offgrid

Hi there,
This is how I am planning in wiring my off grid tiny house on wheels (essentially a caravan) and just wanted to see if anyone can see any issues with it? Is the earth circuit correct? Photo attached.

I haven't drawn any of the AC side of of the installation for the purposes of this diagram but I'd like to add that in addition to the connections in this diagram, I will also have:

-All the earth's from my AC loads will connect back to my negative buss bar
-A large cable (same size as battery cable) joining my negative buss bar to the trailer chassis.

Another note - The reason I have run the MPPT positive cable through the other pole on my DC isolator is because when I switch that off I want everything to stop, including the charging of my batteries. I realise I can just turn the PV isolator switches off and achieve the same result, but I want it all to turn off with the flick of one switch.

Sorry for the long winded question and thank you in advance!

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I am building a Tiny house on top of a steel trailer. My tiny house on wheels will be mobile and off grid with batteries charged by PV array. Will have the occasional plugin to a Generator for extra charging if need be.

My question is how does the ground circuit work in this scenario.

- Does the earth wire from the inverter, MPPT, PV panels grounds, battery casing, AC power outlets, lights, trailer frame, etc all join to a copper steak that I can drive into the ground when I park the trailer?

- Should the battery negative also be joined to the earth buss bar?

I have attached a rough diagram of how I think the earth circuit would go (earths in green). Could someone please let me know if this looks right. I quickly drew this diagram mainly for to show the earth circuit so I do apologise about the rough nature and any symbols that aren't quite right.

Thank you!

Hi, I have 2x Multiplus 5KVa inverters in parallel with 18x 400W panels and 4x 6.2KVA batteries. I Have turned off my feed from the grid as it is extremely unreliable.

Is this safe and OK for the system to run permanently without any supply from the grid ? is there anything bad or negative doing this ?

Is there any settings I need to change to optimize the system for this scenario to be used ?

Thank you

Hi. We have a Quattro 48/10000 (& CCGX display) with Fronius Primo 5.0 (4kw PV) and a SMA windy boy (6kw turbine) on the AC output.

This is an off grid installation.

At the moment their outputs are combined when displayed on the CCGX remote console (displays as PV inverter with a Fronius side tag). But in the CCGX menu device list they are separate.

Is there any way to display these two inverters separately on the CCGX remote display? So I can see PV and wind production separately or do I have to just live with going into the menu and device list?

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

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;

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Could someone help me with this issue? Might it be an MPPT issue, ... ?

Any help woul be very appreciated.

Sacha

Hi everyone! Long time first time.

I recently bought the Cerbo GX unit to add to my existing installation, which has a Victron MPPT Charge Controller and a Phoenix 12/1200 inverter. Prior to the Cerbo, I was using VE.direct bluetooth dongles to connect to the controller and inverter separately. With the Cerbo, I am using VE.direct cables to connect both inverter and controller to the Cerbo. I am *super happy* with this upgrade and the VRM portal; however, my inverter has mysteriously shut itself off 3-4 times since I changed the bluetooth dongle out for the VE.direct cable (24 hours). I was initially worried that it was some kind of software issue, but the more that it happens, I am increasingly convinced that the remote control jumper, which is right next to the VE.direct port on the inverter, is a little loose, and the normal vibration of the inverter during use is causing it to jostle out of place, which then turns the inverter off. The only way I am able to reconnect is to go to the inverter and jiggle the power switch, re-plug the VE.direct cable, etc, and it appears that all of these things are mounted on the same piece of hardware inside the device, because they all move in unison when I jiggle one of them.

Has anyone else had this experience? Is this a plausible explanation? Could this be being caused by a software issue instead? I am planning a major upgrade to my whole system and bought the GX first to play around with it. I love Victron products, which are otherwise awesome, and really want to get to the bottom of this. TIA.

ETA: I don't know why this would start happening upon swap-out of the bluetooth dongle -- that sure points to a software issue. But I think it's possible that it just was stable from having not been touched for over a year, and my messing with it caused a new hardware issue.

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?

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:

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VEConfigure:

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ESS:

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PS: may be @NicoV or @Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) can help me? Thanks!!!

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:

• 6x 320 W Trina brand panels (roof mounted so point more east than optimal)
• 3 kW Victron EasySolar II GX (seems to consist of:
  • SmartSolar MPPT 250/70 -Tr charge controller
  • Multiplus-ll] 48/3000/35-32 inverter/charger
  • connected to VRM about 1 month after install )
• BMV 700 battery monitor (no VE.Direct connection- should there be?)
• 4x 12V 260 Ah AGM batteries in series

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

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.

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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

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?

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

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

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:

• 4* 400W solar panels (50.4V / 10.18A)
• 24v Lithium battery bank

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!

Bonjour,

J'ai un système off grid avec un multiplus 24/3000 et une batterie au plomb et un couplage AC.
Je viens de terminé l'installation de mon voisin aussi off grid avec un easysolar 24/3000 batterie pylonteck.

Je me pause la question si il est possible de faire fonctionner nos deux reseaux off grid ensemble afin d'en faire un gros réseaux off grid pour partager l'énergie solaire.

Je peux faire un schéma de mon installation pour que les choses soit plus claire, et si nécessaire traduire cette question en anglais.

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.

This is a new installation made up of the following components:

• 28kw Solar Plant
• 33kw SMA Tripower Core 1 Solar Inverter AC Coupled
• 3 x 15000 Quattros
• 24kwh 48v OPzv Victron Battery Plant
• 80kw 3PH Generator

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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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!

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

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)

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

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

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).

https://mppt.victronenergy.com#djE7U1BNMDQzNjAyNDAwLDMsNiw1NCwtMjAsODAsNDgsOS4zOCwwLjA0LDEwLjI0LDM2MCwzOC40LC0wLjM1LDQ3LjQ=

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?

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Any advice, suggestions, pointers appreciated.

Thanks in advance, cheers,

Peter

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.

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.

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