offgrid

I have a Quattro 24v 8000 as part of a 4kw off grid solar system with 1000ah traction batteries (12 x 2v in series) . I have a Hyundai DHY8000SELR generator (apparently 7.2 kva) wired into the AC1 of the quattro. I have set the input voltage to a maximum of 16a as my generator seems to trip out if its set above this (which is annoying as it should be able to provide 30a, but this is a separate problem).

The issue is that the quattro is switching to charging (bulk) and mains staying in this mode for a couple of minutes then switching back to inverter mode for about 20 - 30 seconds then back into charge mode. Is there a reason for this? have I got the settings wrong?

Any help/suggestions would be really gratefully received!

I've also set with the dip switches the charge current limitation to 75%

so the dip switches are as follows:

8= off

7= on

6= on

5= off

4= on

3= off

2= off

1= off

Hello all,

I was hoping to have increased the size of my system before winter kicked in, alas this hasn't happened.

So I need a charger that will charge my lead 48v Gel bank of batteries and will also be able to charge my new 48v lithium ion phosphate pack when I get it. I will be getting a 240v supply from a diesel generator.

Many thanks

Simon

I have an off-grid system two Quattros 48/15000 with PV inverter in AC-Out 1 and two BYD 10 kWh batteries.

I have wired the generator in AC-In 1 of the Quattros and set "Generator" in AC-In 1 and nothing in AC-In 2. I have AC-In power to start the Quattros but CCGX is not detecting main power in AC-In.

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AC-Out 1 power is delivered by the batteries which are permanently been discharged and not been charged.

Quattro 10k professionally installed March 2013. Off grid system, traction batteries 48v. Solar power 10 kw, 2 Sunnyboy TL 5000. Power failure at 0830 hrs August 2019. On investigation Quattro indicated an overload condition. (At this point in time basic load including 3 refrigerators could have been operating. All occupants of house in bed alerted by security system indicating a mains failure condition “No real load”. On advice from installer all AC output from Quattro turned off. All PV input systems shut down. Only power to Quattro was now DC at around 49 volts. Overload condition remained, indicated by overload LED. Attempted reset by turning Quattro to off position waited 5 minutes then turned Quattro on to Inverter mode. Quattro reset with no overload indicated. Waited a a few minutes then turned load back on to inverter. Same load as before (Virtually no load) system was working as expected. Ensured load was restricted for a while to ensure no overload possibility. All seemed to be working as designed. Returned to check system 15 minutes later and found the Quattro was indicating overload, making a horrible grinding sound and smoking. I isolated system by shutting down all AC load, shut down PV system and isolated battery bank.

This system has been well maintained, never overloaded and the room where it lives is cooled in summer to avoid overheating.

Very disappointing that the Quattro actually flamed out after 6 years. Contacted the closest Victron service agent. He didn’t sound surprised At what I had explained and mentioned “short circuit”.

This unit is not that far out of warranty and I am expecting no joy from the agent. I was surprised to read of how many instances where the overload situation has occurred with Quattro and Multi units. Seems this sustainable energy thing is very expensive especially if things catch on fire.

Any help would be appreciated in helping me understand how this unit could work well for 6 years then almost catch on fire. I would have thought protection would have been built in to avoid this situation.

Hi All,

I am converting a school bus and have heard rave reviews regarding the victron brand - however I am finding it difficult to establish which combination of products I would require.

My partner and I plan to source our own Panels (4 x 140w Panels = 560w)
My partner and I plan to source our own batteries (4 x 120ah Fullriver DC Series AGM Batteries)

But we are seeking advice for everything in between. Inverter charger/ MMPT/ moniters/ fuse box/ distribution ...

We anticipate primarily using DC power, for the lights/ fridge/ water pump/ most general electronic devices.

We anticipate using AC power generally for low draw appliances ( RV washing machine, laptop) and on rarer occasions the following high draw products but only one at a time ( microwave, hair straightener/ sandwich press). Because of this we anticpate needing a higher rated inverter.

Please advise a product that is compatible with the battery/solar capacity, usage requirements and as price effective as possible.

Additionally, please suggest the simplest combination of products. I will be installing and I am no electrician! I was drawn to the EASY SOLAR due to the compact single unit, with prewired internal components.

