Sol-Ark SmartLoads-14 for Multi-Family Installation

[twoj]

I'm investigating the efficient and fair distribution of solar power for a multi-family complex, and I'm trying to determine if the Sol-Ark SmartLoads-14 can satisfy our requirements. We have six units in our complex, each with a 400A service panel. The Sol-Ark SmartLoads-14 supports 14 100A circuits, so we will need two SmarLoads-14s to meet our amperage requirements.

The solar energy from our rooftop grid would connect to a Sol-Ark inverter connected to a pair of grid-tied Sol-Ark SmartLoads-14s in a behind-the-meter configuration. We would then rely on the Artifical Intelligence component of the SmartLoads-14 to fairly distribute the power based on the on-demand load of each unit. Excess power would be sold back to the utility company. My question: The Sol-Ark SmartLoads-14 documentation implies single-unit only, but can it be configured in a parallel configuration to fairly and efficiently distribute power to all six units in our complex?

[jflorey2]

IWe would then rely on the Artifical Intelligence component of the SmartLoads-14 to fairly distribute the power based on the on-demand load of each unit. Excess power would be sold back to the utility company. My question: The Sol-Ark SmartLoads-14 documentation implies single-unit only, but can it be configured in a parallel configuration to fairly and efficiently distribute power to all six units in our complex?

A few notes.

First off the SmartLoads will not "fairly distribute the power." It will send power to whatever circuit needs it, just like a regular panel will. If one person takes 90% of the generation then that's what they will get. The only thing you can do differently is that you can shut off a given load if you want to.

You can configure it to distribute power to those six loads (two relays per load) but each circuit will be 100 amps, for a 200 amp load total. If you hardwire the relay coils together then they can share, and the two circuits paralleled can be used at 200 amps. However, if you do NOT hardwire them together, then you could run into a case where one load is pulling 180 amps, then you open one relay, and the other one sees an overcurrent and overheats. And I would not try to hack the box to do that unless it supports it natively.

[twoj]

Thanks jflorey2 . Your information is very helpful. I was also concerned about hardwiring the relay coils together to make sure we can send 400A to each Service Panel. Your description certainly helps. Sol-Ark's documentation does not seem to be very helpful below the superficial level.

In researching the Distributed Energy Resources Systems (DERS) market, I found solutions which support Utilities and very large commercial customers. Are you aware of a consumer-focused solution that operates in the configuration I described? Our solar angle in Hawaii is fantastic for generation, and our rooftop grid can generate estimated 180-230 kWh per day, which should be enough to offset each owners monthly utility bill. We are challenged with a two-story building, so how do we equitably distribute the power to all units based on demand? We could carve-up the 90-panel configuration into six 15-panel sub-configurations, but we have a strange roof configuration with multiple gables. Invariably, someone will complain that sub-config X is generating more power than sub-config Y.... so this approach does not seem optimal. Any other ideas on how to effectively and efficiently distribute the entire the power?