I currently have a x15 Quattro48/10000 set up in a 3-phase configuration (5 units each phase). The system is off-grid and boosted by a 175 kW generator each evening for a few hours. Recently one Quattro on Phase 3 has been overloading during generator operation.
I have been able to temporarily remedy the problem by lowering the input current limit to 95A down from 110A. However, that 110A is what it has run at for the past 5 months without issue.
Previously the system has overloaded at generator startup/when the Victrons first accept the power, however these recent overloads have occurred hours into generator operation.
What could have the caused this Quattro to suddenly not be able to handle the incoming current?
Thank you
0 Answers
Hello,
i have a question about a off-grid system.
We have a existing off-grid system with 3 quattro's and BYD LVL battery's.
We are thinking about adding a multiplus 2 and connect this to the grid and help to charge the battery on the dc side. Can we connect the multiplus to the cerbo on the offgrid system?
Or just install the multiplus as a standalone charger?
Any remarks? Is this even possible?
3 Answers
Hi,
I have installed in my campervan a 315W solar panel + victron MPPT 100/30 + AGM battery 190Ah C10. Everything worked properly during nearly a year. It's been a few days that my MPPT is showing a very strange behaviour when being in Absorption mode.
First of all, the voltage is not kept constant during absorption as it should. The received power keep oscillating between 0W and the maximum power that the PV cell can provide. It looks to me that the MPPT cannot find the maximum power point anymore. Eventually the battery started to make a slight bubbling noise.
I lowered the absorption votlage such that the system could go into float mode and still this strange oscillating behaviour shows up.
Below the configurations and some sceenshots of the status;
[image]
[image]
[image]
[image]
Could someone help me with this issue? Might it be an MPPT issue, ... ?
Any help woul be very appreciated.
Sacha
3 Answers
Hello, I need help to configure a Multiplus II 3000 with 2 Narada 48NPFC100 lithium batteries in a PV system with 2 SMA Sunny Boy 1.5 in an off-grid system. The system is working fine and charging the batteries until for some reason unknown to me, the Multiplus raise the frequency and shuts down the SMA inverters (also the electricity in the house) even when the batteries are not fully charged. My supplier in Chile for both Narada Batteries and Victron Multiplus doesn´t answer my queries and I don´t trust in the batteries and charger configuration (VEConfigure and ESS) that the supplier gave me earlier. If more info is needed please ask me for it. Any help will be very appreciated.
Info from last 3 days:
[image]
VEConfigure:
[image]
ESS:
[image]
PS: may be @NicoV or @Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) can help me? Thanks!!!
1 Answer
My system is ~3 months old and has been working well through our NZ summer, but, on cloudy days the battery voltage drops into the <50% SoC range. With winter coming up, I am trying to prioritise between adding battery capacity or adding panels. My sense is that it's 'now or never' for battery because I hear that new batteries adopt the 'age' of existing batteries.
My question is, what information produced by the system should lead me to decide on more batteries or more panels? Hoping someone can help...
My off grid system comprises:
Our power draw averages around 250 W 24x7 plus 30 W for the EasySolar II GX itself. VRM says over last 30 days, consumption has been 171 kWh and production 192 kWh. I haven't found anywhere that VRM (or the remote console) tells me "but production would be higher by X if you had more storage".
Hope someone with more experience can help.
Thanks, Graham
5 Answers
Hello!
I have spent many hours and days to make my offgrid system to perform an equalization charge on my OPZS batteries. I am now almost absolutely certain that my system will never manage to perform it properly unless Victron makes changes to the process. To be more specific.
I have a Multiplus 24/5000 an MPPT 150/70 (2000W panels installed) and a fronius 3.0 (5000W panels installed) on the ac out.
If I programm the MPPT to perform an automatic equalization, it will start the process after it has finished the absorption face. But as soon as the voltage increases the ac coupled Fronius dicreases its output to 0W and stops taking care of the AC loads of the house. So the MPPT power is distributed to the AC loads and what is left tries to equalize the battery. If the ac loads increase the things get even worse! The Fronius continues to give 0W an the the demand of the AC load comes from the MPPT and from the battery! So although there is plenty of solar power to manage the load and perform the equalization the fronius stays closed and the battery starts to discharge! Even if the volatge of the battery drops bellow the float voltage, the fronius stll stays closed!
