solar

Hello!
Are planning to develop a more powerful model of solar chargers in the SmartSolar line? For example, with a charging current of 150 amps.
Thanks!

I'm still trying to get my system to prioritise DC coupled solar when it is available to keep my batteries at 100%.

My system comprises: Multiplus 12/3000, Rpi running venus v2.66, BMV600s, DVCC on, 1400W of solar (overspec'd for winter), mppt100/50, 1480Ah UPS battery. (hence the desire to keep it charged). AC load of 1.2Kwh/day.

This is primarily a UPS system to cover power cuts and it works great for that. but I have DC solar so would like to prioritise it.

The way I understand it, the Mppt controller is a battery charger so it needs to see a load on the battery which drops it's voltage enough for the Mppt to pass current.

In order to load the battery, the multiplus ac input needs to be off (multi in inverter-only mode).

I can't feed back to the grid so can't use ESS.

I can manually switch the multi to inverter-only on sunny days via remote console and this works great but is a PITA and should ideally be automated.

Options I've tried:

lowering multi float and abs voltages by 0.1V below MPPT voltages. this works to an extent but only when the battery is under load or is partially depleted. (which makes sense)

lowering multi charge current, this still prioritises ac input for load use but does prioritise solar for charging a partially depleted battery. (which makes sense)

I've also fiddled around with venus coding to switch to inverter only when PV OC volts are high enough but I'm struggling to get it to work. I don't fully understand the venus coding.

Ideally I would do this in venus but-

Alternatively I could schedule when the multi switches between "inverter only" and "on" based on time of day or possibly using an irradiance sensor.

As a very basic way to get it working I'm going to try a time switch on the ac input to schedule the switching but this seems like a poor way to to do it when venus could schedule it.

I can't use the generator relay to do the scheduling as I use it for a generator.

I can't use the virtual switch as I use assistants for input current limit control.

I could use ignore ac input assitant based on SOC of battery but with such a big battery compared to the load it takes a while for it's SOC to drop low enough for the AC input to come on.

Has anyone else played around with this? would be good to bounce ideas off someone else.

Hello guys,

I have installed a 150/35 MPPT Smart Solar charger in my van and it is driving me crazy with the noise it produces. Once I disconnect the solar panels, the noise is gone.

[image]

Is this normal, something I have to live with or is there anything that can be done?

Thank you

Beste,

Ik heb thuis een multiplus II GX aangesloten op het Net met een 10Kw lithium batterij.

Alles in mooi aangesloten zoals het in de manual beschreven staat en het systeem werkt ook gewoon perfect, Maar nu is de keuring langs geweest om het systeem te keuren en dat wilde hij niet doen omdat de omvormer in serie was aangesloten met het electriciteitsnet en niet in parallel. (Ik vertelde hem dat dit systeem enkel maar in serie kan worden aangesloten en dat alle meet apparatuur vanbinnen in de multiplus aanwezig is, en dat dit toestel aan alle veiligheids voorzieningen voldoet en gekeurd is door Synergrid belgie)

Kan iemand mij helpen met info of voorbeelden van iemand anders die dit ook zo gedaan heeft thuis, zodat ik dit kan voorleggen aan de keurder? Of heb ik zelf iets over het hoofd gezien?

In bijlage de schets van hoe het is aangesloten:

[image]

[image]

Met vriendelijke groeten

Aaron

Hi Victron Community,

I want to convert my AC water heater to DC.

Can I connect my 12VDC 600 water heater element to the Load Out on my MPPT Solar Controller to run only when my batteries are full?

Here is my setup:

2 x 375w panels connected to a Victron MPPT SMART 150/60

2 x 175w panels connect to a Victron MPPT SMART 100/30

This is going into my LifePo4 bank 4 x 120ah.

Whats are your thought on programming the two MPPT Load Outputs to act like a dump loads from excess energy created my when batteries are full?

I can put two elements into my tank so have two separate heating elements with thermostats.

I work with an EasySolar II with 4x12V Deep Gel batteries of 220Ah each. The ESS is connected in parallel to the grid and a power meter is mounted single phase and connected to the ES USB port. Solar PV give max 4000W power so not enough for the 7KW need of the standard single phase charger of the EV.

Charging EV is a pain as it draws a lot of power from the batteries even in cases of maximum PV power available… I am at -3000 KW, not considering the house consumption averaged at 1KW.

