question

belmont avatar image
belmont asked

Follow the sun algo

Does anyone have an algorithm that is following the sun, I mean monitoring the PV inverter output power and use this value for the battery charge which something like this with MQTT:


/Hub4/DisableCharge = 0    //charger is enabled during the day from sun   
/Hub4/Lx/AcPowerSetpoint = “PV inverter output power by ET112 - AC load by house”   
/Hub4/DisableFeedIn = 0        //feed into grid once battery is full from sun

and once the sun sets, no PV inverter power anymore, then switch to use battery only at night, no import from grid.

/Hub4/DisableCharge = 1 // at night charge can be disabled from grid

/Hub4/DisableFeedIn = 1 //prevent battery to feed into grid

If anyone made such in Home Assistant or python or NodeRed please share, thanks

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5 Answers
Matthias Lange - DE avatar image
Matthias Lange - DE answered ·

Isn't that exactly what the ESS assistant does?

Use surplus energy to charge the battery and use the battery if there is not enough solar energy.

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belmont avatar image belmont commented ·

Not. I allow minimum SOC 50% but this damn algo does not go under 80%. Active SOC limit = 80%

How to tell it to drain battery down to 50%?


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Matthias Lange - DE avatar image Matthias Lange - DE ♦ belmont commented ·
That's how battery life is working:

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Energy_Storage_System/en/controlling-depth-of-discharge.html#UUID-af4a7478-4b75-68ac-cf3c-16c381335d1e

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belmont avatar image belmont belmont commented ·

Optimized with battery life was set in ESS and it keeps using the grid when it should NOT. I set 50% SOC but it does not go below 80%. Now i test ESS optimized without battery life.

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belmont avatar image
belmont answered ·

has anyone noticed these "Optimized" algos causing trouble with AC coupled inverters on AC out of Victron?? My solaredge is keep shutting down in Optimized settings during the day, but when i set Victron to Pass Through then the SolarEdge is rock solid, not shutting down every few minute. Optimized settings keep playing with export/import from grid, keep playing with voltage level, causing issue for the inverter on AC out.

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Matthias Lange - DE avatar image Matthias Lange - DE ♦ commented ·
As long as the grid is connected the system doesn't control the SolarEdge. Only if the grid is disconnected the system is starting to use frequency shift to control the SolarEdge if the battery gets full (or the charging current is to high for the battery).
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belmont avatar image belmont Matthias Lange - DE ♦ commented ·

i expected this as you wrote, but this is not true if you have the ESS Optimized settings because of the Optimized export/import to cycle the battery causing confusion on the AC coupled SolarEdge and keeps shutting down. I needed to fully disable "Optimized" algo. Very bad behavior from a very good intention of "Optimised" ESS settings. Thats why i lean more and more towards self written algos.

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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ belmont commented ·
You can disable the optimized with battery life on the gx in the ESS menu.
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belmont avatar image belmont Alexandra ♦ commented ·
yes, i know, Optimized without battery life is not a bad algo however when my BYD is full and the algo does the charge/discharge export/import cycles it just shuts down my SolarEdge. So i need to solve it one way or another. Probably I have to go the self written charge control route. I am not good in Node Red yet to put this together but i will try or with python.
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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ belmont commented ·
@belmont

If you use node red just set the soc to 98% if you are aiming for near full. It will then allow the system to keep producing.

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belmont avatar image
belmont answered ·

The closest off-the-self solution for my initial question is this:

1) optimized without battery life during night
2) once solar PV generation starts in the morning manually turn off grid completely and run off-grid, this case the SolarEdge PV inverter is not shutting down and also charging the battery.

All other options are bad for me as i can not control when and why the battery just discharging instead of charging when solar PV inverter is generating power and also why on earth the battery is charging from grid instead of using PV inverter.
Really the default options are way too far from my need, i can even understand why Victron wrote the algo as they wrote...

Side note: Grid can fool too. I asked ChatGPT this:selection-224.png


selection-224.png (170.4 KiB)
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janieronen avatar image
janieronen answered ·

To be able to help could you specify your setup and settings? How long you did use ESS with battery life active? As it is dynamic learning system it needs to settle to your setup to be able to adjust minimum SOC.


If you already chose to build own control loop then do not jump between ESS states and own control loop. Stay in own control logic and manage limits by your own. Any case it helps if you write down logic you are looking for.

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belmont avatar image belmont commented ·

the very first, initial post is the goal, nothing more, nothing less. If more people are into NodeRed, then we can build such things together easily. The ESS default settings are not for me, I really DO NOT LIKE that it using the grid so often!! In general my system works perfectly in off-grid mode, kudos to both Victron and SolarEdge, but in on-grid mode all hell break lose. SolarEdge keeps getting shutdowns from grid. Lets share some NodeRed know-how here. I already started NodeRed but needs to learn more to make the algo i wrote aboveselection-227.png

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belmont avatar image
belmont answered ·

whoever wrote the ESS algo that person missing the basic understanding of solar PV system with battery. Why the hell the batteries charging from grid in mid summer when i have tons of PV inverter power. Total disaster... If you want a properly working battery backup system (which exports when the batteries are full and use solar for battery charging) buy Sonnen or Tesla Powerwall.

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Related Resources

Victron MQTT readme

What is ESS training video

ESS Quick Installation Guide

ESS design and installation manual

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