If I manually start an equalization on the Multiplus together with the MPPT, thing are better, but the Fronius only gives a small percentage of the loads and does not give its full power.
If on the other hand I try to start an equalization only on the Multiplus from the CCGX, then the MPPT switches of and the fronius has to take care of the loads and the equalization at the same time.
This is very disappointing ! Practically my batteries will never equalize and they will be finally damaged.
Is there any change that Victron will improve the firmware of the Multiplus so it can take care of the loads when the MPPT is trying to equalize?
In the pictures below you can see that the MPPT is trying to cover the loads and the equalization while Fronius is closed.
[image]
3 Answers
I want to use lg chem resu in my rv with my existing multiplus II I want to know can I use Lg chem resu 6.5 to power my rv
1 Answer
I've had this 100/30 victron setup.for.over 3 years now...why today when there has been zero activity in it's local, does it turn to "off"?? What to.fix?
1 Answer
Hi All
Skylla with Quattro setup
I am from South Africa, so some of you will know that except for the constant looming of loadshedding , our electrical grid is in a bad state.
When ever one wants to install a Grid Connected solar system, does not matter what brand or type, Grid Tied or Hybrid, when you connect the input of your inverter to ESKOM( our power utility) in the country side you need to hand in an application first with all plans and designs prior to installation. Even if you do not plan on feeding back to the grid. They are very strict regarding this. Which is understandable, but very frustrating and tedious and can take very long.
When connecting to municipality in a town they are somehow and somewhat less strict.
This leads me to my question, and please direct me to the relevant thread if this has been covered somewhere else. Also do not hesitate to shut my train of thought down if it is not possible or not legal. I am merely pondering with ideas around a problem lots of customers and installers face
Is it at all possible to have the following system :—Grid point transformer is a 50kVa point—
So any loads on the system cannot ex
3 X Quattro 15 KVA 3 phase setup (no AC input)
6 x 250/100 MPPT
40 kw PV array for MPPTs
Fimer or Fronius 50 kVa string inverter on AC output of Quattros
50kW array for string inverter
100
kWh lithium battery bank
3 x Skylla TG 48V in paralell to charge battery bank (specified hours at night or cloudy days)
Cerbo GX
All relevant fusing and isolation and earthing of course.
The important part is an 3 phase automatic on load change over switch.
Once the battery reaches a certain SOC a relay can be triggered to energise a contactor to automatically switch the load back to grid.
Center changeover
It is important that the hybrid and pv inverters are not connected to the grid what so ever.
The only grid connection is the Skylla chargers that feed the batteries if needed.
This way you are not completely off grid witch is fine because the main goal is minimal reliance on the grid without the time consuming and difficult long process.
Perhaps someone gan assist me or advise me if this train of thought is completely off the rails.
Thank you
0 Answers
We are designing and off grid system with a solar array though a couple of Smart MTTPs. There is almost certainly a Cerbo GX in the system. During the day when the SOC reaches 100% we would like to be able to send any further solar energy to a simple DC heater. This would need to switch out when the MTTP were no longer exceeding the normal system load.
We hoped to program the Cerbo relay to control a high power relay. Is this possible. Or is there another way. I noted the Cerbo info state "diverts excess (solar) power to self-consumption" but fail to find an explanation.
Many thanks for all contributions
Andy
1 Answer
Howdy! I'm looking for a little help as I've figured out the beginning and end of my solar set-up but it seems like there's multiple ways to fill out the middle. I was originally piecing together a build based off of youtube but I like the idea of a mostly victron system where I can still cheap out on a couple of the components.
Here's what I'm working with so far:
My panels are going to be wired in series so I've been eyeing up the EasySolar II since it seems capable of handling the 200v input from the panels. I will be using 120VAC and 12VDC in the bus so I need to figure out the best way to handle the 240VAC output from an easy solar II unit.
Alternatively, it seems like I could just get a 250|70 mppt solar controller and work that into a cheaper 2000W 24V inverter connected to a battery monitor and then the battery bank.
Will there be a 120v easysolar ii coming out? Is there a different product(s) that makes better sense for assembling my system?
Side question: how feasible/complicated/expensive would it be to integrate my 24v solar power system with the 12v system of the schoolbus?
Thanks in advance for any insight!
2 Answers
Hi All
Looking for some brainy Victron experts to help me with a problem installation. (Background: I work for a company that installs alternative power systems and we install 5-6 systems a month, predominantly using Victron Energy equipment)
The setup:
3 x Quattro 15kVA in an off-grid application using AC & DC-coupled solar on a Pylontech battery bank.
4 x Victron SmartSolar 250/100 Solar Charge Controllers
1 x Fronius Symo 15.0 AC coupled PV inverter
12 x Pylontech US3000 Lithium Batteries
Victron Cerbo GX with Touch Display
Setup: Off-Grid with a generator (80kVA)
PV Inverter Support Assistant installed
I get sporadic occurrences of notification #1 Device Switched Off, where the Phase 1 master inverter simply switches off.
What I have tried:
1. I have updated to firmware version 476 and replaced all VE.BUS cables with Victron supplied cables.
2. I have also tried replacing the phase L1 master inverter with a new Victron Quattro 15kVA Inverter.
3. I have tried to analyse all the available data on VRM, but I cannot see any drop in DC bus voltage, an overload from AC output or excessive generation from the Fronius PV.
When it occurs, all of the LED's on the Phase L1 Master simply go out, and the other two inverters present an LED sequence indicating that they are missing (not detecting) the master.
30s later the Phase L1 master restarts and the 3 inverters begin inverting again. No alarm in the VRM alarm logs. Only a notification on the Victron Cerbo GX indicating #1 device has switched off.
Would really appreciate some help.
2 Answers
This is a new installation made up of the following components:
My issue is the system works flawlessly until it gets to about 96% battery charge at which time it becomes unstable and oscillates from 0-300 amps of charge until the Quattros shut down and restart. I have the charge current set a 50 amps and the Core 1 is set to "Island" mode. I'm testing without generator so there is no AC1 power.
Any help would be appreciated.
0 Answers
Hi all!
I recently bought a Victron MPPT controller and I installed it yesterday at a remote location that gets attened once a month.
I have fed it with two 300W panels in series giving me 80V@10A (Overkill I know but those are the panels available to me)
I have installed 10A circuit breakers on both the Positive and Negative before the PV feeds into the Controller. Cable for the PV is 4mm2
I have the Controller charging two identical lead acid truck batteries in series - their capacity would be 300 to 400AH combined. Setting is at 24V. Cable for the charge cable is 10mm2
Using bluetooth I set the charging algorithim to the "Default 2" setting at the advice of an off the grid electrician.
Can you guys give me advice as to how safe this setup is? I am primarily worried about the Charging Algorithim as the descriptions didn't seem to fit exactly with my battery hardware.
Thank you!
1 Answer
In solar battery charger systems, the battery requires less power when nearing the end of charge, but the solar panels (or turbines) can still deliver useful power. This could be exploited for heating, cooling, pumping, lighting etc. However, most potential power consumers draw a fixed power, often more than is available, so a system will cycle or tend to draw power from the battery, depending on how it is configured. For resistive loaded (eg heating elements and led lights) a "dimming" function could be implemented to match the excess power to the load. The dimming PWM output is already available in streetlight mode.
What I am proposing is a software addition that comes into play when the battery reaches float charge. It would implement a control loop to adjust the PWM output so as to maintain the float voltage while maximising the power into the load. The SmartSolar MPPT chargers already have all the input data required to generate the control signal.
The PWM signal could drive a standard dimmer, but might also a Victron new product opportunity. For example, I have a need to direct surplus energy to an 800W 240Vac heating element in a camper-van.
2 Answers
I would like to know how to manage the excess PV production once the batteries are full and all electric needs are supplied. I want to send that exceedance to a water heater for an off-grid. Thanks
4 Answers
Hi All,
I'm planning off-grid system with PV and wind turbine. Based on the initial research I think that MyPv Ac-Thor is able to work as a dump-load for the wind turbine. I would also like to include a hot water boiler as prime excess power load.
I found this page https://www.victronenergy.com/live/actor_offgrid but there is no information about how to configure AC PV Inverter.
If I "define Frequency start value 50.1Hz and the Frequency end value 51Hz" in Quattro and Ac-Thor my guess is that AC PC inverter should have some offset e.g. start 51Hz end 52Hz. If all three have the same range PV Inverter will lower it's output so there won't be excess power for Ac-Thor, am I right?
I would like to use dump load only for wind turbine after boiler reaches target temperature. I'm not sure if this can be achieved using only one Ac-Thor.
[image]
Two units with following configuration seems to make sens:
1. First Ac-Thor 50.1Hz - 51Hz -> hot water boiler
2. AC PV Inverter 51Hz - stop
3. Second Ac-Thor 51Hz - 52Hz -> dump load for the wind turbine
Am I missing some better solution?
Thanks for your help!
1 Answer
I'm turning a truck into a campervan/housetruck, and since I have the roof space I would like to use excess solar to run a small hot water system. I have 12x200W (40V@5A) panels, and I'm thinking 24V to match the truck. The loads will total less than 3000VA because I'm willing to use one cooking appliance at a time (I have been doing this already as a test). I'd rather ask dumb questions of online forums than people trying to make a living selling solar setups, so here I am :)
I think I want something like this: either MPPT 150/100 (3s4p, 120V strings) or MPPT 250/100 (6s2p, 240V strings) feeding a Multiplus 24/3000/70 with a Color Control GX and BMV-702 battery monitor. In Australia a Sentry 24V/150AH is $4000 ($1.05/Wh, charge at 60A) while the Victron 24/200 is $6695 ($1.35/wh, charge at 100A) and I'm not keen on spending the extra $3000 if I don't have to. I don't need the extra storage, just the extra charge current acceptance.
Hot water can be either 240V AC or 24V DC, element changes are easy. And the thermostat will cut power when the tank is hot enough.
The question is how I get the power diversion to work. I'm told it can be done but I have been wandering round the Victron website feeling lost. Please advise.
Second question: if I want to limit charge current to 60A, can I use a MultiPlus 24/3000/70 rather than needing a 24/5000/100 and program it to limit the charge current?
thanks for any help
8 Answers
Does anyone know which cells are used in the superpack? From the Material Safety Data Sheet it is clear that these cells are no longer winston cells but regular LFP cells (still rated for storage down to-40C)
0 Answers
Hi everyone!
About to install an Easysolar II gx system in my mountain cottage in Norway (-37 C this winter). My first off grid move and the fact of there being Victron is amazing. Thx!!
To make it as clear as possible: my question is NOT about charge or discharge but solely about idle storage aka long term effects of freezing electrolytes (freeze point being -30/35 C)
Neither interested in battery heating nor LTO solutions
Most LFP manufacturers define cold storage limit as: -20C
Only Victron and Mastervolt (which both use Winston cells (LYP) spec the batteries to -45C
Failed finding any real test data except one very interesting study that shows that deep freeze ( cryogenic freezing ) got no harmful effect.
This study does not address temperature-fluctuations around freeze point, and only measures short term effects. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/119502/13...erflash-cryogenic-freezing-Grandjean-2019.pdf.
It does match my understanding though that the electrolytes do NOT expand when it freezes (unlike water). If so any LFP battery would actually survive sub -30C temperatures ! ?
....this is a technical fringe question and I could just go with the winston/victron/lyp solution but if someone got the science/information I would really appreciate!
the best to you all, Nilo
2 Answers
Hello,
I'm wondering if the small SMA inverters supports the "OFF-Grid 50" country code. Unfortunately SMA support doesn't answer. I know SB 3.0 and above do, but the smaller ones are not listed. Does anyone know and uses one in an offgrid installation with multiplus/quattro/phoenix? How does it perform?
The "problem" with Fronius is that is has a relatively high nominal voltage and efficiency at lower workload/voltages is pretty bad. Although Fronius has a wider frequency bandwith I would prefer an SB 2.5 since my daily load is only between 250-1000W at most of the times.
Thank you very much!
regards,
porcini
2 Answers
Hello all,
I'm working on an off-grid setup and getting a bit stuck on sizing the PV array and finding the appropriate MPPT. I have roof space for 18 panels, facing South @ 60deg angle, single surface (shading is not an issue) and want to maximize production in the winter, maybe even oversizing the array somewhat to compensate for the lack of sun, if this makes sense.
