Utilizing excess energy from solar panlel - not a dumpload question ;-)

[Olberg]

Spencer

Sorry mate. Cant tell from your numbers what firmware you have. You could try asking Victron.
Perhaps they know which version it was shipped with. I must say that they are great at answering questions.
However sometimes, strangely enough, they answer in dutch and I have to use google translate.

The Multi uses it's so called VE Bus to communicate with a computer.
VE Configuration tools are found here: http://www.victronenergy.com/support...oads/software/
and will automatically update and tell you which version of firmware you have.
You will need a special adapter (VE Bus to USB)(more money has to be spent in typical Victron style) to hock the computer up with the multi.

(A color control gx also tells you what processor and firmware you currently are at.)

After a comment on the victron forum yesterday I think i found a way of using all the PV energy even though having the old processor.
Using a grid BlueSolar Grid Inverter and going with the Hub2 v2
Check it out at the bottom of this page:

http://www.victronenergy.com/live/start

and "Overview of available assistants"
Ill have to do more research about it all though. Not to mention, spending some money... arrrggggh

Would be great to know what settings let you use your low end genset for charging.

All the best
/Oliver

[Olberg]

Breakthrough!!

This info is not in the manual and not on there homepage... so it feels like I´m letting you in on a little secret


After a couple of mails back and forth with Victron I now think I found a way to make use of all PV energy, the opportunity load or load shedding, as Victron apparently calls it.

For you off gridders out there with a Victron Multi or Quattro (even the Multis with the old processor, like mine will work!) the trick is to use the “Relay assistent”. With it one can turn on the ACOut 2 relay when the State of Charge is > 99%.
(Also programming the relay to switch off When SOC <99% is a good idea


This will (if Victron is right) send all the “extra energy” out through the ACOut 2.


We have very little sunlight here in Sweden at the moment but will keep you posted when I get this tested.


Now:
My question to the electricians out there is:
What will happen if I wire an 3kW immersion heater to this output.
Will it dynamically give less and more heat depending on the amount of excessive power given by the inverter or will the load be too heavy to start with and I will end up with a blown fuse or a broken inverter?

/Olberg

[Sunking]

Now:
My question to the electricians out there is:
What will happen if I wire an 3kW immersion heater to this output.

That is a Dump Load by any definition. All you have done is made it more complex.

[harryn]

This is still kind of a "dump load" but you could consider to turn on some lights to enhance plant growth if there is excessive power available.

[Olberg]

As stated here, i guess it is a dump load.

I don't know how to define it.
And it doesn't matter to me.

(But I must say that there is a lot of logical parameters, not only SOC to be set to make use of all the excess power)


All I asked was:
What will happen if I wire an 3kW immersion heater to this output.
Will it dynamically give less and more heat depending on the amount of excessive power given by the inverter or will the load be too heavy to start with and I will end up with a blown fuse or a broken inverter?

Could somebody help me with an answer please.

[Sunking]

It will work but you are throwing away money, making it complicated, and taking losses in the conversion. Just use the Dump Load and connect it to a resistance heater. Cheap, efficient, simple, and no working or active parts to repair or replace.

[Olberg]

It will work but you are throwing away money, making it complicated, and taking losses in the conversion. Just use the Dump Load and connect it to a resistance heater. Cheap, efficient, simple, and no working or active parts to repair or replace.

Sunking, some companies solar regulators don’t have dump load features built in. Victron is one of those. What I explained above is a hidden feature found in there Multi and Quatro inverters.
If it works and you have a Victron system, no money will be thrown away and its not complicated to set up. Also you can use AC loads instead of DC.
Perhaps a outdoor fountain hooked up in the summer?

All I wish for now is a good way to store the extra energy for a long time.
Where are those commercially cheep fuel cells?
Organic flow batteries?
Graphene supercapacitors?

/O

[inetdog]

Forget supercapacitors except for short term large loads. You need what is essentially an MPPT circuit to extract all the energy from them.
Flow batteries do not seem to scale well to individual RE needs yet.
Fuel cells? Probably not.
Pumped waters storage? If you have the site for it and do not mind less than 50% energy recovery efficiency, maybe.
Hauling heavy weights up tall towers (or tall shafts). Also does not scale well.