Description:
As an installer I want to be able to integrate an external generator (AC) as smooth as usual using Victron components without negative side effects to the existing installation.
Imagine an installation like this:
Existing ESS installation e.g. 3-phase System represented by 3 MultiPlus II, a Venus device, a Fronius PV Converter behind the Multis (with enabled MG50 / need for frequency shifting) and one or multiple MPPTs connected to a BYD battery
As charging device I want to use a MultiPlus II as a charger only - therfor the Multi would only be connected to the venus device by VE.bus, to the generator on the AC IN, and to the battery.
This MultiPlus should affect the existing ESS System (which provides the AC power for consumption) in the same way as a MPPT does.
Integrating the generator, connected to the additional Multi, should have all advantages the existing system already has, such as:
- Optimal battery charging
- Venus device knows about the charger and can take its power into account
- the charger receives the currently allowed maximum charge current and can charge according to the BMS / DVCC
- available data of the charger on DBUS/MQTT/Modbus
- Displaying the charger in its role as a generator and its provided power in the same way a Quattro does
As read in the community forum and responses from my very experienced and helpful dealer, there are several possibilities to integrate a generator into an existing MultiPlus II ESS System, but in my opinion all of them are not as smooth as I am used to from Victron. They are also do not provide the upper listed advantages (And I'm pretty sure that the system design and the architecture could be enabled to do this).
This is an implementation detail, but It could work like this:
The additional Multi needs to be configured in ve.configure for accepting the generator anyway.
Either the Multis role could be configured at the venus device directly as it is usual e.g. for grid meters or an additional assistant could be created sth. like an "Generator integration" Assistant (unfortunately my "finding good names" gene is broken).
Having this assistant running on the additional Multi, the venus device knows its role and the assistant could also disable features of the Multi which are not required or must not be active in this role.
For sure this use case could be extended for example by integrating a 3-Phase Generator using 3 additional Multis, ...
While searching the forum I saw that a lot of community members have a similar demand.
It would be great if a feature like this would be available in upcoming releases.
Maybe you could give some Feedback.
I'm much more confident with software, control processes and low-voltage discrete current, so please excuse if there are technical restrictions which I do net see right now.
Best regards,
Martin