- MultiPlus-II 48/5000/70-50-GX
- 3x Pylontech US 3000C 72Ah 48V
- SmartSolar MPPT 250/100 Tr VE.Can
- 16x 360W-24V Mono - trying to find the optimal capacity
- backup diesel generator
1. How would it be optimal to wire the panels? The calculator suggests this MPPT in 3 series/6 parallel configuration, but the min. PV voltage @ max temp seems out of the ideal range (84.4V).
2. Would I benefit from using higher capacity solar panels, e.g. 450Wp, in terms of having more reserves during winter? If so, would I need to daisy chain an additional MPPT?
[image]
Any advice, suggestions, pointers appreciated.
Thanks in advance, cheers,
Peter
1 Answer
For an 3 fase offgrid system with 3 Quattros - will be feeding 2 motors that are controlled by two WEG frequency drives (CFW500)
Is there any risk of that the frequency drives create a bad harmonic that can effect the Quattro inverter.
If yes, how can this be avoided?
Thank you in advance for your thoughts/solutions.
0 Answers
Hello everyone :D,
please check my schematich below. Feel free to criticize the schematich.
Here are some side notes:
This PV schematich is intended to be installed in Germany on a camper van. 80% of the time it is off grid and 20% on grid. Since I have not a GND connection on the DC side, I want to protect the postive side as well as the negative side, as it also proclaims the German Law. 3 x Pylontech US2000 batteries are used. The PE is connected in our case to a grounding strap for cars, which touches the surface of the asphalt.
Here are some short things, where I am unsure:
Should I connect the PEoff the Grid to the PE from the van. The MCCB at the Multiplus is really obsolete in my opinion, beacause all supply lines (which go to the multiplus) are protected. Unsure about the ESS, because it is actually only for on grid applications, maybe a HUB2v2 is a better option, but no one is using it.
https://www.victronenergy.com/live/assistants:hub1_and_hub2_notes#disqus
[image]
1 Answer
I recently Upgraded to SmartSolar Charger MPPT 100/50 for my RV setup. I presently have 3- 160W (8.38A) Flex panels run in parallel to the charger (based on advice for my previous 30A PWM charge controller).
I am looking to add a 4th panel to the setup and more storage capacity. my question is wether I should add it in Parallel as well or should i rewire for series or series/parallel for this new controller? attached is previous wiring Diagram with old charge controller for reference.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
[image]
3 Answers
Hello everyone,
the manual states(Multiplus 48/3000), that the Phase from the Grid should be connected to the Phase-In from the Inverter. Due to the mobile usage of the Inverter, the Inverter shall be connected to the Grid with a Schuko plug https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Schuko_plug_and_socket_annotated.png/240px-Schuko_plug_and_socket_annotated.png. However the right plugging of the schuko plug is not always ensured, because you can plug the schuko plug in two ways (Not turned Phase to Phase, and turned Phase to Neutral). Does somebody know a device, that stops the current from follwing when the device is not connected properly?
2 Answers
Full disclosure: I'm pretty out of my depth when it comes to things like this, so I expect to need a lot of help. Thanks to everyone in advance.
I'm putting together a solar-powered outdoor fridge and food pantry using a Dometic CRX-80 minifridge (12V DC, ~50W, <2amp draw) and a JA Solar 395W panel (49.64 Voc, 10.27 Isc). I'm planning to purchase an AGM battery/batteries and a Victron SmartSolar charge controller, probably the 100/15 since it has the heatsink that the 75/15 lacks.
I need help figuring out the ideal battery capacity, choosing a good battery that can ship to Hawaii, confirming my choice of charge controller, and also figuring out what other things (wires/fuses/accessories/etc) I'll need to order. Please advise!
3 Answers
Hi,
We have just replaced batteries with Pylontech US3000 x 2 on an existing off grid solar system. We are getting a high voltage warning with the SOC at 81%. We have updated all the firmware to the lastest release as directed on the victron and pylontech page.