MUCH APPRECIATED

Hi there,

Possibily this is an odd question. I am trying to set up a 1-phase off-grid system. I have:

+ 2 Quattros 15000

+ 2 Fronius Primo 8,2

+ 2 10 kWh BYD BOX Batteries (with the special VE.CAN Cable)

+ CCGX

+ Energy Meter ET112

+ 14 kVA Genset

Don't pay attention to the oversizing of the system, it will be expanded afterwards.

I have power in AC-In 1 (right now the grid, but it will be the Genset). I have flashed both Quattro (VE.Flash) and set up the bus configurator (AC-In1 active, AC-In2 disabled, 1 phase). I have tried to set up the Off-grid configuration with the VE.Configure but I can only see Grid-tied systems.

Moreover, I have no output power in AC-Out1 (nor AC-Out 2) and I can not charge the batteries nor power the CCGX (where I suppose I can enter the battery parameters).

1) Since Victron devices were first though as stand alone systems, this question may be out of date, however, how can I configure my system? I have looked for long in the community, tutorials and so on, so maybe there is not much to configure...

2) How can I get power in AC-Out?

EDIT: 3) I'd prefer to set up the BYD Battery parameters via CCGX, rather than via VE.Configure. Is it possible?

Thanks a lot

Hi Smartsolar- Users :-)

I run a SmartSolar 75/15 together with 12W Solar Panels und a 12V (4S) Winston LiFeYPo 90Ah Battery in my Caravan.

Battery setup is kind of "90% full is enough -Setup" with 14V/13.4V/14.3V/30days balancing. HAve 1,7A Balancer boards on every cell.

Usually, i run the load output in mode "always on" when i use the caravan.

ATM, i am on holiday in Kühlungsborn at the Baltc Sea Coast, where Weather was quite bad. So i only got 130Wh loaded into the Battery the last 4 days, while i used 880 Wh for TV etc., all shown on the Victron Connect app.

Today, i noticed (from my gas warner beeping all the time when getting power, was the only device obn battery power at that time, taks 0,1A) that the load output switched off and on every few seconds. So i checked the battery voltage in the app: as far as i remember, it was at 13,2v.

That is way to early to switch off the battery power; these cells do have ca. 1200 Wh from 4,1V down to 3V/ cell.

Date shown here: https://www.faktor.de/batterien/einzelzellen/winston-lfypo4/lyp090aha-lifeypo4.html

Now, i changed the load output mode to user "defined 2" with off <12V and on >14,4v

I thought "Aways on" would mean" always on? Does anyone know if there are voltage limits in mode "always on"?

Best regards from Germany...

Frank

I'm looking for a off-grid inverter that would handle a 20 kWh Tesla battery bank (2p2s 5.3kw modules) with a 8.8 kW solar system. I would like 10 kW peak power capability. Can I use a SolarEdge inverter and AC couple a Quattro inverter. I like the optimizer technology for dealing with partial shade issues. Any thoughts?

Ik ben onderzoek aan het doen naar energieopslag afkomstig van zonnepanelen, en een off grid systeem.

Ik heb al een bestaand systeem uit zonnepanelen en een omvormer die de spanning van de zonnepanelen omzet naar 230 V(AC). Na deze omvormer wil ik de quatro omvormer toe passen. De bedoeling is dan dat de spanning uit de omvormer hier op aangesloten wordt en deze vervolgens de accu kan opladen met 48 V(DC). De rest van de spanning moet kunnen worden gebruikt voor eigen gebruik, en als er dan nog rest is moet dit terug worden geleverd aan het net.

Hierbij is het ook de bedoeling dat bij een stroomuitval de accu er voor zorgt het bedrijf voorzien wordt van stroom, hierbij moet de 48 V(DC) van de accu omgezet worden naar 230 V(AC)

Is dit mogelijk, zo ja hoe?

Als dit niet mogelijk heeft iemand dan nog andere mogelijkheden?

Ik zoek dus een systeem zoals hieronder maar dan zonder generator en dan bij spanningsuitval dat de accu het overneemt

[image]

Is it possible - or is there an appropriate configuration - to use the Off Grid Quattro AC-out connected AC supply to (inversly) charge the batteries if no load is consuming power?

