Suggestions for a Monitoring system (grid tie + off grid)

[Salts]

We currently have a Grid-tied SMA Sunny Boy installed on our PV array and are in the process of installing a couple of SMA Sunny Island off-grid inverters.

I'm looking for an energy monitoring system that can make use of some of those clamp-on current transducers as well as a DC Current shunt. Recommendations? Here is what I need:
1) Monitor power (240v Split Phase) going in and out to grid.
2) Monitor power (240v Split Phase) coming in (produced) from 240v grid tied Sunny Boy.
3) Monitor power (240v Split Phase) going in and out of Sunny Island Inverter on the AC1 terminals.
4) Monitor power (240v Split Phase) going in and out of Sunny Island Inverter on the AC2 terminals
5) Montor Battery voltage (48vdc nominal)
6) Monitor Battery Current

7) Connect to home Ethernet so it can all be displayed on a PC computer.

Does anyone do anything similar to this? This isn't a critical system so I don't really care if its made in China. I'm not looking to control anything, just to watch it. It would be cool if maybe it had some kind of programmable relay contacts that could activate an alarm or something, but its not necessary.

Thank you,

[Ampster]

I am looking for something similar. My system consists of 5.7kW SolarEdge grid tie system, an Outback Skybox hybrid inverter with 10kWhs of Nissan Leaf batteries and 2.1kW Sunpower used solar panels, and finally 1.2kW of Enphase mcroinverters running some more used Sunpower panels.
At least your system is all Sunny Island and maybe there is a cost effective solution from them.
My monitoring is a hodge podge of devices that I have acquired over time but in no way is it integrated like I would like. At the 10,000 foot level, I use a Rainforest device that connects via Zigbee to my meter and tells me essentially what my instantaneous net consumption/generation is at any point in time. It gives me useful information historically as I try to balance my production and consumption to match the optimum TOU periods.

At the next level I have used a Sense which only gives me the solar production from the Grid tie inverter but it also measures the net to my meter and makes a calculation to estimate my loads. It has 4 CTs, two for Solar and two for the main panel at the meter. It has recognized a few of my devices but it takes a long time. It has no flexibility. I also can't use it to trigger anything useful.

Then I have a Neurio which is similar to a Sense in that it has 4 CTs but each is configurable. What I mean by that is I can put one CT on a AC leg of the Grid Tie and another on zthe microinverters. Since the outputs are balanced I can set the Neurio to double the readings of the CTs. That way I only need two CTs to measure two sources. Neurio has some useful triggers that I use with IFTTT. For example when my solar production hits a value in the morning, I can trigger my heat pump water heater to increase its temp to 125. Also I am working on a Kasa switch to turn on a relay that will turn on one of my car chargers when the solar production hits a certain level. Normally I would run those things late at night when rates are the lowest. I am 6 months into my TOU relevant period and have a $300 NEM credit. I can work that number to zero at True Up by using more of my solar to charge cars and heat water. Doing all that at offpeak makes sense except for the charges I pay for drawing down that energy stored on the grid. It is complicated trying to game the system but I am a retired CFO with a love of electronics and this is a rewarding hobby. I have heard some people taking this challenge with Arduinos but that is more involved than I want to take the time for.

I used to be pretty good at simple basic relay logic programming and that is why i like IFTTT because it can create a trigger from a value on the Neurio. I would be interested in persuing an integrated system if you find one. So far my Frankensystem of disparate parts allows me some optimization and still allows me time for my wife, my daughter and my 18month old granddaughter. What I don't like is it requires separate logins to see any device. At last count that was 7 logins not counting my two EVs and related charging equipment. The perfect system would vary the charging current as solar production changes over time.

[Salts]

I am looking for something similar. My system consists of 5.7kW SolarEdge grid tie system, an Outback Skybox hybrid inverter with 10kWhs of Nissan Leaf batteries and 2.1kW Sunpower used solar panels, and finally 1.2kW of Enphase mcroinverters running some more used Sunpower panels.
At least your system is all Sunny Island and maybe there is a cost effective solution from them.
My monitoring is a hodge podge of devices that I have acquired over time but in no way is it integrated like I would like. At the 10,000 foot level, I use a Rainforest device that connects via Zigbee to my meter and tells me essentially what my instantaneous net consumption/generation is at any point in time. It gives me useful information historically as I try to balance my production and consumption to match the optimum TOU periods.

At the next level I have used a Sense which only gives me the solar production from the Grid tie inverter but it also measures the net to my meter and makes a calculation to estimate my loads. It has 4 CTs, two for Solar and two for the main panel at the meter. It has recognized a few of my devices but it takes a long time. It has no flexibility. I also can't use it to trigger anything useful.