Here are the details of the system
Victron easy solar with 48V, 3KVA Multiplus, 150/70 blue solar MPPT, 2 x US3000 Pylontech Batteries.
Firmware Versions
CCGX - V2.63
MultiPlus 3KVA - V2620459
MPPT 150/70 - V1.54
VRM Portal ID - 508cb1e4251b
Please Help
3 Answers
Off-Grid system has 2 x Quattro 48/10000 in Parallel with 24 x Pylontech US2000 & LV HUB, Cerbo GX, Lynx Distribution system inc Lynx Shunt, 2 x 250/100 VE.Can MPPTs ground array, 2 x Fronius 6KW PV Inverters roof array. Perking 12kVA Generator. All kit a few months old. All Firmware updated to the very latest.
Following the Victron documentation Pylontech (Type B cable) to Cerbo VE.Can BMS connections. MPPTs and Lynx Shunt to Cerbo VE.Can connections. Quattros to VE.Bus connections. DVCC enabled, settings as per the book.
Problem: With CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s) CAN-profile in the CCGX as per the book, the MPPTs and Lynx Shunt disappear. They reappear if the baud rate is set to 250 kbit/s. Various problems manifesting such as auto-run generator stops working etc.
Am aware that others have had similar issues with the 250/500 kbit/s conflict. Any suggestions how to get round this - thinking switch the MPPTs to VE.Direct connection instead of Can but hate work-arounds and want the correct solution!
Thanks in advance!
1 Answer
Here is the topic, i have builded and installed many system since i began working with victron products, it's the first time that i see this kind of trouble.
My system is builded on a sheet of aluminum 1/8 thickness where everything is located on it as: quattro, lynx bus system and distributor bars, solar MPPT 250/100, aux. centaur charger 24/60, AC main panel, ccgx and wiring cleanly strapped, not the first like that and they all juste work roundly all the time.
System work's fine for the most part, everything is stable and silent unless i hook up a generator to this offgrid system, in my shop when i tested on my test bench i heard no noise or harshness from the inverter when i hooked it up to the grid to charge my testing battery bank but at the customer place oh boy!
so when it's hooked up (brand new honda eg5000cl) the inverter already start humming a bit then when the charger ramp up to max output it is very concerning like a rattle humming noise unequal making the generator sometime lead to disconnection temporarily and reconexion after 1-2 min.
Even when i totally isolate the AC panel from the inverter by flipping the main AC breake i still have this bad noise so i don't think it is comming from AC directly, i found some ground/neutral loop in this house that i immediatly solved to clear few trouble makers but the only way to tame the noise is to isolate the battery bank from the quattro charger it return to a normal noise.
I stabbed a 10 foot ground rod near the generator and hooked up to the house ground rod to help draining any noise directly out of the generator but it gives nothing.
i tryed a dummy battery bank with 4 Rolls S-550 PBA battery instead of connectiong it to the large rolls 2ks 1866ah bank that already ave 5 years but it's the same problem so it's not the battery.
i tryed many ground to neutral placement in the electrical panel( bonded to neutral or direct to frame and insulated from neutral) just to check but nothing helped, my generator is connected to input 1 since i don't have grid there, i tryed with a multiplus just before because my customer was in trouble and needed a system ASAP and it was even worse so it's not the inverter directly.
Something i noticed from the generator was when it ramp up to the charger max power output it will give the hiccups to my generator even if we are only loaded at 21A/30A AC i can hear my generator in the inverter and also the hiccups happening randomly.
it should be pretty silent normally so im mesmerized what it could be when it's working great in my shop, i heard NE relay chatter could cause a rattle hum noise, would it be that loud and accentuating with load? if so why? and is it a good option to just manually toggle the NE ground relay in the software if my main neutral ground bound is in the main AC panel and that the sheet itself serve here as a common ground/heat spreader/frame bonding everything.
Could it be my aluminum sheet magnetically vibrating because of the inverter high power output? if so i would feel it in the wall and the generator would not throbble like that!
well im rubbing my head like a monkey there let me know your tought! i can acces the system via VRM if needed to test thing remotely or go on site if i have good cues, my next step was to swap with a different generator like a yamaha 7200 and run a new ac cable from the gen if it was doing nothing more to help.
3 Answers