(3~ MultiPlus Quattro 8KW / AC-Supply: Inverter 230V, <1kW, 60Hz)

I plan to add further supplier sources to my of grid System: 3x Quattro 48V-8000VA with Pylontech Batteries 40kWh behind. For continuous feed I would like to integrate a SkyWind Micro - Wind mill 1kWmax connected to the 52Hz off grid environment.

The FuSystems SkyWind is able to drop the AC power if no loads are connected.

The power is provided by a 60Hz AC connection in the micro grid while dumping the power into a heat sink when no loads are connected. In between a 60V DC to AC conversion is done.

Question: Does the Quattro AC output provides an adequate (grid like) stable frequency and 1-phase voltage to the SkyWind AC-Converter/Controler (needed to simulate an on-grid / without feed-in situation)?

Is the Quattro’s AC frequency strong enough, concerning the consumer sided behaviour based on active loads or no power consumption situation to indicate the heat sink or AC power provisioning ?

Does the Quattro provide preventions to consume itself the AC power on the micro grid side?

It seems a simlar control as been established with “Fronius PV Inverters” on the AC consumption/ micro grid side, which in fact has to be configured in a special setup.

Does the Quattro 15 kva Inverter come with a charge controller built in?

Off grid project.

What is prefered 48 or 24v? Plan to use 4x FLA 48v 750Ah batterys, 2nd hand FLT 600mm tall type, fit well in brick bunker - won't freeze, cheap too. Had one of these batteries for 2 yrs on 3 solar panel. Just 24v for now, testement Victron MPPT abilty manage battery life still working well, 150/30 MPPT is very robost unit.

So is 48v is better for battery and inverter, but I like 24v for control circuits, have 5m cable run to bunker with 350mm2 is lots.

Shortly add 24 PV panels and 800W wind turbine, just bought 150/60 MPPT for extra PV.

When running Wind turbine on my 150/30 MPPT, it just won't settle!, but with a basic 24v charge controller just works, charge controller will short the turbine when battery is full, I also use step up transformer to boost turbine voltage at low wind speed. Will watch Victron products for wind compliant MPPT.

Do use BVM to switch in 20A water heater above 27.5v. This uses 24v relay.

Current thinking is to add small 24v system 2x12v car battery, charged by wind turbine when 24v is low. Just another relay to switch 3 phase into either 24v or 48v charge controller.

Probably Quatro 8k inverter, no plans to have genny, prefer hydro system. Some concern about limited winter sun, and my 5kW GSHP drain battery, will burn some wood to supplement heating.

Many challenges.

Hi

After some information as to how the above components will react together in a ac coupled off grid system?

I understand frequency shifting will restrict the pv from the Fronius

How does this perform or react if there is a generator running for supplementary battery charging ?

Regards mike

Hi folks,

New to all this, stem less than 24 hrs online.

Easysolar 5000, BYD 13.8

Seems to be working well but not showing generator running when charging.

I am assuming that is because I am not starting the gen from the system, yet, but I wanted to know if I can get it to recognise when the gen is running base on the AC state.

I am off grid so there is no AC unless the gen is on.

If there is no setting for this, is ther an aux input I can configure to do it?

At the moment the absdorption saying is 57.6v for absorption but the PV inverter support assistant ramps down Fronius when the batteries are at 54v so it takes far too long to charge the batteries under solar. When the generator is on, it will charge at 180amps until 57.6v then go into absorption then float as it's supposed to but when it's under solar it will charge at 180amps to 54v then ramp down considerably so even though the charger wants the power the PV inverter assistant won't allow it. Can the setings be changed in the PV inverter support assistant to chasnge it from 54v to 57.6 as per the charger setting?

My customer wants to have a grid-tie solar system which functions primarily as an off-grid system and only accesses the grid if there is not enough solar or battery capacity. He has chosen an electricity tarif scheme in which the electricity price is high during peak hours (18:00 - 23:00) and low in the other off-peak hours. He wants his system to function off-grid during. the peak hours and avoid and electricity purchases during those hours. Outside of the peak-hours, he wants the system to revert to grid-tie and be able to use the grid to recharge the batteries (in case solar is not enough). Is it possible to program the Multiplus to be grid-tied during certain hours of the day and be off-grid (functioning as a UPS) during other hours of the day?