Then I have a Neurio which is similar to a Sense in that it has 4 CTs but each is configurable. What I mean by that is I can put one CT on a AC leg of the Grid Tie and another on zthe microinverters. Since the outputs are balanced I can set the Neurio to double the readings of the CTs. That way I only need two CTs to measure two sources. Neurio has some useful triggers that I use with IFTTT. For example when my solar production hits a value in the morning, I can trigger my heat pump water heater to increase its temp to 125. Also I am working on a Kasa switch to turn on a relay that will turn on one of my car chargers when the solar production hits a certain level. Normally I would run those things late at night when rates are the lowest. I am 6 months into my TOU relevant period and have a $300 NEM credit. I can work that number to zero at True Up by using more of my solar to charge cars and heat water. Doing all that at offpeak makes sense except for the charges I pay for drawing down that energy stored on the grid. It is complicated trying to game the system but I am a retired CFO with a love of electronics and this is a rewarding hobby. I have heard some people taking this challenge with Arduinos but that is more involved than I want to take the time for.

I used to be pretty good at simple basic relay logic programming and that is why i like IFTTT because it can create a trigger from a value on the Neurio. I would be interested in persuing an integrated system if you find one. So far my Frankensystem of disparate parts allows me some optimization and still allows me time for my wife, my daughter and my 18month old granddaughter. What I don't like is it requires separate logins to see any device. At last count that was 7 logins not counting my two EVs and related charging equipment. The perfect system would vary the charging current as solar production changes over time.

Why oh why is this so damn difficult? Its just an energy monitor, its not controlling a fusion reactor. All I want is a box that can connect to a bunch of CT's and maybe pick up a DC Shunt and then send the information through an old fashioned cat5 cable to my PC and have some software display it.

This shouldn't be such a headache.

[Salts]

There seems to be a disturbing trend towards these power gadgets using an external data collection service that requires internet. There is no way I'm allowing anything to transmit information to the internet except my own PC. And wifi? I don't want anything to do with that either.

These people are losing a lot of business setting up these products like this.

[SunEagle]

There seems to be a disturbing trend towards these power gadgets using an external data collection service that requires internet. There is no way I'm allowing anything to transmit information to the internet except my own PC. And wifi? I don't want anything to do with that either.

These people are losing a lot of business setting up these products like this.

I have worked with a couple of companies that manufacture meters that can measure electrical parameters of multiple sources at the same time and send that data to either a Server or Website.

The 2 that I am thinking of are the AccuEnergy AcuRev meter and the Eniscope from BEST energy. The meters are not cheap but they do provide accurate electrical usage data that can be trended and examined in detail.

[Salts]

I have worked with a couple of companies that manufacture meters that can measure electrical parameters of multiple sources at the same time and send that data to either a Server or Website.

The 2 that I am thinking of are the AccuEnergy AcuRev meter and the Eniscope from BEST energy. The meters are not cheap but they do provide accurate electrical usage data that can be trended and examined in detail.

You know when you get to a website that shows their products but you can't find a price for them anywhere, they're going to be crazy expensive. That's a lot of bells and whistles I don't want to pay for.

Why doesn't someone make a basic system? You'd think there'd be some Chinese factory pumping out generic no-name monitoring systems... its not like its some critical component.

[SunEagle]

You know when you get to a website that shows their products but you can't find a price for them anywhere, they're going to be crazy expensive. That's a lot of bells and whistles I don't want to pay for.

Why doesn't someone make a basic system? You'd think there'd be some Chinese factory pumping out generic no-name monitoring systems... its not like its some critical component.

I agree they can get expensive but if you want something that provides quality data then you will spend the money.

IMO why pay 1/3 the price if the equipment is not accurate and fails within a year?

[Salts]

I agree they can get expensive but if you want something that provides quality data then you will spend the money.

IMO why pay 1/3 the price if the equipment is not accurate and fails within a year?

If you need that level of commercial grade accuracy than I understand, but I don't need that level just to keep an eye on an off-grid system when the grid is down.

[wanabee solar]

Take a look at brultech.com/products/

[SunEagle]

Take a look at brultech.com/products/

That looks interesting.

[Salts]

Take a look at brultech.com/products/

WOW! Freaking jackpot... Winner winner chicken dinner..

Now why didn't I find that after two days of google research?

Check out the software:

[HollySprings]

If you need that level of commercial grade accuracy than I understand, but I don't need that level just to keep an eye on an off-grid system when the grid is down.

Seems like you could collect the data with an Arduino and whatever sensors you would want. With a RPi you could also have persistent data storage with or without (my case) Internet. Essentially that's what openenergymonitor.org does with their project. My plan is to use a YHDC CT device at every monitoring point, using a SCT-013-0xx, where xx is 10, 15, or 20 amp depending on the circuit. The Uno via an ESP8266 will send data via MQTT... all reasonably simple sketches and low cost.

[qrper]

Why oh why is this so damn difficult? Its just an energy monitor, its not controlling a fusion reactor. All I want is a box that can connect to a bunch of CT's and maybe pick up a DC Shunt and then send the information through an old fashioned cat5 cable to my PC and have some software display it.

This shouldn't be such a headache.

I agree!

All I want is the ability to monitor battery charge current, discharge current, state of charge, and for grins, throw in battery temperature.
for the AC gird tie, in real time!! Power going to the gird.
and maybe, not a deal breaker, total power consumed on the AC mains.

Here is a screen shot of a program I'd love to get my hands on. This came from an youtube video. The company is called, 'ACDCMonitoring" There is website but the contact us button apparently doesn't work. I tried all the links google came up with and they are all deadends

I'm mike