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I really need to be able to talk to the inverter =).
The current communication/access to the inverter is via the WiFi / MQTT functionality; once I get enough other more pressing things off my plate, I am planning to implement a direct RS-485 MODBUS port on the inverter which would make it super easy to directly tell the inverter what mode to be in. Simple hardware addition...just I've got to do it.
I just don't think the data points are there for the inverter to make a smart choice on its own.
No contest 😉
1 hour ago, kazetsukai said:Lets say you deplete 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 of the bank between 1PM and 8PM, now its sundown and oh, there goes shore power due to an outage, and you can't depend on solar until tomorrow.
If half the capacity is consumed in 7 hours either the usage pattern needs to change, ie turn something off, or the capacity of the battery needs to be increased. If only a quarter is consumed, there should be sufficient capacity to carry the system through the night and beyond anyway.
Maybe a bit of thinking outside of the box but, if what ever inverter/charger being used is not capable of incremental draw from the mains / grid, take the approach of a standalone battery charger with a variable current limit. Adjust the charger current under programatic control so that there is no nett draw from the battery during daylight hours which themselves could be detected by monitoring the voltage coming from the array, ie as much of the load as is possible is being supplied directly by the solar panels. Sure that won't get maximal money savings since it would draw mains / grid power with no attempt to predict the future but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
(p.s. tell me to bugger off if you don't want to hear my thoughts on this ... )
If half the capacity is consumed in 7 hours either the usage pattern needs to change, ie turn something off, or the capacity of the battery needs to be increased. If only a quarter is consumed, there should be sufficient capacity to carry the system through the night and beyond anyway.
Ideally.
Sure that won't get maximal money savings since it would draw mains / grid power with no attempt to predict the future but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Different people will have different priorities. Maintaining as high SoC as possible into a period where generation options are limited (night), versus lets say, maximizing the excess generation are peak periods.
(p.s. tell me to bugger off if you don't want to hear my thoughts on this ... )
No, all valid points. Just different use cases, different priorities is all.
I suppose at Genetry Solar, we're trying to cater to a difficult market: i.e. individual people with very different and unique dreams--and a very wide range of different needs and functions. People that have heard "no, that's not possible" from every other manufacturer out there.
But that's what makes it fun. There's already 2 features on the GS inverters--available to everyone--that were a direct result of customers wanting a functionality.
One of those is a "ColdOff" feature, where the inverter auto shuts down if the ambient temperature is below a set temperature (freezing was in mind). This isn't battery charge shutdown (though it will affect that as well)...this is inverter mode shutdown. I still haven't a clue what the purpose of that feature is...though the customer had it working via MQTT commands long before I finally got the functionality implemented in the firmware 😉.
The other is auto powersave, where below a certain battery voltage, the inverter will automatically enter power save mode (and above that setpoint, it auto exits power save). When you see this function on other inverters on the market, remember that we had it first, I believe 😉.
We will do the best we can to meet everyone's needs and desires; obviously, there will be limits...but I'll do what I can.
And yes, then there's the commercial customers. Yeah, lots of demands 😉
I had to get rid of my Highlander Hybrid (😟)... I knew that I needed work on the rear suspension in order to tow safely, but the amount of money it needed made it not worthwhile to keep.
I wanted either the new Highlander Hybrid, or probably the new Sienna. Sienna's only are available as hybrids now. 36MPG combined, and it comes with a stock 1500W inverter, plus AWD. The Woodland edition for towing my trailer would be perfect ( https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022-toyota-sienna-awd-woodland-special-edition/ ). Unfortunately, the Woodland isn't out yet, and the wait list to get the Sienna or Highlander I wanted is 6 months plus...
So I got a good deal a new last model year (2020) Pacifica with the factory tow package... at least I don't have to work on it at all except the brake control, which already has the plug under the dash so that's pretty easy 🙂.
So now I'm trying to decide whether to put a bigger charger inverter in the trailer I can use in the house eventually in the winter, so I don't have to run the generator continually during power outages, and eventually add solar, or alternatively put a smaller one in the trailer.
Is the 3kW inverter lighter and/or smaller than the 6kW model?