Hello, I have a PV installation managed by Enphase. I wanted to add a 14 kW battery kit. I simply connected the input to my installation and was able to charge the battery, but I have to manage it manually; otherwise, it draws power from the grid. I just want to store my surplus, not draw power from the grid. I’ve gone through all the settings in VEConfigure and VictronConnect, but I can’t find anything to configure this sensor. I’ve tried every possible combination and wiring arrangement… the manual really isn’t great, though. Victron was sold to me as top quality, but there must be better options for configuration, I hope. I installed ESS, but it’s the same story — there isn’t much to configure. I’m stumped; I can’t find anything online or on the forums.
Do you have a Cerbo or other GX device in the system to manage the charging? The inverter won’t be able to do this on it’s own.
The first thing to do is to describe your installation to us properly.
- Which inverter/charger?
- Which battery?
- Which sensor?
- Which GX?
- Is the ESS Assistant installed?
- How is everything wired?
The solution to your problem involves having a GX, the ESS Assistant installed on a MultiPlus, and communication between the battery (its state of charge) and the GX.
The Victron system works well when it is installed and configured correctly for the intended use.
Hi, no, I don’t have a GX, but I’m starting to realise I’m going to need one, even if I don’t want to do anything special—just store the surplus.
Hello, I have a 6 kW Enphase installation and I’ve started building a battery made up of 16 3.2 V cells with a JK BMS. I’ve installed a Victron MultiPlus-II, but I’m already having several problems. I’ve only wired it up temporarily, through a circuit breaker, so that it can charge and my battery can balance itself. However, I thought I would be able to use it as both a charger and an inverter through a single AC-in input, but I can’t see how to configure this input to do both. When it is charging, it shows up as output 1, and then no longer does.
I understand that I’m going to need a Cerbo GX, which I’ll order, but I don’t think it can communicate with Enphase, so I’ll still need the current clamp. I don’t know how to position it or which way round it should go, and I can’t find any information about this. One last point: what’s the best way to wire it into the consumer unit? All my ways in are full, but I should be able to find a space, or connect it at the head of the line. And does the MultiPlus have to be protected by a circuit breaker?
You mustn’t take risks with the safety of the electrical installation. There is a real risk of causing a fire due to errors in installing the equipment. If the installation has not been approved by Consuel, the home insurance provider will very likely refuse to cover the damage.
Basically, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, take the time to think it through carefully and ask competent people for advice, or ask a qualified person to carry out your installation.
Yes, you need a circuit breaker upstream of the AC IN, but not a 30 mA RCD. Its rating depends on the Multiplus-II model and the cable cross-section between it and the circuit breaker.
The best approach is to install an interconnection board for the sources and loads, incorporating the grid supply, photovoltaic generation, storage system, backed-up output from the storage system, and the supply or supplies (normal and/or backed-up) leading to the main distribution board.
The Enphase gateway can now be integrated with the GX via Modbus TCP. This means you don’t need to install an energy meter to monitor PV production.
Don’t hesitate to draw a diagram to illustrate what you’re working on. Send it to us. It will then be easier for us to understand what you’re doing, and we’ll be able to advise you better.
If you haven’t read the ESS documentation, I highly recommend it. You’ll find many answers to your questions there.
I ordered the GX. As for protection, I’ll fit whatever’s needed. It’s just that I thought I’d seen that you could use the IN/OUT input… In the end, my cable will end up in the same place on the splitter.
The system can operate with only the MultiPlus-II’s AC IN connected to the electrical installation. In this case, it can store the energy produced by the PV panels and feed it back when demand exceeds production (particularly at night). However, in this configuration, it cannot supply power to the electrical installation (or part of it) during a grid outage.
Yes, if the AC OUT is connected as you show in this diagram. However, it seems to me that this was not Sebdu15’s original intention.
I may have misunderstood what he said.
On AC out, you only connect the loads you want to back up (no-break loads). Personally, as I hardly ever have power cuts, I haven’t connected anything. In fact, the MP2GX is used like any ordinary appliance, simply connected to the consumer unit via a circuit breaker on the AC in.
