I am interested in building a grid connected ESS system in US with no feedback to the public: is this the correct forum? If not, which is the correct forum? TIA
There is no US-specific grid code provided for ESS in North America. You have to use grid code “Other”.
However, no power company in the US has approved Victron gear running
ESS to my knowledge. UL1741 certification is available for several multiplus and quattro models. This helps, but without explicit UL1741SA and SB support, many jurisdictions will not approve the interconnection with ESS.
Backfeed for a second or two will always occur with ESS when large loads turn off. This is a consequence of a physical system not able to respond fast enough. By the time the exported current is measured at the CTs on the grid meter, it is already too late.
Whether or not this small backfeed is detectable and actionable depends on the capability of your utility meter and the policies of the power company. Running ESS without an interconnect agreement can cause the following outcomes: no problems (they don’t care), a notification from the power company, a visit from the power company, or disconnection of service. It depends.
If you already have an interconnect agreement with the power company from an earlier system, you may be able to interconnect without approval, but there can be legal consequences to that as well.
Are you aware of any people who have hooked up ESS in the US and what settings they used?
I’ve seen some posts from people who have done it, but no, I don’t have a list.
I ran ESS for over two years without any problems, as my ancient spinning wheel power meter could not detect and report any exported power. However, the PoCo is about to replace that meter with a new smart meter that can detect even the smallest amount of backfeed, so I’ve removed the ESS assistant and am now cycling the batteries every day.
What settings are you interested in?
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…I think we need a forum for American users of grid-connected Victron hardware.
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What would you like to know? The first question is: do you have a smart meter? The second: do you have an interconnect agreement already in place.
I have a NEM and two bidirectional meters. My concern is that they installed a second meter that sits on my solar feed to the breaker panel. This second meter monitors solar production only, and I assume is used to double check the main meters “production” numbers. I don’t want to grid feed. I just want to support my loads and have backup power if the power goes out. If I were in a power outage state, I would disconnect.
Is there a way to have the MPii trigger an output when grid is detected as down?