SolarEdge battery profile switching by owner (privileges)

[chronos432]

chronos432 RE: App...

It's a standalone command line app, written in Python that I've been working on. Eventually, I'll likely post it on GitHub for other's to access. My goals for the app are to A) have a way to tell when my system is down, rather than noticing via the dashboard, days later, and B) be able to see what my savings and ROI would be for the system, given my local energy rates.

If you have any experience with programming or even with Unix commands like "curl", and you can get an API access token from your installer (or have installer access), you can get a lot of info. Here's the latest API documentation: https://knowledge-center.solaredge.c...toring_api.pdf

Keep in mind:

• Each site communicates with SolareEdge, transferring information periodically (I'm not sure if they poll or the sites push data). From the API you can access that information on the solar edge site (essentially, another client, like the dashboard, only with much more info).
• Implication is that often the data from the API call is often delayed 10-20 minutes through this two step process (site -> SE -> my API request), from what I observe. Sometimes up to an hour. Some of the info collected is in 5 min resolution, some in 10 min resolution.
• The API restricts you to 300 calls a day, so you can't check every minute, obviously. In one call though, you can get up to a week's worth of data for some items.
• It would have been much better, if one could directly poll the equipment and bypass the SE site. I don't know how my inverter talks to SolarEdge (haven't been able to monitor the packets)

For those curious...

With my app, I collect status every 10 mins, and I collect energy information daily and store in a simple database. I have commands to configure things, and to enter provider and monthly energy rates (it's specific to my provider - I don't know what other providers have for billing rates/fees).

For (A), when I poll status, if there is a change in state of the inverter, I have configuration to allow both texting and/or emailing based on configuration interval, so I get a heads up. I have a command that show status history (here is from around Christmas, when we had a big storm with lights flickering off multiple times during the day):

INVERTER AS-OF DURATION OP-MODE STATE
XXXXXD7-F1 11-29-2022 13:16 23d 18:52 ON-GRID MPPT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 08:08 00:01 ON-GRID FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 08:09 00:01 PV/BATTERY MPPT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 08:10 00:01 ON-GRID FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 08:11 00:05 ON-GRID OFF
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 08:16 04:36 ON-GRID MPPT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 12:52 00:04 ON-GRID FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 12:56 00:05 ON-GRID OFF
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 13:01 04:31 ON-GRID MPPT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:32 00:01 PV/BATTERY FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:33 00:00 PV/BATTERY MPPT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:33 00:03 ON-GRID FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:36 00:03 ON-GRID OFF
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:39 00:02 PV/BATTERY FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:41 00:06 PV/BATTERY UNKNOWN
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:47 00:04 PV/BATTERY FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:51 00:05 ON-GRID OFF
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 17:56 00:32 ON-GRID MPPT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 18:28 00:03 PV/BATTERY FAULT
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 18:31 00:05 ON-GRID OFF
XXXXXD7-F1 12-23-2022 18:36 27d 07:40 ON-GRID MPPT

For (B), I have a command that shows energy info by month or billing cycle (here's March monthly):

Screenshot 2023-04-17 at 11.42.32 AM.png

And ROI data (using my provider's rates and calculations). Here's some data...

Screenshot 2023-04-17 at 11.42.05 AM.png

This is very cool. I don't know python so there'll be a lot for me to learn. I'm hoping the modbus connection will provide most of the same information. For my purposes local is much better since if the grid goes down there's a chance that both my ISPs will be down too, and hence no cloud comms and no load shedding!

Have you integrated your local app into any home automation system like HA or HS4?

[darkskies]

No I haven't played with home automation at all, but would like to some day. Just too many project right now. The API is language agnostic, so you can use any language and there are tools like curl as well. For example...

curl 'https://monitoringapi.solaredge.com/site/YOUR_SITE_ID/timeFrameEnergy?timeUnit=DAY&startDate=2023-02-01&endDate=2023-02-03&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY'

{"timeFrameEnergy":{"energy":64400.0,"unit":"Wh "," measuredBy":"METER","startLifetimeEnergy":{"date": "2023-01-31","energy":1.8002E7,"unit":"Wh"},"endLifetimeE ne rgy":{"date":"2023-02-02","energy":1.80664E7,"unit":"Wh"}}}

Gives daily energy output from 2/1-2/2. It's in JSON format, and several languages have ways to format and or internalize the results so they can be manipulated.

[chronos432]

darkskies soby and others - do you know what the response time is on MSC for the inverter/battery combo to respond to a surge in power demand? Does it fall back to the grid transiently?

I'm just wondering if there is a spec anywhere which says how fast the LG RESU PRIME and say a 7600H combo can ramp up demand from say 400W to 4kW in response to a large load starting up. RESU PRIME 16H says peak power is 11kW for 10 seconds. Don't know how the combo with SE inverter translates in real life.

Anyone know?

[darkskies]

No idea. You could try digging through the data sheets to see if there is anything.

[Srrndhound]

darkskies soby and others - do you know what the response time is on MSC for the inverter/battery combo to respond to a surge in power demand?

I've never seen a spec for that, nor for load regulation, nor output impedance of an SE inverter.

Does it fall back to the grid transiently?
I'm just wondering if there is a spec anywhere which says how fast the LG RESU PRIME and say a 7600H combo can ramp up demand from say 400W to 4kW in response to a large load starting up. RESU PRIME 16H says peak power is 11kW for 10 seconds. Don't know how the combo with SE inverter translates in real life.

As long as the grid is live, the 7600H inverter is tied to it. The inverter will do what it can to prevent the grid from sourcing current in MSC mode, but I would suspect that, especially when there's no PV contribution pushing into the grid, an instantaneous demand (like an AC compressor relay closing) could create a momentary spike in current from the grid that the inverter cannot completely neutralize.

Is that a concern?

If the grid is down, that same demand transient (assuming it is below the inverter's limits) will of course be shouldered fully by the inverter, likely with a glitch in the AC output voltage.

[vie1964]

I'm struggling with solaredge and my installer since 6 month, no one of them is able to enable me to choose the battery profile "charge from clipped solar power" - although according to solaredge application note from February 2023 it should be possible

• Homeowner battery mode selection overrides installer selection"

https://knowledge-center.solaredge.com/sites/kc/files/storedge_charge_discharge_profile_programming.pdf

has anyone got a solution without having an installer account ?

[darkskies]

I think you have to be given admin privileges for your site by the installer. There may be different admin levels, I'm not sure. My installer (after lots of nagging) gave me some access, so I can see alerts, reports, analysis, and API key from the web site, and I can turn on/off weather guard and set reserve level. I don't have any other access, but I'm pretty sure there are other capabilities available.

Other people with more access can chime in on what is possible.

[solardreamer]

Best to get all system details (inverter/optimizer model/specs/serial #) from installers ASAP. Saw a homeowner report that the installer died and never entered all info, so couldn't get any detail for warranty replacement from SE for the system he owns and paid for. SE wants $$$ to physically inspect the system (including removing panels) to determine detail info.