Hi

I have a 3 phase of grid system with a 3 phase generator as backup. The system has 3x5000 multiplus, 1x 70/150 mppt, 920ah gel battery bank, color gx and bvm. We need more power and I was wondering what is the best way forward

The new solar array will have to be placed around 80m away from the current system. At this point I have the option to either run DC power back to the system and install more mppts in parallel or I can tie in to the mini grid here.

My question what will be the best option? I have a couple of options.

1) Do I dig a trench and send 150 V DC power back to the system and intall 2 or 3 more mppts

2) If I install a 3 phase grid tie inverter 80m away from the system do I need to communicate with it? Do I need to install CTs that needs to communicate with the PV inverter? Do I need to install other communication between the system and the PV inverter? What inverter do I install? Make and max size

3) Do I use 3 single phase PV inverters in the same setup above? 3x5kva?

4) Do I install a 3 phase PV (or three single phase) inverter with the system and run high voltage DC from the solar array to the system?

Will the system integrate with the generator without damage to the generator, loads inverters?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

Wilhelm

I have 800Ah of LiFePO4 batteries connected to a Pheonix 3K inverter running at standard settings of 230v/50Hz. I am attempting to run my French bought Bosch Serie 2 washing machine from the inverter. I get very inconsistent results. Sometimes the program will run through without problems, other times it will stick in the wash phase etc. Whenever I connect to mains electricity the machine works without fault. Without wishing to lead suggestions I have started to focus on the drain pump. I have a suspicion that it does not always manage to start up and as a result the "smart" washing machine stalls in it's logic. For example there are times when it will not enter the spin cycle and this would be logical if a drain cycle just before that has failed to initiate.

I am looking for ideas as to what may be causing my symptoms and what I can try to get around them. The machine is definitely a 50Hz item so I am loathe to try upping the frequency. Is my 'pure sine wave' Pheonix producing a clean waveform? .... I do not have access to an oscilloscope to check. I'm considering buying a 'Bosch compatible' drain pump to see if subtle manufacturing differences may alter the outcome. Any ideas gratefully received.

I have a pair of Quattro 8k in parallel operation. They have started making a loud buzz/rattle sound. I've isolated the mains inputs and outputs but it still does it so can't be any bad load/poor Mains etc.

It's really loud and distracting when trying to sleep.

I've attached a sound clip of it.

Anyone got any ideas?

ThanksVID_20190722_210857.mp4

Ceri

Is it possible to use Pylontech batteries with mppt + venusGX + phoenix inverter for an offgrid application?

Do I need to use a multiplus instead?

Some inverters specially offgrid can be set to automatically go to standby mode in case there is no load on the AC side, in order to reduce the internal self-consumption (which is about 30W For the Quattro 120V/ 5000 VA).

Is this possible to do for the Quattro, or how can we reduce the internal self-consumption of it as it is a bit high especially in case there is no AC loads connected for example?!

Hi there,

I've got a system where I don't want the quattro to automatically restart after shut down (due to the nature of the system it could restart onto a fault it doesn't detect for).

Is there a way to program this in so that in any shutdown event the inverter will not restart unless manually told to do so?

Hi all, I believe my off-grid charge controller is experiencing the same issue as seen in this post:

https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/7329/bluesolar-15045-weird-behavior.html

Unfortunately I don't have a spare controller to swap out for testing. I don't currently have logging but plan to in the future. I've only caught it doing this type of thing when I'm physically looking at the unit. The system usually runs as expected but I've seen it do this several times a day to not noticing it happen for a week or so.

The watts coming from the panels and going to the batteries fluctuates from 0 to the max watts available at the time, stays there for a second and then falls back to 0 and starts that cycle again. The battery voltages rise and lower accordingly.

I've yet to see it "fix" itself or stop doing it on it's own. I stop the rise/fall/rise cycle by going into the set up menu and then back out. This resets it back to bulk and the charge cycle operates as normal. Any help would be appreciated!

System specs: 4x400w panels (1600w), 4x190ah SLA batteries (48v), firmware version 2.03.

