The ESS manual says that for controlling the MPPT with VE.Can port through ESS the only requirement is:
MPPT with VE.Can port
No special configuration is necessary. Make sure the Device instance is configured to 0 (the default). MPPTs in the VE.Can network configured to a different Device instance will not be managed by ESS.
However, my MPPT is not being controlled by ESS. My Multiplus II and the MPPT are recognized by the Venus system but the charging algorithm is yet the internal for each device.
Be aware that after updating an inverter the assistants need to be reinstalled and the inverter needs to be reconfigured.
With that battery the preferred method is using DVCC. Best practice is to also configure the devices separately so there are no problems when communication goes wrong.
The mppt will follow the ve bus charger settings.
So you do need to be deliberate there.
Source - i visited a silly installers set up and found that to be the case. Also no dvcc control or can managed battery (Even though it is on the compatible list). So it was working as expected from a voltage perspective.
That being said, always program all the charging parts the same.
That being said, always program all the charging parts the same.
Hi LX, Thx for replying. I do. MPPT, Multi and BMS have the same absorption and float voltages.
How do you know this?
Because when I take a look to the charging state it says âAbsorptionâ or âFloatâ instead of ESS or External controlled. And because very often when MPPT in on float the multi is in Absorption or vice versa. I would expect both to behave the same at the same voltages.
First of all dvcc is not set so there is no shared information there. So they are going work out their own things. This is where your set up will affect it to come degree as well. If there is volt drop or rise over a cable etc.
In ess it is possible to have different states as the mppt state in ess is not always tied to battery state.
In some cases it can even be in bulk (when the system is i float) as it should be directly supplying load in an ess system.
Try switch on dvcc. See if the mppts switch to external control.
Yes, in fact. But being this an ESS parameter they should mention it in the ESS manual as well.
On the other hand, the mention is made for âbattery charged modeâ which I donât use (I configured âOptimized with battery lifeâ). Thatâs why I say that they should mention it at ESS level.
It is not the same for every battery. I do actually have a system where DVCC is off and the system works well without it.
There is a few spots where DVCC is mentioned in the ESS manual.
There is alot to take in when you are new to the Victron environment and it can be easily missed.
That is why the forum exists as well.
This feature dynamically adjusts the Minimum State of Charge (Min SOC) upward, unless the grid fails, where it reverts to the lowest voltage setting for backup power.
I have my static Min SOC set at 5% without Battery Life. I only hit that 5% minimum maybe once a year.
If I used the âBattery Lifeâ setting, I would hit the new, higher minimum discharge level around 3-4 a.m. multiple times a year. Reaching that minimum disables export, meaning I will be using the grid instead of fully draining the battery down to 5%.
You should look at what you think is an acceptable min SOC. Some think its 20% others think 0% is ok.
The goal of âBattery Lifeâ is to preserve the life of the battery.
From the ESS manual:
âThe strength of this feature becomes apparent when you ask yourself, âWhy should the battery be allowed to remain fully discharged for long periods of time, leaving no reserve power in case of mains failure âŚand with the possible result of damaging the battery?â.â
But of course is up to any of us to use it or not. In my case, during winter if wouldnât use battery life my battery would be at 70% charge 2 or 3 days in a row. Too much rain and no sun⌠Using battery life it eventually reaches 100%. Recovering to normal values when sun starts to show up again.
I have some bad months, lots of rain, and heavy air conditioner use. I hit 0% 4 times and 100% only 6 times in Jan. I dont know what the result would be with battery life. The sustain voltage seems to work well once empty, restoring the safe voltage. I have 2 other smaller ESS that are upstream from my large system that support this one, so I have another 20kWh for backup.
If it works for you and you understand how it works, then itâs all good.