In order to prevent discharging the batteries during the charging of the car I setup a script which monitors the power drained from the batteries and adjust dynamically the Grid Setpoint in order to reduce to minimum the previous value. This way the ESS raises the power taken from the grid and no longer needs to supply it’s own power from batteries. I do a running average to smooth out all the values and update these parameters every second and leave -50W as a buffer for the PV panels to step in if more solar is available.

The results look promising as I have maximum 10 seconds of ESS powering the EV from batteries until the running average catches up, then system stabilizes at -80W at battery, all the rest comes from the PV.

Not only this is usable for EV car but also for large consumers in the house, as in bad weather they cannot be charged from PV so battery draining is probable.

Not sure if this is appropriate usage of Victron, or if other options are possible for my setup… I leave the thread as a request for your comments.

Registers used: 2700 to write grid setpoint, 810 for Grid Input L1, 842 for battery load.

Download ev.py from this link and use it on your own risk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v4jLst9_Z4WhQz5DmPfNEVnk6-8amG1c/view?usp=sharing

/var/log/evvictron.log where the logging goes.

Script should run directly on the EasySolar through ssh.

Regards

I have four Jackery SolarSaga 100w 18v solar panels. I have four AGM batteries I would like to charge with these solar panels. Is this possible using using one of the VE SmartSolar MPPT chargers? If yes which one(s) would work best?

These solar panels have 8mm/small pin output connectors. How would I wire up the SolarSaga 100s to the a VE SmartSolar MPPT charger without splicing the panel output wiring/connectors?

I'm thinking of putting solar panels on the roof of my shed, the panels would have micro inverters rather than optimisers - the roof has shading. I intend to use Enphase IQ8H microinverters when they come available in Europe.

I would also have a ~10kw battery, I intend to power a small ~100W continuous load and small intermittent loads. The battery would be charged via a Victron MultiPlus and when the batteries are too low (no solar) via the grid at night.

Can the charge rate of the MultiPlus be adapted to the varying power input from the panels and microinverters (240V) ?

I prefer Microinverters over optimisers because data from Tigo inverters isn't free (API+fee)

We’re using an Orion Smart 30A to charge the leisure batteries while the engine is running in our van. However, we also have 500w of solar (real world output up to 30A) connected to a SmartSolar.

We’re finding after long periods stationary, particularly with use of vehicle accessories like the radio, that the starter battery can be a little low. Despite having completely full leisure batteries thanks to the solar. And had even failed to start the engine once (fixed by manually connecting leisure to starter to get engine on).

Is there a way to trickle charge the starter, with any excess power but without allowing any leisure accessories to drain the starter? And without “waking up” the Orion and creating a loop?

Hi. I have just installed 2 smart solar charge controllers mppt 150 70. Can I see a combined total for both outputs on the Bluetooth app or do I have to read each one individually and add up the total? Thanks in advance.

Hello,

Can anyone give me suitable voltages to set for the various custom settings, bulk, float etc (equalization too?) in a MPPT Smart Solar charger?

My NiMH battery pack has a nominal voltage of 12V. It's being fed by a 50W Sun Power panel. There will always be a load (a 10W battery charger), so I just want the 2Ah battery pack to act as a 'stabilising reservoir' so the load gets a nice consistent flow of power.

Thanks.

I have a Phoenix Inverter 24V 1200VA 120V on my system which has 1kw of solar connected to it with my Lifepo4 batteries, currently just running the fridge in my garage. Is there any option where if the battery gets to a certain level it could switch over to mains power to avoid the fridge turning off, just in case I went several days with no sun where the battery got low? Not sure if that's a feature of the inverter itself or if mine supports that, as this one was pretty much in my budget with anything higher seeming to be overkill.

Alternatively, are there any Victron products like battery chargers, where instead I could have THAT connected to the mains, and when it sees the battery hit a certain voltage or SoC it activates to keep the inverter running? Something like I don't know, if the battery SoC is 30% activate the charger and then stop charging once it's at 50% or something along those lines?

Thanks so much!

Hello all,

Does anyone know why on a 100/20 MPPT, having removed a battery pack, but with the PV still connected, the app still shows 13.5V in float mode for Battery? Testing the voltage across the terminals confirms this. Is the controller trying to do something it shouldn't? Having a problem sensing presence or lack of a battery?