Hi all - we have an off-grid system with 10kWp of PV (2xSunnyboy 5000TL's), a Quattro 10kW and 12 x BYD batteries all working really well most of the time, unless its really sunny. In the summer the system generates a VE Bus temperature alarm about midday and shuts down before restarting a few minutes later. This can happen 3 or 4 times over the course of 20minutes and then the system functions normally. The BYD BMS reports no problems so it looks like the Quattro is overheating when there is a lot of solar power available.

How do we check this temperature and what is the threshold for temperature alarms in the Quattro? We have tried to improve air flow around the unit but this hasn't helped.

On the VRM we can only see the BYD temp so there doesn't seem to be a way to easily see what temp the Quattro is. The batteries charge from a generator from 10% to 100% with no temp issues and we dont want to restrict the charge rate as we'll use more diesel when the generator is running. Its currently set to 100A which is less than the maximum for this unit. Genset is on AC In 1, PV is connected via a fuse board on AC Out 1 .

Could we add a fan on one of the relays and if so how do we configure the temperature threshold to start it?

For anyone who is thinking about adding an ig plus , not all have the mg 50/60 settings on the brain, apparently if not they have to be sent to Austria to be programmed, updating firmware will not add this feature as I have found out! On a separate note, should the multi bus state not show up on VRM when being charged from pv inverter on ac out? Mine is just showing that it is inverting , but led s show up on front panel

Cheers matt

My fronius primo is not producing power when the grid is not available while it is connected on the AC 1 Out of the victron multi but it stays ON. How to fix this?

My Fronius Symo 15 has 18kw of solar panels installed. Multi plus 48/5000/70 x 3 in 3 phase config. Even though Fronius has 15kw available, the multiplus always ramps Fronius down considerably & doesn't ramp up to meet house demand but instead takes it out of the charge so the charge is reduced. Why isn't Fronius ramping up?

I have installed solar system with components: quattro 48/1000/140, 2x MPPT 250/70, CCGX, BMV712, batteries Sonnenschein A602/1130 48V. How I can adjust settings, that quattro shut off loads when SOC is below 60%? And turn on loads again when SOC is above 70%? And how is correct way to adjust settings, that MPPT won´t damage batteries?

I have an off-grid cottage that currently has two damaged panels I got a few years ago, plus various bits of gear, and I plan to expand on my power generation (still small scale this year, hopefully massively with a grid connected ESS reselling power next year.)

My goal is to have 24/7/365 power output this year, even when my family isn't there. My current setup is as follows:

2x250w (damaged) solar panels on the south facing roof of the "utility" building. While they are damaged, I have seen output levels as high as 450w.

Venus GX

MultiPlus Compact 24/2000/50-30

BlueSolar Charger MPPT 150/45

BMV-702

In addition, I have about 35 watts of loads I want to run 24/7/365 (small esxi server, PoE switch, a few webcams, and GSM modem). The loads are a mix of AC and 24VDC. During the summer months I would prefer to have an addition ~100 watts of load constantly, but I am fine with shedding loads in low battery situations.

The area is prone to extreme winds and snow, when I was in the area and tried to check on it at Easter, there was 130cm of snow on the ground, making it impassible. The location is not quite Arctic, but it is a hair over 63 degrees north, so the shortest day of the year will be *VERY* short. In addition, the outdoor lows over the winter sometimes get to -35c.

I am looking at getting 4 new 275w panels, and while I know it will not be ideal, I would place 2 of them on the north facing roof, and two on the south facing wall under the roof line but as elevated as possible so that hopefully they will not get covered in snow over the winter. I expect that only the panels mounted vertically on the wall will have any meaningful output in the middle of winter. I am hoping to get enough output from them that this system can remain online year round, but I do not know if that is realistic.

Question 1) My "gut feeling" is that I should hook up each of the 3 pairs of panels so that each pair is in series, and each series of 2 is in parallel with eachother. Is this correct?

Question 2) Is there any good/easy solution for automatic load shedding at low power levels (such as a Venus controlled circuit breaker)?

Question 3) If it would help, I could actually put 3 panels on a south west facing wall, where they also may produce some power during winter, but they won't have any direct sunshine at any point. Is this of any value if I would have two panels in direct sunlight? Would the MPPT be limited to the current max from the string in direct sun, or would it actually benefit from some small additional current? What problems, if any, would having this sort of missmatched string size have? (all panels are 32v, so even a string of 3 is under the voltage limit for the MPPT)

Thanks in advance!