Hi, yes, I had installed the sensor like that… I tried it every way round, but I can’t see any difference. Now I’m trying it with the Cerbo GX, but I don’t really see what extra benefit it gives me. I can’t find anything else for configuring the current sensor. I’ve wired everything up correctly with circuit breakers, but I can’t see what to do in the programming, even though what I want to do is really simple. I don’t understand it.
The external current sensor is a remote version of the internal sensor that measures AC IN. When you use it, the values reported for the Multiplus-II’s AC IN are those from the sensor rather than the actual values at AC IN. There is nothing else to check and nothing to configure.
As I have no experience with this sensor, I think that if there is no arrow indicating the positive counting direction, the Multiplus-II detects the direction automatically and adjusts the values accordingly.
To understand what this sensor does for you, you need to understand how ESS works in your particular setup. Have you read and understood the ESS documentation? There are lots of subtleties that are difficult to understand on the first reading.
ESS allows you to set a grid setpoint, which is a point in the electrical installation where the Multiplus-II will try to maintain an energy import or export value defined by the user. This metering point is either an external meter, or the AC IN measurement of the Multiplus-II, which can be moved remotely using the sensor. In your case, without an external meter, ESS would not work if you did not have this sensor, because it would try to maintain the grid setpoint at the Multiplus-II input, ignoring everything on the AC IN side, whereas all your loads are on the AC IN side. With this sensor, the Multiplus-II will try to balance the electrical installation according to the grid setpoint at the location where the sensor is installed. So it needs to be installed upstream of all the other circuits, that is, on the Enedis supply. In this configuration, the system sees all loads (consuming circuits) as being on the AC OUT, even though this is not physically the case. The only way to distinguish between consumers on the AC IN side and those actually on the AC OUT side is to use a proper meter instead of this sensor.
The point in the electrical installation where the sensor is installed allows the system to determine whether the generation system (your Enphase microinverters) is exporting energy. When the installation is exporting energy, ESS on the GX instructs the Multiplus-II to charge the battery. Conversely, if the installation is not producing enough energy, ESS on the GX instructs the Multiplus-II to generate power to supply the consuming circuits and balance the grid setpoint. The Multiplus-II therefore discharges the battery.
Have you wired the BMS to the Cerbo correctly, and can the Cerbo GX see the battery properly?
Have you configured ESS correctly?
I opened Cerbo GX, but I can’t see what else I can configure in it. I tested it by switching off the input, and it starts up correctly on Output 2, but I can’t work out which settings I’m missing. I’ve been trying to figure it out all day. I’ve also sent messages to the supplier.
I couldn’t find the battery on GX, no… I tried several ports.
From what little can be seen in the photos, I presume it is a 4.5k MultiPlus-II installed in a garage or workshop, some distance from the main consumer unit and the Enedis supply connection.
This project was poorly prepared and is currently non-compliant. Nevertheless, it should work if the sensor is placed in the right location, the battery’s BMS communicates with the Cerbo, and the ESS assistant is installed on the MultiPlus-II.
I’m behind the main distribution board, so there’s 50 cm of 3G6 cable between the two. It’s mainly to work out the correct communication ports; with Enphase, it’ll be USB with the MK3, I imagine, and the other one is Ethernet.
From what you say, I imagine that the main distribution board would be on the other side of the wall. The connection points for the inverter and the generation system on the electrical installation are aspects that require attention. Errors that create a risk of overcurrent due to multiple sources (Enedis, PV system, storage) are often seen. Connecting to a sub-distribution board makes this more complex. Ideally, the storage system should be connected to a source interconnection board upstream of the main distribution board.
From what I have often read (particularly in this thread), the JK BMS is wired in the same way as Pylontech batteries, using a type A cable. The VE.Can port must also be configured with the CAN-bus BMS (500 kbit/s) profile.
The Enphase gateway is not connected using a USB/MK3 cable. It can be integrated via Modbus TCP, or a meter connected via RS485 or Ethernet can be installed. It can also be integrated via Node-RED as a virtual meter, but that is not the simplest option. Ultimately, integrating the PV generation system is not essential for ESS to operate.