Thanks

I've installed a EasySolar-II GX 48/3000 off grid with only a generator, solar panels and a BlueNova BN52v-125amp-6,5k LI battery connected via CAN port and BMS. Communications between EasySolar and batteries seems to be fine.

On the display circle of EasySolar, it shows "Solar: ESS". What does that mean? Batery SOC is 74% but MPPT is not charging. It is cloudy, will this result in solar displaying ESS?

Ve.Connect APP shows under settings, ESS: "No ESS Assistant found" which is right because I'm off grid.

The way I understand is that ESS is a function related to the grid and not to the MPPT.

Hallo zusammen,

bin recht neu in dieser Szene und bin von der Software von Victron ganz angetan.

Ich möchte gerne eine Solaranlage, die direkt den Strom quasi an den Verbrauchern weiter gibt, solang sonne da ist, aber ohne Speicherung, jedoch den fehlenden Strom bei wenig Sonne mit Netzstrom füllt.

Beispiel:
Solarstrom 50% Netz 50%
Solarstrom 20% Netz 80%

Gibt es die Möglichkeit dazu, ohne den Strom ins öffentliche Netz einzuspeisen?
Falls ja, könnt ihr mir paar Geräte nennen von Victron.


Vielen Dank

SETUP: Home system, US based. I'm thinking to split off critical loads into their own sub-panel. Victron gear [quattro?+autotransformer] would be supplied by IN power from a circuit off the main panels (grid) and solar/battery on the other IN. Some loads are US 240V (well pump), hence the autotransformer to get both 240 and 120 into the panel. Intent is to use solar-first on the crit loads panel, and supplement with grid as needed. No desire to feed back to the grid.

QUESTION: Is the Quattro the right product? Can it do this solar+grid balancing, or is something like Schneider's XW Pro a more appropriate fit?

Thanks for your input.

I'm tearing my hair out - My Multiplus is connected to an MPPS and 300ah battery stack. In the past few months the system is still taking power from mains when there is up to 100% SOC and plenty of sunlight. I do have some AC ignore rules, but these haven't changed since I first set it up. If I reset the Multi everything returns to normal - The system resumes pulling from the batteries and/or the solar. After about 12 hours it reverts to pulling, unnecessarily from mains.

Hallo, Vermutlich wurde diese Frage schon hunderte mal gestellt. Ich habe eine bestehende 12V Solaranlage mit 3x Steca 45Ah Master & Slave Mode im Betrieb. Nun mit dem Multiplus II und der Online Box würde ich gern diese dem System bekannt machen, Spannung & Leistung. Gibt es da Möglichkeiten ohne sich einen 12v/100Ah MPPT Laderegler von Victron zu kaufen?

Vielleicht stand ja schon mal jemand vor der gleichen Frage.

Ik wil mijn Vctron laders gebruiken om het overschot aan zonne-energie (dus wat niet binnenshuis wordt opgemaakt) in accu's te stoppen. Ik heb een meter die kan meten of mijn huis exporteert en hoeveel en dan voor 5 of 10 minuten een smartplug aan kan zetten, waarin ik de lader plug.

Is het voor de lader of de accu slecht dat er steeds 5 of 10 minuten geladen wordt en de lader dan weer uit gaat?

I installed a cut off switch on my solar panels so as to not interfere with a BMS operating when engine on.

i believe this situation may have caused TWO lightning strikes this season from static buildup.

Looking for validity and solutions.

Hello,

My question is can the rs smart solar 48v/6000 invert power from the solar panels to the grid without a battery pack connected ?

second question, how does this device know if your house needs power or it needs to store the energy in the battery or sell power to grid ?(gx device with current clamp ?)

kind regards bram

Campervan electrics

I am currently rebuilding a Fiat Ducato van into a campervan. For the electrical system we want to use a 230v fridge, a roof fan, Led lights and some smaller accesoires such as usb chargers etc.

A rough estimate of powerusage:

Adding losses, I estimate a bit less than 100Ah/day.

Charging

• Multiplus 800VA
• Orion DC/DC smart 18A or 30A
• Mppt 75/15 with +- 200Wp solar

Storage

The intended use of the camper van is to travel around, stay a day or to and then move again. so alternator charging and solar should be most of the charging required. Going with a multiplus is a nice to have, as adding a charger later would require a lot of components if I buy a separate inverter.

