User Tools

Site Tools


dc_coupling:prioritize_solar

This is an old revision of the document!


How to prioritize solar in a dc-coupled system

System

Multi, powered by the grid, solar charger, batteries, ac loads and optionally also dc loads.

Question

Out of the box, a Multi or Quattro inverter/charger will always have its charger enabled. So when the batteries need a charge during the day, it will be charging them together with the solar charger. Since there is solar power, I want to first use solar power, and only when there is no or not enough solar fall back to the grid.

How can I do that?

There are two answers, one for recently shipped Multis and Quattros that have the new microprocessor, one for the older type.

Answer (new micro)

Use the Self-consumption hub-1 Assistant. It will only charge the batteries from the grid if needed to preserve battery health, and leave the rest for the solar chargers. The mechanism preserving battery health is called sustain.

To install this assistant, see instructions here: How to add an Assistant from start to finish.

This assistant has more relevant optional features:

  • load shedding
  • feeding back dc-coupled solar power to the grid
  • periodic equalisation/destratification charge

See the welcome page and the policy selection page in the Assistant configuration wizard for more detailed information. Want to read this pages and don't have a Multi or Quattro product available? No problem, it is possible to go through the pages without configuring a system with real hardware.

Answer (old micro)

Use the virtual switch to enable ignore the ac input, based on battery voltage, and optionally also on power being drawn by the ac loads.

We will add more information and some screenshots explaining this installation soon.

dc_coupling/prioritize_solar.1407069349.txt.gz · Last modified: 2014-08-03 14:35 by mvader

Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki