but recent remarks seem to confirm it is now possible.

You referenced ESS settings with "Optimized without battery life", but this is missing in the demo; or did I missed it? Also, unfortunately, the demo is static, so I can't see what effect changes have on the system behavior.

So there are two ways (ESS-->OWBL and AX-ignore), if I understand your remark correctly, not two sets of settings working together, as I thought. Is there any difference in how PowerAssist between the two? Ideally to use S+B and U only when needed.

And am I calling it even correctly, when all the manuals are describing PowerAssist as being "battery assisting grid" (not "grid assisting battery")? Based on comments the latter is working; it seems the manuals are just so USB-centric. Surprisingly even in EasySolar manuals, which seems to be marketed towards now trending SBU installations.

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Alexandra ♦ libor commented · May 16 at 11:59 AM

@Libor

It has always been possible but understanding how to do it was not well known. It is a totally different ecosysten in Victron.

Power assist is battery assisting grid.

Just looked now it us missing from the demo. This is what is available on my unit at home.

Current setting to S B U.

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libor Alexandra ♦ commented · May 16 at 05:42 PM

I just found the reference I was looking for:

...and that was why I wanted to know how the features exactly work Today, since it seems some things aren't supported (or were not as of Dec 23). It's not a small detail - charging from the grid will ruin ROI and needs to be avoided.

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libor Alexandra ♦ commented · May 16 at 01:58 PM

Nice, thank you. Now I now it's there and where to find it :-). And for sure missing in the Demo of VictronConnect.

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Answer 2 · 2024-05-17T07:17:26Z

Alex Pescaru answered · May 17 at 07:17 AM

Hi @Libor

Multi RS Manual, section 4.12.7. ESS controls.

Multi RS Manual, section 4.12.5. AC input control.

ESS Manual, section 6.2. BatteryLife.

ESS is implemented directly into the Multi RS firmware. Not so exhaustively like for the MultiPlus, where is assistant based, but just the essential parts that make it work as it should.

---------

Regarding the conversation you've quoted... I was wrong then... Like you, I hadn't discovered yet, at that time, all the features...

So, I can say now, because this is how it works on my system in this moment, that the Multi RS is doing all of the above. It checks all 4 points...

Optimized with/without BatteryLife works exactly as above.

Since the beginning of this year, with 2 x 5 x 460Wp panels and 13kW of storage, I am almost entirely off-grid. I am saying almost, because in two occasions in 4 months, the Multi RS, because of the bad weather and low battery, connected to the grid and consumed from grid until the next day, without charging the battery from grid and keeping the battery there at the minimum SoC that was set on the ESS page.

My energy bill is about 1-2 euros per month...

More of that, the other day, my wife, forgetting the "consumption education", draw with the washing machine and the clothes iron almost 4.5kW of instant power for a period of time. The Multi RS has connected to the grid because of the condition put in AC input control, but didn't used the grid at all !! The solar, because of the cloudiness supplied only 1kW of power and the battery, being well above the minimum SoC, supplied the difference, meaning 3.5kW (70A). But, not a watt from the grid!

So it works...

Also see this and my comment on Feb 1st: https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/256090/multi-rs-solar-ac-input-control-additional-option.html

Alex

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libor commented · May 18 at 12:06 AM

Thank you very much @Alex Pescaru ,

this was super helpful and I can mark the question as answered.

I've read most of the documentation, but reading it again and with context now makes much more sense.

You're lucky your wife only forgets about "consumption education", mine would need handcufs :-D. I use child locks where possible, like on the smart dishwasher to prevent to turn it on at 10 PM and think about a smart plug on the kettle; if I'll be able to get info about high loads from Multi RS/Cerbo GX into Alexa, it'd be easy to turn it off temporarilly. For the moment I have kettle on a direct grid socket, because it created some outages. Turned out the kettle wasn't 1.8 kW, but 3 kW, so I now bought a new one. Also since replacement unit, the power assist doesn't work well.

I am also (with the current cheap chinese inverter) mostly fully self-sufficient about 8 months a year nearly fully and the rest partially. Only el. oven and heat pump are always on the grid. Having 9.6 kW at the moment. I have a manual switch for the heat pump and I'm planning to replace it with a smart one and plan afternoon tank pre-heat cycles, if I'll be able to get SOC into Alexa (and weather is available, so only if sunny).

I can see myself in the future expanding the system, after I build a house extension with more south-facing panels. It would increase comfort, but not much utilization, which is already very high with one inverter.

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Answer 3 · 2024-05-22T04:23:36Z

Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager) answered · May 22 at 04:23 AM

Hi all,

Nice to see this question has been answered.

The situation with ESS on the Multi RS is still changing, but we have yet more news coming in another announcement soon, which should also help with bringing all the documentation and such up to date.

It has been something of a tight rope to walk to this point as this feature is developed given the rules and expectations around grid connection and compliance, but we are in sight now.

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andrii-podanenko commented · May 22 at 06:37 AM

Thanks for the update

Last ~16 beta has nice features for MultiRS - ESS can be controlled now from Cerbo GX, looking forward to empowering my setup with Dynamic ESS

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Alex Pescaru commented · May 22 at 07:41 AM

Hi @Guy Stewart (Victron Community Manager)

I have the feeling that InterSolar 2024 will be that "moment in time", right?...

Too bad that overlaps with the European Footbal Championship and it's so difficult to find a decent flight and accommodation on that period...

Well, maybe will be another occasions for us to meet. Hope dies last! :-))

Alex

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semlohnhoj commented · May 22 at 05:21 PM

Don't suppose the upcoming news will include an RS firmware update as well, or a schedule, or compatibility matrix for using several of these devices? I've got one Single tracker and one dual tracker Multi RS Solar and I think at least for grid code approvals (when they come in the UK) I'm eventually going to have to exchange the single for a dual? Am I correct?

I've noticed odd extra features slowly appearing in the beta GX firmware like the two Multi RS units I have are now grouped together as a single entity in the settings with the ESS mode and Minimum SOC as sub settings in there. Also, the ability to set ESS mode or Minimum SOC has appeared in NodeRed but under the individual Multi RS Nodes rather than as part of the GX device. Setting this on one RS copies the settings to the other as well which really threw me for a few days until I realised the GX was doing this (even when you set the values from VictronConnect via Bluetooth directly on one unit! :) ).

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