I am still looking into what I can afford,100Ah lithium sounds great, but 220Ah AGM is also reasonable for our uses. Due to a smart alternator a DC/DC charger seems needed anyways, so all should be easily set up for both chemistries. We’d prefer using a 12v system, as this is commonly used.

Do you have any remarks on this schematic?

(Apart from the not displayed safety on the 230v AC, and the non-calculated wire gauge.)

[image]

My question;

Can I combine the Multiplus, orion smart and mppt without a shunt or GX device or is this not advisable? As far as I can tell this is mostly for monitoring?

The multi and orion won't interfere with the ignition switch used, so it is mainly the communication between the MPPT and other chargers that could be problematic?

Thanks in advance!

Bram

Hi everyone,

a question in regards to the Multiplus II and ESS:
As per my understanding, when we have AC solar on the Multi's output (with the 1.0 rule obeyed), the solar delivers power to the load first, excess will be used to charge the battery and once they are full it will export to the grid.

So the question is can this be changed to: power the load first, export to the grid afterwards without ever charging the batteries? The charger can be turned on and off in the software I have seen. So, if it is off, would all excess energy be fed into the grid automatically?

[image]

The reason is a very high fed in tariff I have for this solar and of course I want to export as much as possible. The batteries will be charged form MPPTs solely.

Thank you.

Hello,

on my catamaran I would like to get rid of the generator.

I will intall 2000W of solar, 1200 AH LiFePo4 batteries and two MultiPlus 3000 in parallel. But this is not sufficient for two reasons:

1) redundancy

2) weather impact (no sun)

As a backup I would like to be able to charge my batteries FAST!! with the two 57 HP Yanmar diesel engines. How do I do that?

Thank you + kind regards,

Peter

I am in the final stages of designing a battery backup system with the Multiplus II. The main purpose of the Multiplus II would be to have a backup power source for when the grid goes down. The Multiplus II would be fed from the grid to ensure the batteries remain fully charged. This would be the first stage of the install and gives me a very good indication of the power draw throughout the day for my critical loads.

The second part of the install would be to connect a PV system (MPPT) that would keep the batteries charged throughout the day. I would then allow a certain % discharge going into the evening. The PV array will be sized based on the power draw of the critical loads and the solar yield on an overcast day on the shortest day of the year (New Zealand - relatively high sunlight levels). On sunny days there will always be excess power available and I would like to dump the excess power into a hot water cylinder. I am looking at including the fronius Ohmpilot that would be connected to the AC-out (non critical load) of the Multiplus II. This way there will only be limited amount of power going back into the grid. I will only be installing the fronius smart meter and leaving out the Victron smart meter upstream of all the electrical loads as the fronius smart meter would be the only meter that needs to determine if the load is dumped into the hot water cylinder or if it is being exported back into the grid. I assume this is correct? Below is an overview of how I would like the final system to look:

[image]

I look forward to comments and feedback on the above.

I currently have the following Victron products and want to add solar and 240v charging to my system

I also need to add some more 12v appliances and upgrade the current battery for a trip

Here is what I have currently

1 Cyrix CT 230a connecting the starter and 100ah AGM battery

2 BMV712 and Shunt

I have individually fused connections to the battery for DC loads (Fridge and lights) and want to tidy it all up when adding the solar and mains charging

Is the following diagram the correct way to incorporate the solar controller and 230v charger ?

Specifically should I connect all the 3 charging inputs positives to the POS BUS BAR and all the Negatives to the SHUNT ? if so which side ?

[image]

Hi - my single frustration with the system I have is that once my batteries are charged my solar during the day (typically 3500w) reduces and any excess is pulled from the grid - can this be solved… (I am not a technician or solar expert but this was installed recently by a “solar expert”)

[image]

Hi again

In a previous post I shared the scheme of my Van electrical system. It is almost set now, but I have some small doubts...

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/33770/van-solar-electric-scheme-24v-and-12v.html?childToView=33841#answer-33841

Mostly about Negative / Ground

here I share a scheme with three options on how to connect Orion 12/24 to the negative busbar
which one is more correct?

[image]

Hi there, community!

I wanna charge my campers’ leisure batteries both via the alternator (Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger Isolated) and solar (SmartSolar 100 / 20 20A MPPT). Can I use both products simultaneously? Thanks!